Teeth of Horses and Cattle 57 



the tooth presents a triangular outline. The incisor 

 teeth also tend to become more horizontal, causing the 

 profile of the incisors to become "chisel -shaped." As 

 horses get older, the teeth grow up and out of the jaw- 

 bone, until in aged horses the molar teeth may become 

 old "snags," so loosely attached to the jaw that they 

 may be moved with the fingers or may drop out. A 

 deception that was formerly practiced, but is seldom 

 met with at the present, was commonly called "bishop- 

 ing." This consisted in cutting artificial date -cavities 

 in the incisors, and blackening them with a hot iron. 

 The shape of the 

 tooth, and the ab- 

 sence of the ring of 

 enamel should ren- 

 der deception by 



such a practice im- ^.^^ 23. Horse's teeth at sixteen years of age 



possible. 



In order to be able to determine the age of horses, a 

 careful comparative study should be made of the teeth 

 of animals whose ages are definitely known. 



CONTRASTS WITH CATTLE 



In cattle, there are eight incisor teeth on the lower 

 jaw, and none on the upper. The two central incisors 

 are named as in the horse; the next two, one on either 

 side of the central incisors, are called internal laterals; 

 the next two, one on either side of these, are called the 

 external laterals; the remaining two are called the 

 corners. 



