THE ANATOMY OF THE SHEEP 365 



we find that it is at this point that the crowns wear down with 

 age and first break away. It is impossible to determine the 

 age of a sheep with certainty after it has obtained a full 

 mouth of teeth. Two things, however, serve as a guide, one 

 the wearing away of the incisors from the center toward the 

 outside pair, and the other the grinding down and wearing 

 off the crowns of the teeth, until with some old sheep one 

 finds only short stumps left in the lower jaw. With increase 

 of years, the front teeth also gradually incline, losing much 

 of their original erect position. Experienced buyers of 

 sheep, whenever necessary " mouth," that is examine the 

 teeth of animals purchased, to be sure that the teeth are 

 in good order, instead of broken or missing. 



The digestive organs of the sheep, excepting for size 

 and capacity, are essentially like those of the ox. The 

 stomach is compound, consisting of four parts, the rumen 

 or paunch, the reticulum or honeycomb, the manyplies and 

 the abomasum. The four stomachs of the sheep will hold 

 about thirty-one quarts, of which the paunch holds about 

 twenty-five, while the manyplies holds the least, or only 

 about one quart. The small intestines are about eighty-six 

 feet long, and the large ones about twenty-one feet long, 

 and hold respectively nine and one-half quarts and six 

 quarts each. In connection with the digestive operations 

 of the sheep, it is important to note that this animal com- 

 pletely reduces all seeds and other food to a common mass 

 of solid excrement. No other domestic animal so thoroughly 

 disintegrates the food. Seed may pass through the diges- 

 tive tract of cattle, and germinate afterward, but not so 

 with seeds passing through sheep ; they are completely des- 

 troyed. This explains in part why sheep are so valuable in 

 ridding land of weeds. 



The organs of reproduction of the sheep are similar to 

 those of cattle, but on a comparatively smaller scale. The 

 ram as he attains yearling form, should show a strong scro- 

 tum or sac containing two equal-sized, clearly defined 

 glands. The scrotum should not be either small and held 



