A TOU\G XATTRAUST. 161 



ed to possess one of these animals alive. He duly ex- 

 amined the slender legs and tapering muzzle of the poor 

 creature, whose fawn-colored back, dotted over with sym- 

 metrically arranged spots, would change in color as it got 

 older. 



" Well, Master ' Sunbeam,' in what class will you place 

 this mammal ?" asked Sumichrast, addressing Lucien. 



u It is not like any of those I know." 



"Well, then, you never can have seen goats, cows, or 

 sheep. It is a ruminant, or an animal which has three or 

 four stomachs. Its lower jaw is provided with eight inci- 

 sors, while the upper jaw has nothing but a cushion or 

 gum." 



" That's right enough," said Lucien, opening the fawn's 

 mouth. 



" In all ruminants, the food, when swallowed, passes into 

 the first stomach ; it is then brought up to be chewed 

 again ; this is called * chewing the cud.' You must often 

 have seen a cow or a sheep sitting quiet in the sun and 

 constantly chewing." 



Yes," replied Lucien, and 1'Encuerado always told me 

 that they had eaten some bitter herb." 



" His explanation is about as correct as that given by the 

 Mexicans, who say that an animal which chews the cud is 

 reading 1 the newspaper. Another characteristic of these 

 animals is, that their feet are cloven." 



** And they have horns !" cried Lucien. 



" Not all of them ; for instance, the camel, llama, and 

 musk-deer, are exceptions." 



It remained for us to decide how our fawn should be 

 cooked. After a discussion on the subject, we left the 

 point entirely to 1'Encuerado, and I made my way down 

 to the bottom of the ravine. Upon lifting up some stones 

 and pieces of bark, I discovered several species of the Ca- 



