INTRODUCTION. 15 



about them, he is of little worth for the saddle or the 

 collar. 



Referring the reader to the Treatise on Cattle, for 

 an account of the contents of the chest and belly, it 

 will be sufficient here to notice a few peculiarities in 

 the structure of these parts in the horse. 



The Stomach. — There is a strange difference be- 

 tween the four stomachs of the ox and the single 

 stomach of the horse. That of the last animal is 

 comparatively smaller than that of any other creature. 

 It will not contain one-half of that which the ox would 

 eat at an ordinary meal. The horse is essentially an 

 animal of speed, and is liable to be called on to exert 

 himself at all hours. His stomach is placed close 

 against the diaphragm, which is a principal agent in 

 respiration. In every act of inspiration the diaphragm 

 presses against the stomach, and more or less displaces 

 it. If the stomach were large, this singular muscle 

 would have to move it when full, and the horse would 

 be soon exhausted by the violence of the requisite 

 exertion. Therefore this small stomach was given to 

 him, that he might with greater ease display the 

 speed which is his most striking characteristic. He 

 can even work upon a full stomach better than most 

 animals ; but many a horse is destroyed by being 

 hurried after a plentiful meal. 



The stomach is not only small, but its structure is 

 singular. One half of it is cuticular, like the whole of 

 the paunch of cattle, and constitutes a mere reservoir 

 for the food. The food, after it has been chewed, is 

 retained awhile in this cuticular portion, in order that 

 it may be macerated. After that, it passes into the 



