CRIB-BITING. 81 



leads to remarkable deformities, the most common and im- 

 portant of which is parrot-mouth, represented by Fig. 5, p. 11. 



The incisor teeth of herbivorous quadrupeds are often sub- 

 ject to excessive wear, and in no animal is this more frequently 

 seen than in the horse, when the habits of gnawing the manger 

 and of crib-biting are indulged in. 'Crib-biting' is a peculiar 

 propensity, which is regarded as a decided vice, because, when 

 the habit becomes confirmed, it is attended by very disagree- 

 able symptoms. 



A 'crib-biter' is always known by the worn aspect of the 

 incisors, and this not from a fair way of biting, but rather 

 pressing or rubbing the edge of the teeth either of the upper 

 or lower jaw, or both, against any hard object, especially the 

 manger, as the most convenient spot. In the act of cribbing, 

 a horse fixes his head, curves his neck, and appears to eruc- 

 tate, or to swallow air. Whatever may be the nature of the 

 act, there is soon evidence of a dyspeptic state, as the abdomen 

 swells, and the horse may seriously injure himself by persist- 

 ence in indulging in this bad habit. In some cases the evils 

 attending the vice are not so great, but at all times a crib- 

 biter must be looked upon very suspiciously. In the course 

 of time the gullet becomes thin and distended in crib-biters, 

 and from the irregularity in the width of the passage, choking 

 is sometimes favoured. 



The only cure for a crib-biter is to do away with the 

 manger, or any object against which the horse can crib. By 

 placing straps round the throat, and thus pressing on the 

 windpipe, the animal is stopped from the bad practice, but 

 this is attended with the danger of producing distortion and 

 constriction of the air-passage, rendering the animal an in- 

 curable roarer. 



The incisor teeth are often broken, or partially displaced. 

 When broken, it is possible that, as they grow, the deformity 



6 



