NEAT cattl::. 



171 



rest ; and from that time until eighteen months, the 

 others gradually diminish, until the whole are consid- 

 erably lessened, and stand apart from each other. 



At tAVO years old, the two middle teeth are pushed out, 

 and succeeded by two permanent ones ; at three, there 

 are four permanent teeth ; six at four years ; and all 

 the eight at five, when the animal is said to be full- 

 mouthed ; but he is not actually so until six years old, 

 when all the eight are level. 



A good judge of cattle will generally determine the 

 age with considerable accuracy for many years after 

 that. From six to nine, he will be guided by the wear- 

 ing down of the teeth ; and after that, by the diminution 

 in their bulk, as in the milk teeth. At nine, the two 

 middle fore teeth are evidently smaller and narrower 

 than the rest; at ten, the two 'next are so; and so on 

 until twelve, when, as in the steer of two years old, the 

 teeth again begin to stand singularly apart from each 

 other. 



By their Horns . The surface of the horn continues 

 nearly smooth until the expiration of the second year, 

 when a wrinkle or circle of thicker horn begins to be 

 formed around the base. This is fully completed in a 

 twelvemonth, and another ring then begins to appear, 

 so that if the perfect rings or circles are counted, and 

 two added to them, the age of the beast is ascertained. 



These rings, however, are not always clear and dis- 

 tinct, and it is very easy to remove one or two of them 

 with a rasp, at least to the unpractised eye, when the 

 animal begins to be too old for the market. In addition 

 to this, a well-known fact should be stated, that if a 

 heifer has a calf when about two years old, the first 

 ring is formed about a tw^elvemonth before the usual 

 time, and, consequently, she would always apptar to he, 

 reckoning by her horns, a year olde; than she jeally is 



