DICTIONARY OF THE VETERINARY ART. 193 



they are termed — come a few months after the last named. 

 These twelve teeth, in the front of the mouth, are small and 

 white, and continue without much alteration until the colt is 

 about two years and a half old, when he begins to shed them. 

 The two teeth that first make their appearance are the first 

 that are lost, and are replaced by two others, called horse's 

 teeth, considerably stronger and larger than those that have 

 made way for them. Between the third and fourth year, the 

 two teeth next the first fall out, and are in like manner 

 replaced by horse's teeth. Between the fourth and fifth year, 

 the corner teeth are changed ; the tushes make their appear- 

 ance. About the fifth year, the horse is said to have a full 

 month. After this period, up to the eighth year, the age of a 

 horse can, with some degree of certainty, be known by the 

 cavities in the teeth, which at first are deep, but are gradu- 

 ally, by the process of mastication, worn down, and about the 

 eighth year disappear. After the fifth year, the above crite- 

 rion of age may be corroborated by the grooves in the tushes 

 of the male, which are inside : they are two in number. At 

 six, one of these cavities, viz., the one next the grinder, dis- 

 appears ; at seven, the other is considerably diminished, and 

 at eight is, in most, but not always, entirely gone. After 

 this period, the tushes become more blunt and round. The 

 marks in the upper teeth are by some considered indicative 

 of the horse's age ; those in the two front teeth disappearing 

 at eight, in the two next at ten, and in the corner teeth at 

 twelve. The marks in the lower teeth Avill disappear about 

 the eighth year. 



As a horse grows old, he generally turns more or less gray ; 

 the cavities above the eyes become deeper ; the under lip falls ; 

 the gums shrink away from the teeth, giving them the ap- 

 pearance of a greater length ; the back becomes hollow, or 

 curved. 



Age of Neat Cattle is known by their horns. At the 



age of about two years, they shed their first fore teeth, which 



are replaced by others, larger and more prominent ; about five, 



the early teeth are all replaced by the permanent ones. As 



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