THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 179 



inches from the root, with a veiy sharp knife, cut a 

 transverse hne across the centre of one of the bones 

 deep enough to sever the muscles, but take care to 

 avoid the artery running near the bone ; a skilful per- 

 son should perform this at one trial, and as rapidly as 

 possible. The one incision is generally all that is re- 

 quisite for a racer or blood-horse ; a hunter may 

 sometimes require a second about an inch and a half or 

 two inches below the first ; and the common hackneys 

 and cock-tails usually have three incisions. 



When the animal is nicked near one of the joints 

 of the tail instead of the centre of one of the bones, the 

 ligament which unites these bones is apt to be wounded, 

 and thus the appearance is deformed and ugly. 



The section being complete, the hemorrhage must 

 next be stopped, and the best method is to twist some 

 stripes of lint or tow, and having inserted one in each 

 nick, tie them on the back of the tail, and on the 

 morrow, when the bleeding will have ceased, cut these 

 bandages, and leave just as much as the coagulated 

 blood keeps in the incision. These bandages should 

 be more or less tight, according to the flow of blood, 

 and at the furthest removed in twenty-four hours, as 

 the tail is apt to swell, and inflammation would be the 

 consequence of a lengthened pressure. 



Having thus attended to the wounds, the next step 

 is to bring the tail to that position which the owner 

 deems necessary. For which purpose a short cord is 

 tied to the hair at the end of the tail, and to this two 

 longer pieces are joined, one from each side of the 

 stable, and these running through a pulley, have a 

 weight attached to the end just suflicient to raise the 

 tail to the wished-for elevation. Some prefer aflixing 

 a cord to the girth, as thus elevate the tail by bending 

 it over the back. The pulleys will be found the least 



