106 HANDBOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



All eat nothing but vegetable food, of which all, especially 

 the largest, need a great deal. In order that the animal 

 may completely digest the often hard and tough grasses, 

 leaves, twigs, etc., it has a stomach which first soaks and 

 softens the coarse food, then returns it to the mouth to be 

 ground fine (Have you observed the grinding motion and 

 sound of the cow's jaws ?), then soaks it again in the many- 

 plies, and finally digests it in the fourth stomach. If the 

 ruminants had to masticate their food at once, the domesti- 

 cated ones would have to walk about all day ; but now 

 they gather their food in the cool hours of evening and 

 morning, and later in the day lie down in a cool shady place 

 to ruminate and rest ; provided their owner has had sense 

 and sympathy enough to provide them such a place. Wild 

 ruminants, like deer, elk, and moose, must often graze in 

 open places where they are exposed to many dangers ; they 

 are able to gather their food in a short time and then retreat 

 into a thicket, or lie down in the tall grass and brush, where 

 they are not easily seen and where flies cannot molest them 

 so much. 



Adaptation of the legs and feet of ruminants to their en- 

 vironment. That the heavy body of ruminants has strong 

 legs to support it, we see every day ; but it is the animal's 

 foot which shows the most beautiful adaptation to the needs 

 of the animal. Cattle in their wild and half-wild state often 

 must make long marches over hard and stony ground to 

 find water and food. Domestic cattle move about in their 

 pastures and are employed to draw ploughs and wagons. 

 Deer and antelopes travel long distances in search of food 

 and water, and are often compelled to flee from pursuing 

 enemies. For these uses the cloven foot answers the purpose 

 exactly. The two strongly developed toes are encased in a 

 thick horn shoe, which wears but slowly on the hard prairie 

 or in the brush. The animals need no shoemaker, and if they 



