Royal Society of Londoii. ' S^T 



between the nmscular stomachs of birds, whose bills serve 

 to separate the husks from tlie seed, and those animals 

 whose fore-teelh assist in seizing their food ; between those 

 of carnivorous and of granivorous animals, as in the whale, 

 hipjDopotamas, beaver, watet-rat, ass, horse, dog, and man* 

 In the stomach of the horse, ass, and wster-rat, much simi- 

 larity appeared. The kangaroo exhibited a peculiarity in 

 the jrreat lentrth of its stomach, which is covered with a 



too ' 



thin cuticle, and supported by numerous muscles to revert 

 the food, as it occasionally ruminates, according to the 

 observations of Sir J. Banks at New South Wales, although 

 those in the menagerie at Exeter-change have never been 

 perceived to perform any such process. The author con- 

 cluded from his numerous observations on this organ in 

 various animals, and from the experiments of Spallanzani 

 and Hunter, that the stomach is the only seat of the di- 

 gestive process ; that the gastric juice is secteted by glands 

 immediately attached to the oesophagus; and that the py- 

 lorus is chiefly a receptacle for the milky fluid called chyle, 

 which passes thence to form blood. Mr. Home t'lcn made 

 a summary recapitulation of the particular structure of the.. 

 various stomachs which he had examined, and divided themt 

 into six classes. 1st, Stomachs of ruminating animals; 

 2d, of non-ruminating animals ; 3d, of animals ruminating 

 occasionallv ; 4th, of carnivorous animals; 5th, of grani- 

 vorous, and 6ih, of herbivorous animals. In the conclu- 

 sion Mr. Home expressed his opinion that all animals may 

 ruminate ; and after referring to the observations of several 

 writers on this subject, related a case in his own practice of 

 a blind man who ruminates all his food. This man has a 

 most voracious appetite, and his attendants are obliged to 

 give him only a fixed quantity every day. He u.-^ually eats 

 one pound and a half of meat at once, which he swallows 

 greedily ; and in about ten minutes after he has finished his 

 allowance, he regurgitates a mouthful, chews it, during 

 which time he seems more tranquil and iiappy, then swaljows 

 it, then brings up another, and chews and swallows it in 

 like manner. When he has finished ruminating all the food 

 he has eaten, he retires to sleep, and enjoys his repose. 

 Vol. 27. No, 108. May 1807. A a May 



