NO. 3. 



THE FAUMEUS' CABINET. 



iH 



but which is, liowever, of ihe genus Bos, is 

 the American Bison (Bus .linericiinii.s.") lis 

 common and well linown name is the LmlFalo. 

 — ISee fig. C. 



It has small black horns, very distant, 

 turned sideways and upwards, heijiht at the 

 shoulder about live feet, at the croup four, and 

 length from nose to tail eight. But these 

 dimensions no doubt vary considerably, from 

 the weights which have been reported of some 

 individuals, 'I'he disposition of its hair and 

 its general aspect are well known in our 

 country, from frequent exhibitions of tlie ani- 

 inai, and the many excellent prints of it 

 which exist. Its structure forward, is ex- 

 tremely robust and heavy, but light and weak 

 behind. The body is long, having fifteen 

 pair of ribs, and but four tcccya'iaii verte- 

 brae. They are active and irritable, but not 

 vicious, except iti the rutting season, and 

 might, I have no doubt, be easily tamed ; — 

 many have been, particularly at our frontier 

 poste, and endeavors have been used to pro- 

 duce a cross between the biiHalo bull and the 

 domestic cow, but witli futal ejects to thr 

 latter, as she has been Ibund unable to relieve 

 herself from the calf 



Greater success would without doubt'follou 

 the experiment of a cross between the domes- 

 tic bull and the bufiiilo cow, as the proliable 

 change ol'conformation of the issue would fa- 

 cilitate the delivery from a mother, formed 

 to relieve herself from a full hunch. But the 

 success is hardly desirable, as the issue would 

 in all probability be unprolific. The parents- 

 are evidently, and with great propriety so 

 considered by naturalists, of different species. 

 At least the known differences in osteology 

 justifies such a conclusion, until the unequivc 

 cal experiment shall prove to the contrary. 

 The period of gestation is said to bedifi^erenl 

 from that of the domestic ox. 



All these are ruminating animals, or ani- 

 mals which chew the cud. While mention- 

 ing the cud, it may not be amiss to notice a 

 common error in relation to this animal, and 

 which I have found to prevail in the minds of 

 many intelligent farmers of our country. 



When indisposed, it is frequently said that 

 they have lost their cud, as they are not at 

 such times observed to chew it, and a cud or 

 ball of grass or hay is inade up and placed in 

 the mouth asa remedy. Now this isan error. 



No disease of the kind can exist, nor any 

 suc'i remedy be ellicaeious. The chewing 

 of the cud is merely the masticating of the 

 dry food previously swallowed and deposited 

 in the paunch. All ruminating animal^ 

 have four stomachs, so disposed that the foo(i 

 can pass from the gullet into either of them. 

 The first is the largest, and is called the 

 paunch. In this the feed, after a slight 



grinding between the teeth, is first received 

 a.s in a storehouse for future use, and is there 

 subject to but little change, 'i'he second is 

 called the honeycomb, or bonnet, from its pe- 

 culiar formations. The drink of the animal, 

 wliich docs not enter into the first, passes di- 

 rectly into this second stomach, into which 

 also pas.^^es, gradually, iho food from the 

 paunch, where it probably undergoes more 

 completely a formation into balls or ends, and 

 where it also becomes moistened from the 

 drink of the animal. From this second 

 stomach, the fuod, properly prepared, is eject- 

 ed upwards into the month, tiiere to undergo 

 lis second and more perfect mastication, after 

 which it passes down the gullet again into 

 the third stomach. 



Tiie third stomach is called the manyplies 

 or Injpe. Into this the food is received after 

 Its last mastication. Here it first completely 

 changes its character, and emits an offensive 

 smell, and from this it passes directly into the 

 Iburfli sfumach, called also the rennet. The 

 foiirfh is considered as the digesting stomach, 

 into which the gastric juice is emptied to mix 

 witli tho previously prepared food. 



While the young are confined to their mo- 

 tlier's milk, the last is the principal and the 

 largest of these stomachs, and nature has sin- 

 gularly provided for this state of existence, 

 by bringing in closer to the gullet, and parti- 

 cularly obstructing the communication with 

 the paunch, which attains its great size only 

 by degrees, and as the animal uses dry food. 

 From these facts it will be readily seen, 

 that the disease of loss of the cud, and its 

 remedy, are altogether imaginary. When 

 the animal does not ruminate, it probably ia 

 indisposed in its digestive organs, but the cur- 

 ative means should bedifj'erentfrom that which 

 is generally pursued. 



If any one will attentively observe the do- 

 mestic cow when in the act of ruminating, 

 he process of throwing the food up into the 

 mouth, masticating it, and swallowing it 

 afrain, will be easily perceived; and m addi- 

 tion to the authority of books I once witness- 

 ed a very clear demonstration of the number, 

 uses, and mode of action of the stomachs, in 

 a subject, by that distinguished naturalist, as 

 well as eminent physician. Dr. R. Harlan, of 

 Philadelphia, in his course of lectures on 

 comparative anatomy. 



§pade ISusbaBBdry. 



There appears to be a strong feeling among 

 intelligent Agriculturists in favor ofsubstitu- 

 ling the spade for the plough, in tilling the 

 earth. The example of the Flemish, whose 

 country is entirely cultivated by the spade, 

 and which has acquired the appellation of 

 "the Garden of Europe," seems to have lat*. 



