REMARKS. 59 



PA! off, is sometimes distinguishable at one of the " on 

 my honour" stables'" at Bombay. I have, however, 

 seen a troop horse of eleven years old with the marks 

 remaining in the corner horse nippers, the tushes 

 rather sharp, and the teeth rather short, giving to 

 him the appearance of a seven-year old horse ; but the 

 teeth were not quite so straight down in the mouth 

 as they ought to have been ; they projected a little 

 obliquely forward, and they were very yellow : this 

 furnishes a better criterion in these doubtful mouths. 



To discover the age, therefore, examine carefully, 

 first, the marks in the teeth ; secondly, if the tushes 

 are small and sharp, or grown round and dumpy ; 

 thirdly, the length of the teeth ; and, lastly, the posi- 

 tion and colour of the teeth. 



Up to six years ol<I, there is not much difficulty in 

 deciding ; and from^x until eight, if you balance all 

 these four rules, not taking the marks solely as a 

 guide, you will generally tell within six months. 

 After eight, it is all guess ; yet, when the tush is 

 round and blunted, and the marks in the two upper 

 front nippers are gone, you may conclude he is turn- 

 ed of nine, though marks should remain in the lower 

 jaw ; but the upper front nippers are,now-a-days, also 

 sometimes bishoped, and I have seen a horse of sixteen 

 sold for a seven-year old. At ten, the marks in the 

 two front horse-nippers in the upper jaw ; at twelve, 

 the marks in the two middle horse-nippers in the upper 

 jaw ; and at fourteen, the marks in the two corner 

 horse-nippers in the upper jaw will sometimes, at 

 these respective ages, also wear out regularly ; though 

 these cannot be depended on like the lower jaw : but a 



* Figging is also very common here. 



