AGE OF HUNTERS 



judge the animal's age. The crown of 

 the tooth is, as previously stated, covered by 

 enamel, and as this forms the outer boundary 

 of the table, it is spoken of as the '•'outer 

 enamel rin^^^ in contradistinction to another 

 ring, the inner enamel ring, which forms a small 

 ring in the centre of the table, when the tooth is 

 well in wear. The "inner enamel ring'* sur- 

 rounds a central mark, which, in a recently cut 

 tooth extends right across the latter. This mark 

 is called the infundibulum or mark, which ap- 

 pears as a dark spot of variable shape, altering 

 with the wear on the table. When a foal is 

 born, or shortly afterwards, a pair of teeth will 

 be seen in outline in the lower jaw. These are 

 spoken of as the centrals, owing to the position 

 they occupy. In the course of a few months 

 another pair make their appearance, and these 

 are called the laterals; subsequently a third 

 pair make their appearance, which are spoken 

 of as the corners, so that by the time the foal 

 becomes a yearling, it has a complete set of 

 temporary incisor teeth, namely, six in the lower 

 jaw, and six in the upper jaw. These temporary 

 teeth remain in the mouth until the animal is 



45 



