Blaze ok Star. 131 



tail no horse ; and if an animal docs not describe an an- 

 gle of forty-five with his tail, he is said to carry none. 



The usual mode of operating, is to make a sub-cuta- 

 neous section of the muscles, the use of which is to de- 

 press the tail. The knife is introduced as near to the an- 

 us as possible on one side of the tail, between the bone 

 and muscle ; then, with a sort of sawing motion — the 

 back of the knife being towards the bones — the muscle 

 is divided, which may be known by the edge of the knife 

 coming in contact with the integuments. This is repeat- 

 ed on the other side, and the operation is finished. The 

 horse is generally fettered by a rope from the neck, se- 

 cured to each hind leg ; he has also a twitch on the nose. 

 It not unfrequently happens that horses lose an enor- 

 mous quantity of blood after the operation ; but that re- 

 sults from want of anatomical knowledge. The coccy- 

 geal arteries are severed, which the surgeon knows how 

 to avoid. Amateur operators often find that the subject 

 of their experiment is seized with locked-jaw ; and in 

 other cases the tail curves laterally towards the body. 

 In the former, some unnecessary mangling has been per- 

 formed, and in the latter case, one of the curvatores coc- 

 eygis has been partly or wholly severed, which allows the 

 associate muscle on the other side to draw the tail that 

 way. Hence the necessity for skillful operators. 



BLAZE OR STAR. 



When we have a pair of horses that match well in every 

 respect, except that one has a blaze or star in the face, it 

 becomes very interesting and important to know how to 

 make their faces match. 



Take a piece of oznaburgs the size you want the blaze 

 or star : spread it with warm pith and apply it to the 



