158 ] Animal Friends and Helpers 



his flexible upper lip to grasp it. He has both upper and lower 

 teeth and, taking the grass between these two rows, he cuts it by 

 pulling his head back. Thus a horse always eats "toward himself." 

 There is another striking difference in the eating habits of 

 horses and cows. A horse chews as it grazes. The cow uses a dif- 

 ferent technique, due to the fact that instead of one stomach, 

 she has four! She swallows the grass exactly as it is cut, and the 

 unchewed food goes directly into her first stomach. Later the 

 food progresses to the second stomach, where it is formed into 

 cud balls in a convenient size for chewing. When the cow lies 

 down, this food is brought back to the mouth. She chews her cud 

 contentedly with her grinding teeth until it is ready to be swal- 

 lowed. It then passes to her third and fourth stomachs, where it 

 is digested. 



Mammals equipped to eat in this fashion are known as "rumin- 

 ants." They include sheep, deer, antelope, and camels. In the 

 wild state, the ruminants' technique is a definite protection, for 

 they can graze rapidly in the open (where flesh-eating beasts might 

 prey upon them) , and then retire to a sheltered area to continue 

 their meal in comparative safety. 



How CATTLE EXPRESS THEMSELVES 



Though their domestication goes back through countless 

 generations, cattle still reveal traces of their wild ancestry. Their 

 vocal expressions are akin to those of cattle still living in the wild 

 state. The bull gives a sullen roar when he is angry. The cow moos 

 gently to her calf, and the lowing sound so characteristic of late 

 afternoon in dairy farm country is the call of the herd the call 

 which kept members of a group together when they were in the 

 natural state. 



Though the adult cow gives the impression of being the most 

 phlegmatic of creatures, few animals are more frolicsome than a 

 calf. Even cows sometimes forget their dignity, kicking up their 

 heels exuberantly as the tail is held aloft. In bulls the instinct for 

 battle is still strong. Those living in the wild state use their vicious 

 horns not so much against other animals as against rival bulls 

 that attempt to displace them as master of a harem. 



