302 



HISTOEY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



FIG. 5. 



CALF'S TEETH AT 

 8 MONTHS. 



"It is not intended in anything which has 

 been stated to question the fact of the occur- 

 rence of irregularities in the dentition of the 

 animals of the farm. On the contrary, my sub- 

 sequent remarks will contain references to 

 numerous and remarkable exceptions to the rule 

 of development of the teeth of different animals. 

 It is, however, contended that the expert is per- 

 fectly familiar with the exceptions and knows 

 exactly how to make allowance for them in 

 forming his opinion of an animal's age. Any 

 one of common intelligence can become an ex- 

 pert in judging the age by the teeth if he 



chooses to devote 

 some years to the 

 patient and critical 

 study of the sub- 

 ject, but until he 

 has thus qualified 

 himself he ought 

 not to assume the 

 right to criticise 

 opinions based on 

 evidence which he 

 cannot appreciate. 

 The events of the 

 last exhibition of 

 the society at Read- 

 ing, without refer- 

 ring to similar 



cases which have been sufficiently numer- 

 ous in past years, suffice to prove that 

 what ought to be the unquestionable evi- 

 dence of a breeder's certificate cannot al- 

 ways be accepted without hesitation. At the 

 last show eight pens of pigs were absolutely 

 disqualified, and exhibitors were cautioned in 

 respect of the pigs in seven other pens. Pigs 

 which were shown under the condition that they 

 should not exceed two months had the dentition 

 of three months and six months respectively. 

 Pigs shown under six months had the one-year- 

 old teeth well up, and other in the same class 

 had the dentition of eight and nine months. 

 One man was seen to move a pig, after the in- 

 spection was finished, from an old class into a 

 younger one. The attempt to secure for the 

 animal a better position than it was entitled to 

 really led to its disqualification, a conse- 

 quence which, however unpleasant for the ex- 

 hibitor, is not the most serious outcome of the 

 attempted fraud. Such proceedings as those 

 which have been referred to naturally tend to 

 excite universal suspicion, which may often fall 

 unjustly and without sufficient reason. 



"In one sense it may be considered satisfac- 

 tory that from the first disqualifications have 

 been recorded chiefly in respect of the pigs of 



a few exhibitors, who year after year, in spite 

 of warning, persisted in trying how far they 

 might presume on the forbearance of the in- 

 spectors, urging in reply to all remonstrances 

 that it would not answer for one or two to 'show 

 straight' unless they all agreed to do so. 



"The great majority of exhibitors during the 

 last twenty years have not given any grounds 

 of complaint, and in many instances, notably 

 among the pigs exhibited by Her Majesty, by 

 the Royal Agricultural College, and by Messrs. 

 Howard, the development of the teeth has been 

 rather below than in advance of the rules which 

 have been laid down as the result of long ex- 

 perience. Altogether the evidence of more than 

 a quarter of a century justifies the statement 

 that the evidence of age which is afforded by 

 the teeth, without being absolutely irrefragable, 

 is the most reliable, under all the circum- 

 stances, which can be obtained." 



THE TEETH OF THE OX. 



"In the front of the mouth of the ox there 

 are eight incisors or cutting teeth in the lower 

 jaw only, an elastic pad of fibrous tissue, cov- 

 ered with mucous membrane, takes the place 

 of teeth in front of the upper jaw. The inci- 

 sors may be distinguished as centrals, or first 

 pair; middles, or second pair; laterals, or third 

 pair, and corners, or fourth pair; the same 

 term being equally applicable to the temporary 

 and permanent organs. 



"Temporary incisor teeth are easily distin- 

 guished from permanent, chiefly by their size. 

 The fangs of the temporary incisor teeth are 

 much shorter than those of the permanent in- 

 cisors, but this fact is not to be recognized until 

 the teeth are removed from the jaw. No ques- 

 tion is likely to arise in the mind of the ex- 

 aminer as to the distinction between temporary 

 and permanent organs; in fact, the common 

 term broad teeth, as applied to the latter, suffi- 

 ciently indicates their prominent feature. 



"Molar teeth are named first, second or third, 

 according to their position. In the temporary 

 set there are three molars on each side of the 

 upper and lower jaws, and in the adult these 

 teeth are changed for permanent organs, while 

 three additional teeth, the fourth, fifth and 

 sixth in position, all of which are permanent 

 teeth from the first, are added, making the full 

 set of permanent molar teeth six in each side 

 of the upper and lower jaws. 



"In the mouth of the calf at birth the tem- 

 porary teeth, molars and incisors are all so far 

 advanced that they may be seen in outline under 

 the gum, and commonly the cutting edges of 



