THE DISEASES OF CATTLE. 89 



acter of the food, however, regulates its passage into the va- 

 rious compartments ; if the pellet of food be solid, the paunch 

 receives it ; if it be semi-fluids, it goes beyond the paunch to 

 the second and perhaps third compartment. This is the case 

 with a sucking calf; the milk which forms its nutriment, re- 

 quires no remastication, and therefore passes directly into the 

 true digestive cavity — the fourth compartment. 



It appears, therefore, that the functions of digestion and 

 remastication are involuntary, and are governed by the same sort 

 of power which causes the heart to pulsate, expands the lungs, 

 secretes the bile, pancreatic juice, etc., without the aid or con- 

 sent of the animal. We may, however, to a certain extent, 

 increase or decrease these functions, by artificial means ; but 

 their primary operations are uncontrollable, simply because 

 they are involuntary. Some persons have doubted the fact of 

 rumination, and if any of my readers be skeptical on this sub- 

 ject, let them satisfy themselves by experiment. The best 

 subjects for demonstrating the acts of rumination, are animals 

 with lean necks. For example : let a person stand on the left 

 side of the animal, in the region of the neck (supposing the 

 latter to be in the ruminating mood). He perceives the cud 

 re-ascend through the gullet, and re-descend again into the 

 stomach. At the period of re-ascension, place the ear in the 

 region of the gullet, and a gurgling sound will be heard, differ- 

 ent from that accompanying re-decension. The action has 

 been described as undulating, alternate, coming and going, 

 like the motion of a ship ; but this is regulated by the respira- 

 tory movements and different attitudes of the body. We can, 

 however, at the moment of re-ascent, perceive a flank move- 

 ment, deep inspiration, succeeded by a rapid expiration, show- 

 ing conclusively that a powerful nervous concurrent force — 

 involuntary — controls the action of rumination. 



Finally, the cud can be made to ascend or descend, in the 



following manner; we perceive the cud descend, now grasp 



the gullet firmly, and it re-ascends into the mouth. We next 



perceive the cud ascending ; arrest it by compressing the gul- 



8* 



