286 ORDER RUMINANTIA; GENERAL CHARACTERS. 



first swallowing it, and to feed with comparative quickness. 

 They thus convey a store of food into the first stomach or paunch, 

 as the Monkey does into its cheek-pouches ; and then, retiring to 

 a secluded place among their mountain fastnesses, they masticate 

 their aliment in comparative security. Moreover, the macera- 

 tion (or soaking) in the fluids of the first and second stomachs, 

 to which the food has been subjected, causes it to be much more 

 readily ground down, than if it were triturated immediately on 

 being first cropped from the pasture. In this respect, there is a 

 remarkable analogy in the process of rumination to that of 

 digestion in the Fowls and other grain-eating Birds (ANIM. 

 PHYSIOL., 200) ; for their food is first swallowed, then mace- 

 rated in the fluids of the crop, and then triturated, before it is 

 submitted to the true digestive process, the only essential differ- 

 ence being, that this trituration is accomplished in a portion of 

 the stomach termed the gizzard, instead of between the jaws, 

 which in this class are destitute of teeth. This is only one of 

 many remarkable analogies, which will be hereafter pointed out 

 between the order RUMINANTIA among Mammalia, and that of 

 RASORES among Birds. 



256. The general structure of the Ruminantia is obviously 

 adapted to what has been just stated of their habits. Their 

 senses are extremely acute, and serve to indicate to them the 

 approach of danger, as well as to direct them in their choice of 

 food. Their eyes are placed at the side of the head, rather than 

 in front ; and in this manner they have a great range of vision, 

 which is further extended by the horizontally-oval form of the 

 pupil (ANIM. PHYSIOL., 534), so that they can see almost as far 

 behind as before them. The ears also are placed far back, and 

 are very movable ; so that they can be turned to catch sounds in 

 any direction. The sense of smell seems particularly acute in 

 these animals, chiefly in consequence of the prolongation of the 

 muzzle, which affords a large surface for the distribution of the 

 olfactory nerve within the nose ; by its means, they are warned 

 of the presence of an enemy at a considerable distance, especially 

 in the direction of the wind, so that the hunters often find it 

 necessary to approach them from the contrary quarter. As 



