NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE. 



95 



depth of the mouth, will, to a man of common experience 

 among horses, at ouce detect the cheat. 



The tushes are four in number, two in each jaw, situated 

 between the nippers and the grinders, much nearer to the 

 former than the latter, and nearer in the lower jaw than in the 

 upper, but this distance increases in both jaws with the age. 

 In shape, the tush somewhat resembles a cone ; it protrudes 

 from the gum about half an inch, and is sharp-pointed and curved. 

 The appearance of this tush in the horse may vary from four 

 years to four years and six months. It c^n only be accelerated a 

 few weeks by cutting the gum over it. At four years and a half, or 

 between that and five, the last important change takes place in 

 the mouth of the horse. The corner nippers are shed, and the 

 permanent ones begin to appear. The central nippers are con- 

 siderably worn, and the next pair are commencing to show 

 marks of usage. The tnsh has now protruded, and is generally 

 a full half inch in height ; externally, it has a rounded promi- 

 nence, with a groove on 

 either side, and it is evi- 

 dently hollowed within. 

 The reader scarcely needs 

 to be told that after the 

 rising of the corner nip- 

 per, the animal changes 

 its name. The colt be- 

 comes a horse, the filly a 

 mare. 

 At five years, the 

 horse's mouth is almost perfect, as represented in the annexed 

 cut. The corner nippers are quite up, with the long, deep 



riTE TEARS. 



