THE ANATOMY OF THE HORSE. 33 



where it is worked about by the contractuij^ ot the bowel and the 

 nourishment: taken out. After the food is worked back out of this 

 bowel, and the nourishment taken out of it, it enters into what is 

 known as the floating- colon, which is ten feet long and about two 

 inches in diameter, or double the size of the small bowels. It is 

 thrown into folds or pleats, and, as that part of the food that 

 has no nourishment in it passes through, it is worked into balls 

 which pass back and are emptied into the rectum or back gut. This 

 part of the bowels, same as the small intestines, is suspended by a 

 sheet or fold from the back bones, and is situated at the back part 

 of the belly, on the left side, behind the small bowels. 



Rectum or Back Gut. — It is sometimes known as the straight 

 bowel, which is the last part of the intestines, and is about 

 eighteen inches long. The coats of this bowel are a continuation 

 of the larg^e bowels, but each coat is thicker and heavier. Above 

 this bowel, are the bones of the rump ; below it, in the 

 horse, we find the bladder and other small glands. In the 

 mare we find what is known as the womb and the vagina, which 

 is the passage into the womb from the outside, and at the sides 

 we find the bones which help to form the hip cavity. At the back part 

 is found what is known as the anus, which is situated immediately 

 under the tail. The use of the rectum is to hold the balls as they 

 pass back from the floating colon and empty in iiere. When the 

 rectum gets full and presses on the sides of the wall, it stimulates 

 the nerves, which cause the muscular coat of the rectum to 

 contract, while the muscle of the anus dialates or opens out, 

 causing- the faeces or manure to pass out. 



The Glands, which assist in digestion, are the liver, pancreas 

 and the spleen. 



The Liver is the largest gland in the body; it weighs from 

 ten to twelve pounds in the horse, and is situated between the 

 stomach and diaphragm or curtain which separates the cavities, 

 and is held to its place by several strong ligaments ; it is of a 

 dark brown color, and its use is to secrete the fluid called bile, 

 which is a greenish color and very bitter to the ta^te. There is no 

 gall bladder in the horse, simply a tube which passes down from 

 the liver to the small bowel emptying six inches behind the stomach- 

 It is along this tube where gall stones are sometimes situated. 

 The liver is largely supplied with blood vessels and nerves. 



The Pancreas is another very important gland situated behind 

 the liver and in front of the kidneys, lying along near the back- 



