^M) THE NATURE AND TREATMENT OF 



let, and it rapidly descends again into the stomach; hence the 

 phenomenon of remastication can readily be demonstrated. 



The solid food, when once in the paunch, receives the ad- 

 mixture of fluid secreted from its walls; after maceration 

 for a short time, the more solid parts are returned to the mouth, 

 where they undergo another mastication, and are again satu- 

 rated with the salivial fluids and swallowed ; if properly mas- 

 ticated it reaches the third stomach — manyplus or omasum — 

 hei'e it undergoes a further reduction, becomes quite pulpy, 

 after which it enters the fourth stomach. 



Carpenter thus describes the phenomena of rumination : 

 " The direction of the food into one or the other of the diges- 

 tive cavities, appears to be affected without any voluntary effort 

 on the part of the animal itself, but to result simply from the 

 very peculiar endowments of the lower part of the oesophagus. 

 This does not entirely terminate at its opening into the first 

 stomach or paunch, but it is continued onwards as a deep 

 groove with two lips ; by the closure of these lips it is made to 

 form a tube, which serves to convey the food onward into the 

 third stomach ; but when they separate the food is allowed to 

 pass either into the first or second stomach. When the food is 

 first swallowed, it has undergone but very little mastication ; 

 it is consequently firm in consistence, and is brought down to 

 the termination of the oesophagus in dry bulky masses ; these 

 separate the lips of the groove or demi-canal, and pass into 

 the first and second stomachs. After they have been macerated 

 in the fluids of these cavities, they are returned to the mouth 

 by a reverse peristaltic action of the oesophagus ; this return 

 takes place in a very regular manner, the food being shaped into 

 globular pellets by compression within a sort of mould formed 

 by the ends of the demi-canal, drawn togethei, and these being 

 conveyed to the mouth at regular intervals, apparently by a 

 rhythmical movement of the oesophagus. After its second 

 mastication, it is again swallowed in a pulpy semi-fluid state ; 

 it now passes along the groove which forms the continuation of 

 the oesophagus, without opening its lips ; and is thus conveyed 

 into the third stomach, whence it passes to the fourth." 



