COMPARATIVE ANATOMY. 



corruption of manyplies (echinus, con- 

 clave, centipellio, omasum) : it is distin- 

 guished from the two former, both by its 

 form, which has been compared to that 

 of a hedge-hog when rolled up, and by 

 its internal stmcture. Its cavity is much 

 contracted by numerous and broad du- 

 plicatures of the internal coat, which lie 

 lengthwise, vary in breadth in a regular 

 alternate order, and amount to about 40 

 in the sheep, and 100 in the cow. 



The fourth, or the red, (abomasum, fa- 

 liscus, ventriculus intestinaiis) is next in 

 size to the paunch, of an elongated, pyri- 

 form shape, with an internal villous coat 

 like that of the human stomach, with 

 large longitudinal rugae. 



The three first stomachs are connected 

 with each other, and with a groove-like 

 continuation of the oesophagus, in a very 

 remarkable way. The latter tube enters 

 just where the paunch, the second and 

 third stomachs, approach each other ; it 

 is then continued with the groove, which 

 ends in the third stomach. This groove 

 is therefore open to the first stomachs, 

 which lie to its right and left. But the 

 thick prominent lips which form the mar- 

 gin of the groove admit of being drawn 

 together so as to form a complete canal ; 

 which then constitutes a direct continua- 

 tion of the oesophagus into the third sto- 

 mach. 



The functions of this very singular 

 part will vary, according as we consider 

 it in the state of a groove, or of a closed 

 canal. In the first case, the grass, &c. is 

 passed, after a very slight degree of mas- 

 tication, into the paunch, as into a reser- 

 voir. Thence it goes in small portions 

 into the second stomach, from which, 

 after a further maceration, it is propelled, 

 by a kind of antiperistaltic motion, into 

 the oesophagus, and thus returns into the 

 mouth. It is here ruminated, and again 

 swallowed, when the groove is shut, and 

 the morsel of food, after this second mas- 

 tication, is thereby conducted directly 

 into the third stomach. During the 

 short time which it probably stays in 

 this situation between the folds of the 

 internal coat, it is still further prepar- 

 ed for digestion, which process is com- 

 pleted in the fourth or true digestive 

 stomach. 



The phenomena of rumination suppose 

 a power of voluntary motion in the part. 

 And indeed the influence of the will in 

 the whole function is incontestible. It is 

 not confined to any particular time, since 

 the animal can delay it according to cir- 

 cumstances, when the paunch is quite 



full . It has been expressly stated of some 

 men, who have had the power of ruminat- 

 ing, (instances of which are not very rare) 

 that it was quite voluntary with them. 

 Blumenbach knew two men, who rumi- 

 nated their vegetable food : both assured 

 him that they had a real enjoyment in do- 

 ing this, which has also been observed of 

 others ; and one of them had the power 

 of doing it, or leaving it alone, according 

 to circumstances. 



The final purpose of rumination, as ap- 

 plicable to all the animals in which it 

 takes place, and the chief utility of this 

 wonderfully complicated function in the 

 animal economy, are still completely un- 

 known. What has been already suggest- 

 ed on these points is completely unsatis- 

 factory. The old dream of Aristotle and 

 Galen, that rumination supplies the place 

 of incisor teeth, the materials of which 

 are applied, in these animals, to the 

 formation of horns, scarcely deserves 

 mention. Perault and others supposed, 

 that it contributed to the security of tlu-se 

 animals, which generally eat much and 

 are timid, by showing the necessity of 

 their remaining long employed in chew- 

 ing in an open pasture. But the Indian 

 buffalo ruminates, although it does not 

 fly even from a lion, but rather attacks, 

 and often vanquishes that animal : and 

 the wild goat dwells in Alpine coun- 

 tries, which are inaccessible to beasts of 

 prey. 



The peculiar structure of the stomach 

 in the camel and lama, which enables 

 these animals to take at one time a suffi- 

 cient quantity of water to last them for 

 two, three, or more days, and thereby 

 renders them adapted to inhabit the dry 

 and sandy deserts, which constitute their 

 natural abode, is highly worthy of atten- 

 tion. The fluid which they drink is depo- 

 sited in numerous cells, formed in the 

 substance of their first and second sto- 

 machs, by strong bands of muscular fi- 

 bres crossing each other at right angles. 

 It should seem that the animal has the 

 power of closing these cells by the con- 

 traction of those fibres which form the 

 mouths of the cavities, or of expelling 

 the contained fluid by putting the other 

 portions of fibres in action. 



This cellular structure is found in two 

 parts of the first stomach ; and it occu- 

 pies the whole of the second. It was 

 found in a dead camel, that these cavities 

 would hold two gallons of fluid; but they 

 were probably more capacious during 

 life, as the animal in question always 

 drank six or seven gallons of water every 



