THE POINTS AND NOMENCLATURE OF SHEEP. 87 



developed. The animal may be felt along the spine generally, 

 but except in very highly-fed or show animals, it is not often that 

 the back is flat right along to the shoulders, so that it need not be 

 looked for in moderately-fed animals, although a tendency in 

 that direction is advantageous ; at any rate, the greater the breadth 

 there the better, as indicating both the animal's thriving properties 

 and its condition. A grip between the thumb and the hand will 

 indicate the strength and condition of the scrag. It is advisable 

 to turn a few sheep to see what condition they are in on the under- 

 side ; a brisket well covered with meat indicates ripeness in the 

 fore quarters ; and if the scrotum of castrated sheep is well filled 

 with fat it will prove good internal condition. 



Dentition. A great number of terms are employed to distinguish 

 sheep at various ages. They are so many, in fact, that few farmers 

 are accustomed to all, especially as those in common use in some 

 districts are rarely used in others ; therefore, the enumeration of a 

 few is advisable. As some of them are founded on the condition 

 of the sheep's teeth at various times, the dentition should be under- 

 stood. For the purposes of the farmer, the front teeth or incisors 

 are generally sufficient, as it is rare there is occasion to look to the 

 molars or back teeth. But to the exhibitor it is sometimes an 

 important matter to refer to them. There are no incisors on the 

 upper jaw, but in the place of these is a hard elastic pad, as in the 

 case of the ox. The farmer is content to know that the temporary 

 incisors remain in their places until the sheep is rather more than 

 a year old, when the central pair are gradually absorbed by the 

 two permanent teeth. At fifteen months old the two permanent 

 teeth are well up, and are very distinct from the temporary set, as 

 they are broader and whiter. As at this time shearing generally 

 commences, sheep at this age are sometimes called shearlings or 

 two-teeth. At a year and ten months the second pair of front teeth 

 appear well up, having come through the gums at any time after 

 a year and six months. Consequently, if the second shearing is 

 done early in spring, there are two pairs well up and the animal 

 is called a four-teeth. The next pair come up quicker, and by two 

 years and three months there are three pairs well up ; therefore, 

 in late shearing, there are six teeth. More quickly the fourth and 

 last pair come up, so that a little before three years are reached the 

 jaw is full and the sheep is called full-mouthed. The corner teeth 

 do not always come up level until the expiration of several months. 

 After this, as time goes on, the teeth wear down, and being narrower 

 at the base, they appear to get wider apart. 



The molars come through at the following periods : At a month 

 three temporary molars are well up on either side of the upper 

 and lower jaw ; at three months the first permanent molar is cut, 

 appearing behind the hindmost temporary molar, and owing to 



