Teeth of Horses and Cattle 57 
the tooth presents a triangular outline. The incisor 
teeth also tend to become more horizontal, causing the 
profile of the incisors to become “chisel-shaped.” As 
horses get older, the teeth grow up and out of the jaw- 
bone, until in aged horses the molar teeth may become 
old “snags,” so loosely attached to the jaw that they 
may be moved with the fingers or may drop out. A 
deception that was formerly practiced, but is seldom 
met with at the present, was commonly called “bishop- 
ing.” This consisted in cutting artificial date-cavities 
in the incisors, and blackening them with a hot iron. 
The shape of the 
tooth, and the ab- 
sence of the ring of 
enamel should ren- 
der deception by 
such a practice im- 
possible. 
In order to be able to determine the age of horses, a 
careful comparative study should be made of the teeth 
of animals whose ages are definitely known. 
Fig. 23. Horse's teeth at sixteen years of age 
CONTRASTS WITH CATTLE 
In cattle, there are eight incisor teeth on the lower 
jaw, and none on the upper. The two central incisors 
are named as in the horse; the next two, one on either 
side of the central incisors, are called internal laterals; 
the next two, one on either side of these, are called the 
external laterals; the remaining two are called the 
corners. 
