8 RUMINATING ANIMALS. 



in many instances extremely ponderous, from the 

 weight of the horns or antlers. The other marked 

 distinctions are the small size of the cavity of the 

 skull, compared with the face the want of teeth in 

 the jaws the longitudinal suture of the frontal bone 

 the compression of the chest the want of cla- 

 vicles, which lessens the power of seizure or pre- 

 hension ; while the lengthened form of the bones 

 of the legs, and almost imperfect feet, are very mark- 

 ed peculiarities indicating swiftness ; a power which 

 is confirmed, when the pulley-like form of all the 

 joints is examined, by which additional security and 

 elasticity is given to them. 



In the internal structure, the most remarkable 

 provision is that exhibited by the digestive organs. 

 Their food being composed entirely of substances 

 which yield little nourishment, compared with the 

 bulk of material, it was required that as much as 

 possible should be extracted from it ; and, for this 

 purpose, we have a machine with various compart- 

 ments, performing each their office in preparing and 

 extracting the vegetable juices from the leaves, or 

 blades, or the stalks and woody parts of the plants. 

 Ruminating animals have generally been said to pos- 

 sess four stomachs : we shall look, however, on the 

 organ as a single bag, but with divisions, which act 

 independent of each other, and for the sake of 

 clearness they are numbered. The first or largest, 

 called the paunch, immediately receives the food 

 from the mouth with little mastication. This is 



