(38 



THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. 



central teeth or pincers, above and below appear. In about six 

 weeks the two next (the middles or laterals) are seen, and, in six or 

 seven or eight months, the two corner ones. He has now six front 

 or incisor teeth in. each jaw, and he retains them until he is two 

 years and a half old, which makes it difficult, without considerable 

 care, to avoid being imposed on during that interval, if the seller 

 find it to his interest to make the colt pass for either younger or 

 older than he really is. An inspection of the teeth, however, will 

 prevent serious imposition. 



The teeth are covered by a hard and polished substance, called the 

 a 



Fig. 95. Permanent Incisor of the Fig. 96. Incisor Teeth of tbc 



Horse. Horse. 



Showing the "mark "(a), and, on the A. Temporary, 



right, the varying outline of the biting B. Permanent, 



surface induced by wear. 



enamel. It not only spreads over the upper part of the teeth, but in 

 the horse it sinks into a furrow or groove on the cutting surface. 

 Portions of food becoming lodged in this groove, and there hardened 

 and blackened, constitute what is called the mark of the incisor tooth 

 (fig. 95). This furrow is wide at the top, and contracted towards the 

 bottom. As the edges of the front teeth are worn away in plucking 

 the food, a portion of the blackness is rubbed off, and the mark 

 becomes fainter, and at length quite disappears. The gradual progress 

 of this will enable a person who is at all accustomed to horses to 

 guess, with considerable accuracy, at the age of the animal. With 

 some variation, depending on the nature of the food, the mark in the 



