THE SEASON WHY. -</5 



' A righteous na^n regardeth the life of his bea* t : but the tender mercic - <fhe 

 wicked are cruel." PBOVEKBS xn. 



attacks of carnivorous beasts, and as the mastication of the arge 

 amount of vegetable food required for their sustenance would ike a 

 considerable time, they are provided with stomachs, by whio* they 

 are enabled to fill their paunches quickly, and then, retirii^ to a 

 place of safety, they bring their food up again, and chevr it at 

 leisure. 



1089. Why can ruminating animals recover the food from 

 their paunches ? 



Because they have a voluntary power over the muscles of the 

 throat, by which they can bring up the food at will. 



1090. Why can they keep the unchewed food in the 

 paunch, from the "cud" they have chewed for nourishment ? 



Because their stomachs are divided into three chambers : 1, the 

 paunch, where the unchewed food is stored ; 2, the reticulum, 

 where portions of the food are received from the paunch, and 

 moistened and rolled into a " cud," to be sent up and chewed ; and 

 3, the psalterium, which receives the masticated food, and con- 

 tinues the process of digestion. 



In quadrupeds the deficiency of teeth is usually compensated by the faculty 

 of rumination. The sheep, deer, and ox tribe, are without fore-teeth in the 

 upper jaw. These ruminate. The horse and ass are furnished with teeth in the 

 upper jaw, and do' not ruminate. In the former class, the grass and hay descend 

 into the stomachs nearly in the state in which they are cropped from the 

 pasture, or gathered from the bundle. In the stomach, they are softened by 

 the gastric juice, which in these animals is unusually copious. Ihus softened 

 and rendered tender, they are returned a second time to the action of the 

 mouth, where the grinding teeth complete at their leisure the trituration which 

 is necessary ; but which was before left imperfect. I say, the trituration which 

 is necessary ; for it appears from experiments, that the gastric fluid of sheep, for 

 example, has no effect in digesting plants, unless they have been previously 

 masticated ; that it only produces a slight maceration, nearly as common water 

 would do in a like degree of heat ; but that when once vegetables are reduced 

 to pieces by mastication, the fluid then exerts upon them its specific operation. 

 Its first effect is to softon them, and to destroy their natural consistency ; it 

 then goes on to dissolve them, not sparing even the toughest parts, such as the 

 nerves of the leaves. I think it very probable, that the gratification also of the 

 animal is renewed and prolonged by this faculty. Sheep, deer, and oxen, appear 

 to be in a state of enjoyment whilst they are chewing the cud. It is then, 

 perhaps, tha; ;"iey best relish their food. Paley. 



