22 HISTORY OF 



least to ruminate. They have the stomach com- 

 posed of muscular fibres, by means whereof the 

 food is ground up and down, in the same manner 

 as in those which are particularly distinguished 

 by the appellation of ruminants. 



But not these alone ; men themselves have been 

 often known to ruminate, and some even with 

 pleasure. The accounts of these calamities, for 

 such I must consider them, incident to our fel- 

 low-creatures, are not very pleasant to read ; yet 

 I must transcribe a short one, as given us by Slare 

 in the Philosophical Transactions, as it may in 

 some measure show the satisfaction which the 

 lower tribes of animals enjoy while they ruminate. 

 The man in question was a citizen of Bristol, of 

 about twenty years of age, and what seemed more 

 extraordinary still, of a ruminating family, for his 

 father was frequently subject to the same infirmi- 

 ty, or amusement, as he himself perhaps would 

 call it. This young man usually began to chew 

 his meat over again within about a quarter of an 

 hour after eating. His ruminating after a full 

 meal generally lasted about an hour and a half ; 

 nor could he sleep until his task was performed. 

 The victuals upon the return tasted even more 

 pleasantly than at first, and returned as if they 

 had been beaten up in a mortar. If he ate a va- 

 riety of things, that which he ate at first came up 

 again first ; and if this return was interrupted for 

 any time, it produced sickness and disorder, and 

 he was never well till it returned. Instances of 

 this kind, however, are rare and accidental ; and 

 it is happy for mankind that they are so. Of all 



