384 NAYIN OX THE HOESE. 



belly. It is attached to the walls of the belly, and to the 

 parts enveloped by it, by delicate cellular tissue. Its free 

 surfaces, which are in contact with each other, are very 

 smooth, and softened by a fluid which they secrete. It ad- 

 mits of the freest motion among the bowels. It holds the 

 contents of the belly in their proper place. But for it the 

 guts would soon become entangled and knotted by their own 

 action, as does sometimes happen when it is broken in \do- 

 lent colic. 



THE LIVER. 



The liver is a very large gland of a dark, reddish brown 

 color. It is principally situated to the right side of the 

 cavity of the belly, behind the diaphragm. It is divided 

 into three parts, or lobes, by two deep grooves. Its forward 

 side is convex, or rounded, to fit the shape of the diaphragm. 

 Its left lobe is in contact with the stomach, the pancreas, 

 and the part of the large gut which stretches across the 

 belly, called the transverse colon. Its middle lobe below 

 is crossed by the pancreas. The right lobe is in contact 

 with the right kidney, the pancreas, the duodenum, and the 

 transverse colon. It is held in place by four ligaments and 

 the folds of the peritoneum over it. 



The use of the liver is to secrete or manufacture bile. The 

 bile is formed in the liver and carried away from it by the bil- 

 iary duct, which pours it into the gut called the duodenum, 

 about five or six inches from the stomach. The horse has no 

 gall-bladder, as most animals have. The bile is poured into 

 the bowel as fast as it is formed, instead of being collected in 

 quantity in a gall-bladder. A great quantity of blood is poured 

 into the liver by what is called the portal vein. This blood is 

 brought from the intestines, spleen, and stomach. It is purified, 

 to some extent, in the liver, and then sent on to the heart to be 

 sent to the lungs. 



The bile is a very important fluid. It is of a thick, dark- 



