ANATOMY. 51 



flanks. In oxen and sheep, the first stomach, being very- 

 large, is found, when distended, to have its extremity carried 

 up between the last rib and the hip, in which part it is punc- 

 tured when a bullock is blown or hoven. But such an idea 

 of the horse's stomach would be very erroneous ; for, this 

 animal having a very small one, it can never occupy a simi- 

 lar situation. The stomach has, externally, a covering from 

 the peritoneum, which adheres closely to it by means of its 

 cellular membrane. Its middle portion consists of muscular 

 fibres, which are stronger in the horse than in oxen and 

 sheep. These fibres run in various directions, but are princi- 

 pally longitudinal and circular; the latter very strong and 

 thick at the point where the gullet terminates. The inner 

 surface of the stomach consists of two portions, a cuticular 

 and a villous. This kind of cuticula, covering nearly 

 one half of the stomach, is peculiar to animals that appear 

 destined to live on grain. It may be considered, in a 

 slight degree, a species of gizzard, resembling the structure 

 of those animals who have organs to make up for the want 

 of teeth ; for the horse has not the means of remastication, 

 which oxen and sheep possess ; nor does he usually masticate 

 his food sufficiently ; the wants of the constitution stimulate 

 him to swallow it hastily ; he, therefore, devours his food 

 greedily, and if there were not some other structure than the 

 one common to stomachs in general, it would not be suf- 

 ficiently digested. The insensibility of this cuticular coat 

 allows it to press, in some degree, on the food and perform a 

 slight ituration without pain. The cuticular coat ends ab- 

 ruptly by a fringed end, and is very distinct from the villous 

 coat. The villous coat, being much larger in extent than the 

 muscular, is thrown into folds, which are largest towards the 

 great extremity. Towards the first intestine they become less, 

 and when at the lower orifice they form a valve, preventing 

 the return of food, and its too speedy passage out. The 

 folds not only hinder the too hasty passage of the food, but, 

 by ibis means, apply the gastric juice more certainly to all 

 its parts ; but the principle end is to increase the secreting 



