254 MANUAL OF AGPJCULTURE. 



process to a soft pulpy mass, its second passage down the gullet 

 is unaccompanied with the requisite amount of pressure to open 

 the passage into its former receptacles, and it passes easily and 

 smoothly to the omasum. In like manner almost all fluid, sottish 

 or gruelly food, passes directly to it in the first instance. It may 

 almost be said that the c^ullet is continued throu^di the omasum 

 into the fourth stomach. The inner coats of the omasum are 

 arranged as a great number of closely-placed folds, and any sub- 

 stance imperfectly reduced, or triturated, so to speak, passing 

 along the continuation of the gullet, becomes perfectly reduced, 

 having to pass between these folds or " manyplies " before entering 

 the abomasum. Here finally, where is secreted the gastric juice, 

 does digestion proper commence. The abomasum leads directly 

 into the duodenum. 



Here, inasmuch as poultry form in many instances an im- 

 portant branch of the live-stock of the farm, it may be as well 

 briefly to advert to the characteristic modification of the digestive 

 portion of their alimentary canal. Midway between mouth and 

 stomach is situated the ingluvies or crop, a pouch formed by 

 folds or a species of dilatation of the gullet; and here the 

 grains and similar hard food swallowed entire are stored up in 

 the first instance. The food is gradually passed to the gizzard, 

 where it is crushed and ground up between the muscular sides 

 of this organ, which are lined with horny membrane. Its peculiar 

 action is greatly aided by the presence of the sand and minute 

 stones which the fowl instinctively swallows. The " j)^o'^6ntri- 

 culis," or stomach proper, has to be passed through, however, 

 before the food enters the gizzard. In the former is secreted the 

 gastric juice, whence it is that the food is subjected to its 

 influence before being triturated by the gizzard's action. The 

 gizzard opens into the duodenum. 



With regard to the reproductive process in animals, the prin- 

 cipal organs for producing and developing the embryo in the 

 female are the ovaries, in which are developed germ cells or 

 ova, and the uterus or womb, where the ova are impregnated 

 by the male animal, and where the ova are afterwards developed 

 and sustained by the blood of the mother until they are ripe for 

 parturition. There are two ovaries, one on either side, and the^^ 

 are situated in the region of the loins. They communicate with 

 the uterus by the Fallopian tubes, which are certain very narrow 

 channels. The ova, produced at periodical intervals, pass through 

 these tubes to the uterus, and their presence in that organ is 

 made evident by the phenomenon of "heat" or "rut" in the 

 female. If sexual intercourse, and the impregnation of one or 

 more ova, do not supervene, the ova are soon discharged from the 

 body. In the opposite event the ovum is retained in the womb, 

 and there sustained by union v;ith the maternal blood circulation. 



