ANIMAL 



321 





AN I. MA I, PHYSIOLOGY. 



THE OHO AN Or TAHTK (c. 



IN treating of the objects which exoito tho nonso of taste, wo 



tnuat draw atU-n: 



:u.-l i 1 !" iilim diary sensation of relish. That these sensations 



tfuront, will :rom the conwidoration that many 



tiling which are Tory appet :i^' of which 



there is groat pleasure, have but liltlo <l. 



and animal flosh are good instances of tip of tho 



tongue ap]>! would givo but li;tl- indication of tho 



o of sapid bodioH ; but tho succeeding parts of tho organ 

 and thi) month declare them very good. On tho other hand, 

 Bwoet and bitt>T principles arc detoctcd at onoo by tho tip of 



: u'uo, thmgh they bo entirely indifferent to tho sonao 

 of relish. Alum is thus Bwcet to tho sense of tosto, but dia- 

 pusting to tho sense which wo have called alimentary. Tho 



of tasto proper, or the appreciation of what in sweet, 



sour, etc., is more connected with tho intclluct than the 

 sense of what i-< 



. ; and 

 hence it is less 

 dependent on 

 the state of tho 

 body, and it 

 leaves behind 

 it a multitude 

 of distinct 

 ideas which 

 can bo held 

 tho memory 

 Thus a person 

 when suffering 

 from sea-sick- 

 ness can well 

 discriminate 

 between sugar 

 and quinine ; 

 but he would 

 be a very in- 

 different judge 

 of tho flavour 

 of a beef-steak 

 at such a time. 

 Tho multitude 

 of flavours 

 which can be 

 distinguished 

 is truly re- 

 markable ; for 

 not only does 

 tho apricot, 

 plum, cherry, 

 and apple each 

 have a charac- 

 teristic taste, 



though they all belong to the same order of plants, but a 

 hundred varieties of apples all challenge recognition from 

 this sense. The grape produces a thousand wines, each with 

 a bouquet of its own, even though alcohol and water are tho 

 main constituents of them all, and that which causes the 

 difference is so small in quantity, that the chemist cannot 

 separate it. Some sensations described as tastce, aro but little 

 removed from those of touch ; thus, tho taste of nutgalls, called 

 an astringent taste, and the fiery taste of alcohol, aro probably 

 caused by mechanical action on the outer skin. In tho first 

 case, the forcible contraction of the parts occasions a roughness ; 

 and spirit will produce a burning sensation on any delicate part 

 of the body. 



We have now to apply our experimental knowledge of the 

 sensation derived through tho tongue and mouth to tho inquiry 

 How far do brutes participate in these sensations ? In order to 

 answer this question we must observe the gestures and exhibi- 

 tions of animation of animals while feeding on those substances 

 whoso tastes we are ourselves acquainted with. Observation 

 Booms to lead to tho conclusion which wo should naturally have 

 arrived at from reasoning on the question. The conclusion is this, 

 that the sensation which we have called the alimentary feeling, 



VOL. I. 



mid which ix of a more animal character, is enjoyed in a j 

 degree . than in man ; while the true gustatory sense, 



being more connected with the exercise of the mental powers 

 of comparing and distinguishing, is osrtainly weaker in the 

 lower animals. 



Brutes may be roughly divided into two great dirisums, the 

 r:i, or flesh-eaters, and the herbivore, or vegetable eaten. 

 iho firat class is the tiger, or, to give a more fami- 

 at ; while the other is represented by iho 

 ox. In each of thoso, tho whole body seems to hare been eon- 

 struotod in relation to the food. The tiger has jagged batik 

 tooth, and pointed sido fangs which lock deeply into one an- 

 other, hut liavo no grinding surface. The jaws that wield 

 thoso are short, strong, and can play only to and from one 

 another. It can therefore grip and hold, bat cannot chew. 

 The stomach is small and intestines short, because flesh is very 

 nutritious, and needs but little digestion. ' Tho fore limbs can 

 movo freely in all directions, and aro furnished with claws to 

 atriko and seize. Tho ox has lon jawH, rough bat flat hind 



teeth, and a 

 close - fitting 

 . 



onos in tho 

 front of the 

 lower jaw, 

 playing on a 

 pad in the 

 upper, and the 

 lower jaw can 

 swing side- 

 ways and so 

 grind the food. 

 Ho can there- 

 fora clip and 

 chew, but can- 

 not K 



This compa- 

 rison might be 

 carried into 

 almost every 

 de-toil of struc- 

 ture. Wo can- 



epealdng of 

 tiio sense of 

 taste in ani- 

 mals, speak of 



. . 



vLok, becaaee 

 the objects of 

 the sense aro 



I. TONGUE OP A CAT. II. FILIFOBM PAPILLS or A LEOPARD. III. TONGUE or A FIELDFAUE. 

 IV. TONGUE OF AN OSTEICH. V. TONGUB OF A CHAMELEON. 



posed that this division of 



tho two divi- 

 sions of the 

 class. It most 

 not bo sup- 

 brutes is sharply drawn ; for 



between the two types of tiger and ox, *nimaJ of every 

 grade of intermediate structure are found. W 

 division is not a good one for tho purposes of zoological 

 classification; for though both tho tiger and the Taamanian 

 devil eat flesh, and the kangaroo eata grass liko tiio ox. yet 

 even the tiger is more liko the ox, and the To.-; 

 moro like the kangaroo, than aro those ^TiimnJs 

 coupled, as in the first sentence. Further, some brutes 

 on the flesh-eating type, eat all kinds of vegetable i, as the 

 bear does; and others built on the plan of herb-eater*, will 

 out flosh, as tho pig will. In fact, the division is a false one 

 when wo aro treating of tho classification and structure of 

 animals, but is nevertheless a useful one when we are writing 

 of their powers and functions. In other w< a good 



physiological bat a bad anatomical division. Wo have en- 

 tered so far into the question, not only because it boars on our 

 special subject, but also because it explains the term " physio- 

 logy," with which these lessons are headed. 



Of carnivorous animals, it may be stated that the alimentary 

 sense, which is associated not only with the tongue, but with 

 tho throat and palate, is keen and pleasurable in tho 



II 



