ANATOMY. 21 



finest needle without wounding some of them. From these 

 the blood having performed its function goes back to th,e 

 lungs where it is purified by the action of the air breathed 

 and then to the heart to be again circulated. 



This brief description of the nutrition of an animal goes 

 to show the amazing delicacy of the vital processes, and 

 considering that the liver, the pancreas, and the spleen, are 

 all charged with accessory functions in this system of nutri- 

 tion, it is no matter for surprise that in the alimentation 

 of an animal we have one of the most profoundly delicate 

 series of operations, the safe performance of which is one 

 of the greatest wonders of nature. And yet it goes on oper- 

 ating constantly as the pulse of an animal beats forty- 

 eight times in a minute, every beat carrying to the center 

 of life a sufficient supply of aliment by which the whole sys- 

 tem is supported, and renewed in fact, completely in time, 

 by this addition to the system of an adequate quantity and 

 kind of nutriment. 



This brief but wholly inadequate review of the method 

 by which food is made to support life goes, however, to show 

 what care, attention, and good judgment are necessary for 

 the welfare of a flock, too often fed without thought of the 

 delicacy of the vital organs; and the importance of keeping 

 these in a healthful working condition is that the first qualifi- 

 cation needed to insure the successful management of a flock 

 is a due acquaintance with the vital functions of a sheep 

 and a most careful study of the methods required to main- 

 tain health by a rigid adherence to the safe and healthful 

 alimentation of it. 



