6i8 RUMINATION. 



disturbing causes that would effectually prevent them from satisfying their hunger in an 

 ordinary manner, they are furnished with a peculiar arrangement of the stomach and 

 digestive organs, by means of which they are enabled to gather hastily a large amount 

 of food in any spot where the vegetation is luxuriant, and to postpone the business of 

 mastication and digestion to a time when they may be less likely to be disturbed. The 

 peculiarity of structure lies chiefly in the stomach and gullet, which are formed so as to 

 act as an internal food-pouch, analogous in its use to the cheek-pouches of certain 

 monkeys and rodents, together with an arrangement for regurgitating the food into the 

 mouth at the will of the animal, previous to its mastication and digestion. 



Owing to the absence of teeth in the upper jaw, the Ox is unable to cut or chew the 

 grass as he feeds, and can only seize it between the lower incisor teeth and the upper 

 jaw, so as to tear it by a movement of the head. The sound which is produced by 

 this ripping or tearing process is familiar to all who have watched cows while grazing. 

 As soon as the grass is taken into the mouth, it undergoes a slight rolling between the 

 molar teeth, and is then swallowed, although it is not as yet in a fit state to be placed 

 in the stomach, and there to be digested. The mode in which it undergoes that process 

 is as follows. 



The stomach and gullet are modified into four distinct compartments, one of which, 

 called the paunch, is very much larger than the others, and is the receptacle into which 

 the food is passed immediately after being swallowed. Here it remains comparatively 

 unchanged until the animal is at rest, and ready to commence the process which is 

 technically called "ruminating" and more popularly termed "chewing the cud." A 

 small portion of the food then passes into the second compartment, which is lined with a 

 series of hexagonal cells, not unlike the comb of the honey-bee, and is formed into little 

 balls by being worked into the cells. From these cells the food is thrown into the 

 mouth by a voluntary effort of the muscles, and is then subjected to a thorough masti- 

 cation. Being again swallowed, it slips over the opening by which it had formerly 

 passed into the paunch, and is received into the third compartment, technically called 

 the " psalterium," or psalm-book, because it is lined with a number of thin longitudinal 

 plates of membrane, which are thought to bear some resemblance to the leaves of a 

 book. From thence it passes into the fourth compartment, which is the place where 

 the business of digestion is carried on. 



These different compartments of the stomach are familiar under the general name of 

 tripe, and are popularly distinguished from each other as follows. The first compart- 

 ment is called the paunch, and is lined with avast number of little flattened projections 

 of the membrane. In the paunch are found those curious concretions of hair and 

 other substances which are known as hair-balls or bezoar stones. 



The hair-balls are .of various dimensions, a collection of them in my own possession 

 varying from the size of a very large cricket-ball to a moderately sized marble. The 

 hair is arranged most regularly in these balls, and all lies in the same direction, so that 

 the axis on which the ball has revolved is plainly marked by the arrangement of the 

 hair. In some of the balls the surface is covered with hair of different colors, some 

 specimens being of a dark tint, while others are pure white. If the hair-ball be divided, 

 its substance will be found to be of a spongy texture, affording considerable resistance 

 to the knife, and requiring a strong and sharp blade to cut it neatly. Together with 

 the hair is found a slight admixture of vegetable fibre. When first removed from the 

 animal, these balls are wet and soft, receiving the impressions of the fingers unless 

 handled with some care, but when they are quite dry, they are extremely light, hard, 

 and strong, and tolerably elastic. Sometimes they are smooth on the exterior, which 

 is then of a deep brown hue, and rather highly polished. 



The second compartment is popularly called the " honeycomb," the " bag," or the 

 " bonnet," and the third is termed the " monyplies," or " manyplus," on account of the 

 membranous folds with which its interior is lined. The last stomach is generally termed 

 the " red." In scientific language, the first compartment is called the " rumen," from 

 which word is derived the term "ruminating; " the second is known under the name of 

 " reticulum," or net ; the third is called " omasus," or "psalterium," and the fourth is 

 called the " abomasus," because it leads from the third compartment, or omasus. 



