IRREGULARITIES OF THE TEETH. 



109 



It is almost needless to say that all these forms of wear 

 greatly complicate the question of age. 



" Bishopingr — The *' artistic " method of performing 

 this fraudulent operation, which has for its object the 

 giving of a false appearance of youth to an old horse 

 (See PI. XXYII.), is described as follows by MM. Goubaux 

 and Barrier : — " The horse is attached by a strong rope, or 

 chain, fixed on a level with the ground. The jaws are 

 kept apart by a thick billet of wood. Sometimes, on 



Fig. 30. 



commencing, the tables of both the upper and lower 

 incisors are filed flat. A small transverse cavity is then 

 made with a fine gouge in the lower side and corner 

 incisors, but not in those of the upper jaw. The ex- 

 cavations, so as to give the appearance of the ' mark,' 

 are coloured black, generally, with nitrate of silver. 

 On some occasions, the tushes are touched up with 

 the file, so as to render them more pointed, and to 

 give them back the sharp inside edge which they had 

 lost." 



