PAUNCH IN THE SHEEP. 145 



have been entertained by anatomists in past times as to the 

 proper mechanism of rumination. 



The four stomachs in the sheep have a similar relative 

 position, and the same names as in the ox. The first is the 

 paunch or rumen ; the second is the honeycomb or kings- 

 hood 5 the third is the manyplies or psalterium ; and the fourth 

 is the red or rennet. The paunch, the honeycomb, and the 

 manyplies communicate with the gullet by a common opening. 

 The muscular tunic is of moderate thickness in all the four 

 stomachs. The mucous membrane in the three first stomachs 

 has a covering of epithelium easily separable, of which there is 

 no vestige in the tender vascular mucous membrane of the 

 fourth stomach. 



The paunch is by far the largest of the four stomachs. It is 

 four times larger than all the other three put together. It has 

 somewhat of a cubical form, with the angles rounded off. It 

 has, near the middle of its left aspect, a contraction more or 

 less determinate dividing that aspect into two portions the 

 one anterior, the other posterior each being drawn into a 

 short blunt point. A like contraction is observable on the 

 right aspect, which presents the appearance of a furrow directed 

 obliquely from right to left, and from before backwards. It 

 lengthens the greater part of the inferior aspect of this por- 

 tion, and makes an imperfect separation of the right anterior 

 small part of the paunch namely, that which receives the 

 gullet from the left and posterior portion, which is also the 

 largest. The presence of these two contractions gives to this 

 stomach the appearance of being twisted into a spiral form 

 like the italic S. The internal surface of the paunch is rough, 

 with a multitude of lamellar pulpy prominences compressed 

 and close together, so that its surface is uneven. The size of 

 these prominences, as well as their form, varies much in diffe- 

 rent situations. They are much more developed in the right 



K 



