ANATOMY. 19 



rumination, after having been more or less softened by the 

 warmth and moisture of the rumen. 



The second stomach, the reticulum, participates in the 

 functions of the rumeD to which it is mostly a convenient 

 appendage. But it always contains a large quantity of liquid 

 and doubtless plays the part of a reservoir much as in the 

 camel, well known to carry a considerable extra store of 

 water for immediate use as it may be required. 



The esophageal canal carries into the third stomach or 

 omasum, past the opening of the reticulum, the matter 

 swallowed after rumination, or even any finely ground or 

 soft semi-liquid food swallowed the first time, and which 

 has not solidity and consistence sufficient to force open the 

 slit or opening in the canal. 



The omasum completes the final disintegration of the 

 food by a process of rubbing or trituratioii between its 

 leaves. 



The abomasum is a true stomach, in which the gastric 

 juice is secreted, and which finally dissolves the nutrimeii- 

 tary substance of the food, and renders it fit for the absorp- 

 tion of it by the villi of the intestines. 



THE INTESTINES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS. 



The intestines is a long tube doubled upon itself a great 

 many times, through which the digested food passes and 

 gives up its nutritive matter to be absorbed and carried into 

 the blood. The internal coat of this folded tube is covered 

 by a multitude of minute absorbent vessels called the villi. 

 It is a network of blood vessels and so-called lacteals, re- 

 sembling the close pile of velvet. 



The villi absorb the nutritious matter of the now com- 

 pletely digested food and pass it on, as it were, to the great 

 portal vein by which the dissolved aliment of the animal, 

 fitted by complete digestion for the enrichment of the blood, 

 is carried to the heart, and enters the right ventricle, from 

 which it is passed on to the lungs where it is brought into 

 contact with the air breathed by the animal, absorbing oxy- 

 gen from it, and then becoming perfect blood. The blood 

 then, after this exposure to the oxygen of the air, is forced 

 into the left ventricle, and from this forced by the con- 

 traction "of the enormously strong muscular action of the 



