avery's own farrier. 145 



old; at three or three and a half, thesecond pair will 

 be shed. A\ four years old, the sixth pair of grinders 

 will be level with the others, and the tushes will begin 

 to push up. From four to five years old, the last im- 

 portant change in the colt's teeth takes place; the corner 

 teeth are shed, and the tushes are up. The three last 

 pair of grinders and the tushes are not shed or changed 

 for new ones at all. 



But we will now go back for the purpose of examin- 

 ing the colt's teeth a little further, which are always 

 large and broad compared with those that follow them. 

 From two to two and a half years old, they shed the four 

 first front teetfi, which are supplied with new ones, like 

 all the rest, in regular rotation as they first appeared. 

 From three to three and a half years old, they shed the 

 four next, or separators; and from four to four and a half, 

 they shed the four corner teeth, as stated above. " The 

 horse carries forty teeth, viz, twenty-four grinders, 

 twelve front teeth, and four tushes," which are called 

 his horse teeth, while the mare has onlv thirty-six, she 

 not generally having the four tushes except in old age. 



We are now done with the colt teeth, and will pro- 

 ceed to say something more about those of the horse. 

 His front teeth appear in the skeleton like several rings, 

 placed one inside the other, forming a rough surface for 

 the purpose of masticating food, &c., or like a nest of 

 crucibles with their glazed and hardened edges sufficient 

 to withstand the fire, and melt whatever metal may be 

 placed in them. While in nature, the inside ones are 

 hollow, as follows: There is a deep black hole in the 



centre of each tooth of an oblong shape, which is shortest 



13 



