DENTAL INDICATIONS OF THE AGE OF A HORSE. 231 



nand the First, that had attained the age of seventy years. 



This is the oldest horse mentioned by any author as far as 



I know : so that in all probability Old Billy is the Parr of 



horses. 



The incisor tooth of a horse, divided into two parts its 



whole length, ^g. 12, and which exhibits the external cavity, 



a, and the internal cavity, b. 



The incisory tooth of a young horse, with an opening at 



the middle of the anterior surface, leaving exposed the 



lower portion of the funnel, fig. 11, a. 



The incisory tooth of a young horse, divided throughout, 



fig. 9, a, shows the exterior cavity, and b, the extremity of 



the funnel 



Independently of the teeth, there are other signs by 



which an aged horse is known ; first, the temporal fossa or 



pits above the eyes become much sunk, grey hairs are also 



seen above the eyes and about the muzzle, the lips being 



thin and hanging, the back sinks, the withers become sharp, 

 the quarters lengthened, spavin, windgalls, and all kinds of 

 tumours disappear, and for the most part, the animal has a 

 dull and heavy appearance, with hanging of the head. 



Various are the tricks resorted to by dealers to impose 

 upon the uninitiated. They endeavour by fraudulent means 

 to make them appear most near the age at which they are of 

 the greatest value, and when they can of course obtain the 

 highest price for them. If too young, they endeavour to 

 make them seem older, and on the contrary, if too old, 

 they try to give them a youthful appearance. Besides what 

 we have mentioned at page 218, there is a practice amongst 

 dishonest dealers to prolong the youthful marks of the teeth 

 of a horse by what has been designated Bishoping, after the 

 infamous inventor of this fraud. This trick is to imitate 

 the appearance of the mark. A horse of eight or nine 



