SIXTH LECTURE. 



DIGESTIVE ORGANS.— PART II. 



287. The organs of digestion in Ruminants, prior to the stomach itself, 

 present few differences from those of the Non-ruminants. Certainly, 

 the mouth does contain distinctions ; for whereas that of the horse has 

 incisor teeth in both upper and lower jaws — six in each — cattle and 

 sheep possess them in the lower jaw only, their place in the upper 

 one being taken by a fibro-cartilaginous pad. Canine teeth are also 

 only found in the lower jaw, and they closely resemble incisors in 

 shape ; they are placed close to the corner incisors, there being no 

 interval between canine and incisors as is the case in the horse. The 

 tongue, too, is of a different shape, being short and pointed, and, 

 instead of having a smooth surface, it is extremely roughened by 

 little papillae. It is also the prehensile agent. The soft 

 palate, though present, is much less developed than in the horse. 

 When we come to the stomach, however, we encounter wide 

 differences. Cattle and sheep have four stomachs, or, to be more 

 precise, a stomach divided mto four compartments. 



The 1st is the Rumen, or Paunch — Plate XXII. A. a. a. a. 



The 2nd is the Reticulum, or Honeycomh — Plate XXII. A.c. 



The 3rd is the Omasum, or Manyplies — Plate XXII. A .d. 



The 4th is the A bomasum or True Digestive Stomach — Plate XXII. A .e. 

 The first, second, and third stomachs are compartments for storing 

 and preparing the food, more particularly the cellulose portions of it, 

 for digestion by the fourth. 



288. The First Stomach, The Rumen (Plate XXII., B.A.A.A.,), 

 which is the largest of the four stomachs, and lies on the left 

 side, occupies, in the adult animal, about three-quarters of the 



