UNrUXCTIO:N"ALLY DEVELOPED CAXIXES. 51 



upper jaw to meet the old ones in the lower; sametimes 

 the respective teeth, Avhen the caps fall ofr, are not more 

 than the sixteenth of an inch apart. He also says that 

 as the temporary teeth wear down they become less 

 and less dense. 



AVhile, as before said, it does no harm to remove 

 loose shells, the punching out of a pair of incisors, 

 which is sometimes done for the purpose of deception, 

 frequently causes serious injury to the permanent 

 pair (which should absorb the temporary, and fill the 

 space that has become too large for it), not to mention 

 the interference with grazing. The temporary teetli are 

 often l)roken off at the neck and the sockets injured; 

 this sometimes causes the permanent to grow irregu- 

 larly, which ill the case of the horse is a very serious 

 matter, for if the permanent teeth do not meet, and are 

 consequently not worn off by attrition, their growth, 

 which continues throughout life, will cause trouble. 

 There are cases, however, such as abnormal growths, 

 accidents, &c., in which it is necessary to remove the 

 temporary tooth, but the forceps only should be used. 

 When the teeth have been removed for the purpose of 

 deception, the object is to make it appear that they 

 have been shed, and that the animal is older than it 

 really is. 



Veterinary authors, as a rule, do not mention the 

 temporary tushes. A few odontologists, however, have 

 described them. Prof. Owen ('-Odontography," vol. i, 

 p. 580) says ''the small deciduous canine" is cut about 

 the sixth month, at the time the third or corner inci- 

 sors are cut. The lower tush, owing to its diminutive 

 size, and its being so close to the incisor, 'Ms shed 

 almost as soon as the crown of the contiguous incisor 

 is in full place, being carried out by the same move- 



