32 THE CAMEL 



four cells or compartments, which act independently of 

 each other. The four compartments are : 



1. The paunch or ventriculus (or rumen). 



2. The hood or honeycomb (reticulum). 



3. The monyplies (omasus). 



4. The rud (abomasus). 



The herbage, having been nibbled and drawn into 

 the mouth, is first of all coarsely ground between the 

 molars, rolled round the tongue, mixed with a certain 

 amount of saliva and mucus (a fluid secreted from the 

 lining membrane of the mouth), and then forced down 



First com- the gullet into the rumen or first compartment. This 

 is by far the largest cavity, and the food remains in 

 it in a comparatively dry state, and undergoes a pro- 

 cess of softening in other words, the paunch being full 

 of partially digested food, the camel kneels down and 

 rests, and experiences a sense of repletion, while the 

 food is gradually propelled through a valvular aperture 

 into the hood or second compartment. 



Second This is of much smaller size, and the sides inter- 



nally have numerous folds forming polygonal cells: 

 hence the name. Here the food is compacted into 

 pellets, which are returned one by one, in regular 

 order, through the gullet into the mouth, to be remas- 

 ticated by a voluntary effort more thoroughly the 

 operation commonly called ' chewing the cud ' ; and 

 V. S. Steel says, ' in the camel the food is ground alter- 

 nately in opposite directions from side to side ; in 

 other ruminants this is not done so regularly.' When 

 the food is sufficiently remasticated, and once more 

 mixed with saliva, it is again swallowed in a pulpy 

 state and passes along into the third compartment, 



