THE HOOF, SOLE, ETC. 319 



their feet simply because he thought that they were 

 touching the ground the very object for Avhich they 

 were made. 



Then the farrier assumes that the sole is much too 

 thick, and so pares it away with his drawing-knife until 

 it yields, or "springs," as the technical word is, to the 

 pressure of his thumb-nail. Mr. Fleming states that he 



HORSE-HOOF, IMPROVED BY THE FARRIER. 



has seen the sole pared as thin as parchment, so that 

 the blood-vessels could be seen through it. 



What kind of structure is protected by the sole may 

 be seen by examining the transverse section of the 

 front of the hoof on next page. The drawing was made 

 from a specimen which had just been dissected, and 

 which is now in the College of Surgeons. 



At the edge is the hard external horn of the " crust," 

 marked D. Inside it is the sensitive portion, c. At A is 

 shown one of the most remarkable parts of the hoot. 



