APPENDIX. LXXI 



characters to that existing in the soluble products from 

 the grasses. And some extract, obtained by Mr. Sin- 

 clair, from the dung of sheep and of deer, which had 

 been feeding upon the Lolium perenne, Dactylis glom- 

 erata, and Trifolium repens, had qualities so anala- 

 gous to those of the extractive matters obtained from 

 the leaves of the grasses, that they might be mistaken 

 for each other. The extract of the dung, after being 

 kept for some weeks, had still the odour of hay. Sus- 

 pecting that some undigested grass might have remain- 

 ed in the dung, which might have furnished mucilage 

 and sugar, as well as bitter extract, I examined the 

 soluble matter very carefully for these substances. It 

 did not yield an atom of sugar, and scarcely a sensible 

 quantity of mucilage. 



Mr. Sinclair, in comparing the quantities of solu- 

 ble matter afforded by the mixed leaves of the Lolium 

 perenne, Dactylis glomerata, and Trifolium repens ? 

 and that obtained from the dung of cattle fed upon 

 them, found their relative proportions as 50 to 13. 



It appears probable from these facts, that the bit- 

 ter extract, though soluble in a large quantity of wa- 

 ter, is very little nutritive; but probably it serves the 

 purpose of preventing, to a certain extent, the fermen- 

 tation of the other vegetable matters, or in modifying 

 or assisting the function of digestion, and may thus 

 be of considerable use in forming a constituent part 

 of the food of cattle. A small quantity of bitter 

 extract and saline matter is probably all that is needed, 

 and beyond this quantity the soluble matters must be 

 more nutritive in proportion as they contain more al~ 



