164 BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



the hind llmUs. For about a week a serous fluid oozes from the teat 

 and concretes as a yellow, wax-like mass around its orifice. About 

 twenty-four hours before the birth this gives place to a Avhitish, milky 

 liquid, which falls upon and mats the hairs on the inner sides of the 

 legs. Another symptom is enlargement of the vulva, with redness of 

 its lining membrane, and the escape of glair}- mucus. The belly 

 droops, the flanks fall in, and the loins may even become depressed. 

 Finally the mare becomes uneasy, stops feeding, looks anxious, whisks 

 her tail, and may lie down and rise again. In man}- mares this is not 

 repeated, but the mare remains down; violent contractions of the 

 abdominal muscles ensue; after two or three pains the water bags 

 appear and burst, followed b}- the fore feet of the foal, with the nose 

 between the knees, and b}- a few more throes the fetus is expelled. 

 In other cases the act is accomplished standing. The whole act may 

 not occupy more than five or ten minutes. This, together with the 

 disposition of the mare to avoid observation, renders the act one that 

 is rarely seen by the attendants. 



The navel string, which connects the foal to the membranes, is 

 ruptured when the fetus falls to the ground, or when the mare rises, 

 if she has been down, and the membranes-are expelled a few minutes 

 later. 



NATURAL PRESENTATIOX. 



When there is a single foal the common and desirable presentation 

 is with the fore feet first, the nose between the knees, and with the 

 front of the hoofs and knees and the forehead directed upward toward 

 the anus, tail, and croup (Plate X, fig. 1). In this way the natural 

 curvature of the body of the fetus corresponds to the curve of the 

 womb and genital passages, and particularh' of the bon}- pelvis, and 

 the foal passes with much greater ease than if it were placed with its 

 back downward toward the udder. When there is a twin birth the 

 second foal usually comes with its hind feet first, and the backs of the 

 legs, the points of the hocks, and the tail and croup are turned 

 upward toward the anus and tail of the mare (Plate X, fig. 2). In 

 this way, even with a posterior presentation, the curvature of the 

 body of the foal still corresponds to that of the passages, and its 

 expulsion may be quite as easy as in anterior presentation. Any 

 presentation aside from these two maj- be said to be abnormal and 

 will be considered under " Difficult parturition.'' 



DIFFICULT PARTURITION. 



With natural presentation this is a rare occurrence. The great 

 length of the fore limbs and face entail, in the anterior i:)resentation, 

 the formation of a long cone, which dilates and glides through the 

 passages with comparative ease. Even Avith the hind feet first a simi- 



