MATfAGEMENT.] 



SHEEP, 



^lv^A■^rAGE■M:E^"T. 



the forest, -where it is found in the very cru- 

 dest state, and requires to be consumed in large 

 quantities, in order to yield a sufficiency of 

 nourishment for the sustainment of life. This, 

 as a matter of course, iiecessitates a diiference 

 of construction in those internal organs which 

 have to act upon such a bulky species of nutri- 

 ment. Accordingly, the digestive organs of the 

 graminivorous animals are much more extensive 

 than those of the carnivorous, and proportion- 

 ally more complicated, that they may be equal 

 to the performance of their work. Both the 

 ox and the sheep have very extensive digestive 

 organs. Their intestines are of great length ; 

 and, in place of having only one stomach, like 

 the horse, they have no fewer than four. " The 

 usual course of the food," says Professor 

 Spooner, " is into the rtnnen, ov first stomach, 

 whose entrance is close to the termination of 

 the oesophagus and the entrance of the canal. 

 This stomach is of enormous extent, occupying, 

 indeed, when full, nearly three-fourths of the 

 abdomen. It lies towards the left side, ex- 

 tending to the flank ; and, by a sort of muscular 

 band, it is partially divided into two principal 

 compartments. It is lined internally by the 

 peretonial membrane, in common with the other 

 contents of the abdomen, and, internally, by 

 an insensible membrane, called the cuticular, 

 between which there are two other coats — 

 the mucus, which secretes the fluid found in 

 the stomach ; and, external to this, the muscu- 

 lar coat, which is formed of two orders of fibres 

 running in opposite directions. Its interior 

 aspect presents a number of pouches or com- 

 partments, which are formed by muscular 

 bauds, thrown across from one part to another ; 

 and the surface presents an innumerable num- 

 ber of pupillo?, or eminences, not sharp, but 

 blunt pointed, which are formed by the mucus 

 coat, and merely covered by the cuticular. 

 These pupillaj are coarser in the lower com- 

 partment of the viscus than in the upper. We 

 have said the rumen consists of two compart- 

 ments ; but, with greater propriety, it may be 

 stated, that there are three ; a smaller one be- 

 ing situated immediately below the termination 

 of the oesophagus, and adjoining the second 

 stomach. The use of these partial divisions is 

 very evident. They relieve one portion of the 

 stomach from sustaining the whole of the weight 

 of the food ; and thev afibrd a sort of steps, or 

 738 



resting-places for the food that has undergone 

 maceration, the upper, and smaller, compart- ■ 

 ment being that into. which the food is raised 

 just previous to being ruminated. The rumen 

 is partly attached to the second stomach, but 

 only communicates with it through the common 

 opening into the cesophagean canal. The 

 second stomach is called the recticulum ; its 

 size is considerably less than the rumen, but it 

 possesses much strength in its coats, and its 

 muscular fibres are more developed. It is 

 globular in shape, and somewhat larger than 

 the maniplus, and is familiar to us in tripe, 

 not only from its cellular structure, but 

 from its being thicker than the others. Its 

 internal aspect is very singular, having a vast 

 number — indeed, several hundreds — of shallow 

 cells, somewhat like a honey-comb. The cells 

 are much smaller at the part of the viscus 

 nearest the entrance, and gradually increase in 

 size from this point. The sides of these cells 

 consist of ridges formed by the mucus and 

 cuticular coats, and smaller ridges are also 

 observed, running across within the cells. 

 Most of them are pentagonal, but many have 

 six sides ; and, on their surface, we observe an 

 immense number of sharp-pointed pupillse, 

 much smaller in size, though sharper than 

 those of the rumen, and which secrete a mucous 

 fluid. This viscus has the same coats as the 

 rumen, but the muscular coat ha-s two layers of 

 strong fibres, arranged both transversely and 

 longitudinally. The opening into this stomach 

 is of some extent, compared to its size; the 

 duplications, or lips, which form it, are, indeed, 

 the floor of the greater portion of the cesopha- 

 gean canal. Though, in the ordinary state, 

 the root, or upper part of the reticulum, is the 

 floor of the cesophagean canal, yet if air is 

 pumped into the oesophagus, so as to distend 

 the stomachs, the situation of the reticulum 

 will become reversed, rising up towards the 

 oesophagus ; and thus, if this rexius is distended 

 in the disease of hoove — as, from its free oom- 

 munieation with the rumen, it probably is — it 

 must press on the diaphragm with consider- 

 able force, greater in proportion, even, than 

 the rumen itself. The contents of this stomach 

 are more liquid than those of the others. 

 Somewhat before the end of the entrance of 

 the secend, the canal terminates, as it were, in 

 the third stomach — the oiianiplus, ovonmifold; 



