VERTEBRATA : MAMMALIA. 709 



known as the "reticulum" or "honeycomb-bag" (h). Its 

 inner surface is reticulated, or is divided by ridges into a 

 number of hexagonal or many-sided cells, somewhat resem- 

 bling the cells of a honeycomb. The reticulum is small and 

 globular, and it receives the food after it has lain a sufficient 

 time in the paunch. The function of the reticulum, as usually 



Fig. 405. Stomach of a Sheep : o Gullet ; r Rumen or Paunch ; h Honeycomb-bag or 

 Reticulum ; / Manyplies or Psalterium ; a Fourth Stomach or Abomasum. 



believed, is to compress the partially-masticated food into 

 little balls or pellets, which are then returned to the mouth by 

 a reversed action of the muscles of the oesophagus ; but this 

 is now discredited. After having been thoroughly chewed and 

 prepared for digestion, the food is swallowed for the second 

 time. On this occasion, however, the triturated food passes 

 on into the third cavity (/), which is variously known as the 

 " psalterium," " omasum," or (Scottice) the " manyplies." The 

 vernacular and the first of these technical names both refer to 

 the fact that the inner lining of this cavity is thrown into a 

 number of longitudinal folds, which are so close as to resemble 

 the leaves of a book. The psalterium opens by a wide aper- 

 ture into the fourth and last cavity, the " abomasum " (a), both 

 appearing to be divisions of the pyloric portion of the stomach. 

 The mucous membrane of the abomasum is thrown into a few 

 longitudinal folds, and it secretes the true acid gastric juice. 

 It terminates, of course, in the commencement of the small 

 intestine i.e., the duodenum. The intestinal canal of Rumi- 

 nants, as in most animals which live exclusively upon a vege- 

 table diet, is of great relative length. 



The dentition of the Ruminants presents peculiarities almost 

 as great and as distinctive as those to be derived from the 

 digestive system. In the typical Ruminants (e.g., Oxen, Sheep, 



