276 ANECDOTES OF ANIMALS. 



CAMELS DROMEDARIES. 



A PECULIARITY in the digestive organs of some animals 

 causes all those who possess it to be thrown together 

 into one large order by naturalists. They have no 

 front teeth except in the lower jaw, and in place of 

 them the upper jaw is provided with a bony pad. A 

 very few have canine teeth, and their grinders are 

 marked with double crescents. They have two hoofs ; 

 but as the inside edge of these is flattened, they look 

 as if they had only one, cleft down the middle ; the foot 

 underneath is provided with elastic pads, connecting the 

 toes together, and extruding beyond them at the sides. 

 These cushions at each step expand, support the animal 

 in yielding sand, and protect it on harder ground. 



After they have taken their food, these Ruminantia, 

 as they are called, lie down, and remain in a state of 

 complete repose, in order to chew it a second time; 

 and the process is thus accomplished : They have four 

 stomachs. The first is called the paunch, and is the 

 largest of all ; into it descend the grass, herbs, and 

 leaves, when first cropped and imperfectly masticated. 

 Thence the mass goes into the second stomach, or 

 honeycomb, so named because its structure gives it the 

 appearance of that substance. It is small and globular, 

 and by means of its cells, squeezes the food into little 

 balls, which are thrown up into the mouth of the 

 animal, to receive a second mastication, called 4 chewing 

 the cud.' After this has been effected, it descends into 

 the third stomach, or the feck, which looks something 

 like the several leaves of a book. Lastly, it goes into 

 the fourth stomach, which is merely wrinkled. It is in 



