59 



the functions of the stomach must thus be, to some extent, altered in 

 accordance with this and other unavoidable changes. 



A, THE Stomach of a Sheep; B, that of a Musk-tieer (Traotf/i/s. ) 



a\, oesophagus; J^n., rumen ; /^et., reticulum ; Ps., psalterium ; A., Ai>., abomasum ; 



i9;z., duodenum ; Z';'., pylorus. ( After HjixJcy.) 



When out at grass, the horse has plenty of time for feeding; and likewise 

 in the stable, he requires ample leisure for this purpose. We must remember 

 that, the drier the food, the more saliva is secreted, and the longer it is retained 

 in the mouth, in order that the starchy material contained in it may become 

 converted into soluble sugar. The equine tribe, unlike the bovine, cannot 

 ruminate. The ox, having filled the mouth, bestows little care upon the 

 comminution of the food, by which means the herbage is formed into a pellet. 

 The jaw is moved twice or thrice, and the mouthful is forwarded at once to 

 the rumen. This receptacle is large, and is.somewhat hastily filled. Then the 

 ox retires to a quiet spot, and there enjoys the meal, the grass being 

 regurgitated and fully masticated, during which time the animal is said to be 

 chewing the cud. The horse has no such power. The food eaten must be 

 well masticated, before it enters the stomach, and for tliis, time is required 

 (Mayhew). It is well known that the Tartary horses are trained to undergo 

 prolonged fasts, and to live on small quantities of food, and they are, in 



