174 THE VITAL FUNCTIONS. 



once into the second stomach, the entrance into 

 the first being closed. The food contained in the 

 paunch is transferred, by small portions at a time, 

 into this second, or honeycomb stomach, in which 

 there is always a supply of water for moistening 

 the portion of food introduced into it. It is in this 

 latter stomach, then that the food is rolled into a 

 ball, and thrown up, through the oesophagus, into 

 the mouth, where it is again masticated at leisure, 

 and while the animal is reposing ; a process which 

 is well known by the name of chewing the cud, or 

 rumination. 



When the mass, after being thoroughly ground 

 down by the teeth, is again swallowed, it passes 

 along the oesophagus into the third stomach (3) ; 

 the orifice of which is brought forwards by the 

 muscular bands, forming the two ridges already 

 noticed, which are continued from the second sto- 

 mach, and which, when they contract, effectually 

 prevent any portion of the food from dropping into 

 either of the preceding cavities. In the Ox, this 

 third stomach is described by Sir E. Home as 

 having the form of a crescent, and as containing 

 twenty-four septa, or broad folds of its inner mem- 

 brane. These folds are placed parallel to one 

 another, like the leaves of a book ; excepting that 

 they are of unequal breadths, and that a narrower 

 fold is placed between each of the broader ones. 

 Fig. 314 represents this plicated structure in the 

 interior of the third stomach of a bullock. What- 

 ever food is introduced into this cavity, which is 

 named, from its foliated structure, the many-plies 

 stomach, must pass between these folds, and de- 

 scribe three-fourths of a circle, before it can arrive 



