340 THE VETERINARY SCIENCE 



II. — Digestive Organs. 



1. The Lips. 



The lips of the ox are thick and hard. Thf upper has no 

 hair on it and varies in color with the color of the animal. 

 When cattle are in good health this space is always moist. 



2. The Cheeks. 



The Cheeks on the inside are covered by many small, 

 rough processes which give them a very rough appearance. 



3. The Tongue. 



The Tongue of the ox is stronger than that of the horse 

 and is more movable. It is very thick and heavy at the back, 

 pointed at the front end and the upper part of it is very 

 rough. It is by means of the tongue that the ox takes most 

 of the food into the mouth. 



4. The Glands. 



The salivary glands (those that secrete the saliva) are 

 similar to those of the horse. 



5. The Teeth. 



The Teeth differ very much from those of the horse. 



(a) The ox has no front teeth in the upper part of his 

 mouth, their place being taken by a pad of cartilage or 

 gristle. This pad takes the place of the upper row of front 

 teeth. The lower row of teeth press against it when the 

 animal is cropping grass. This accounts for the fact that 

 cattle do not do as well on short grass as horses. 



(b) The front teeth in the lower row also differ from 

 those of the horse. They are eight in number, chisel-shaped, 

 and are loosely set in the gum. 



(c) The molars, or back teeth, are similar to those of 

 the horse, only they are smaller and not so smooth on their 

 upper surface. The ox has twenty-four molars or back teeth, 

 and eight incisors or front teeth, making thirty-two in all. 



6. The Pharynx. 



The pharynx or gullet of the ox is much larger than that 

 of the horse. 



7. The Oesophagus. 



The oesophagus or tube, which carries the food down 

 from the mouth to the stomach is well developed, the fibres 



