82 



THE TEETH AT VARIOUS AGES. 



The calf, at birth, will usually have two incisor or front 

 teeth : in some cases just appearing through the gums ; 

 in others, fully set, varying as the cow falls short or 

 exceeds her regular time of calving. If she overruns 

 several days, the teeth will have set and attained con- 

 siderable size, as appears in Fig. 15. During the sec- 

 ond week, a tooth will usually be added on each side, 

 and the mouth will generally appear as in Fig. 16 ; and, 

 before the end of the third week, the animal will gener- 

 ally have six incisor teeth, as shown in Fig. 17 ; and 

 in a week from that time the full number of incisors 

 will have appeared, as seen in Fig. 18. 



Fig. 17. Third week. 



Fig. 18. Month. 



These teeth are temporary, and are often called milk- 

 teeth. Their edge is very sharp; and, as the animal 

 begins to live upon more solid food, this edge becomes 

 worn, showing the bony part of the tooth beneath, and 

 indicates, with considerable precision, the length of 

 time they have been used. The centre or oldest teeth 

 show the marks of age first, and often become some- 

 what worn before the corner teeth appear. At eight 

 weeks, the four inner teeth are nearlv as sharp as be- 



