THE STOMACH. 59 



the strong action of a gizzard in a great degree use- 

 less. Those who take an interest in poultry are 

 aware that they are in the constant hahit of picking 

 up small stones. Many persons consider this as an 

 accidental occurrence; hut it is hy no means so: they 

 do it like the Ostrich, for the purpose of assisting 

 the powers of the gizzard in grinding the shells and 

 outer coats of the grains, so as to render them fit for 

 final digestion. In the stomach of a Turkey-hen, 

 nearly one hundred stones have heen counted, and in 

 that of a Goose, a still larger numher ; hut these are 

 nothing to the extraordinary contents of a common 

 fowl's stomach, in which were found three pieces of 

 flint, three metal buttons, fourteen nails, several of 

 which were very sharp, in addition to a great num- 

 ber of small stones*. The coat of the bird's 

 stomach, with the exception of some slight scratches 

 on the inner membrane, was in its natural state; 

 probably however, if the gizzard had been closely 

 examined, it would have been found diseased or 

 defective in its operations, thus inducing the fowl to 

 make up its deficiency by so unnatural an addition. 

 But the best way of understanding its curious 

 mode of working, will be, to follow the progress of a 

 meal swallowed by a fowl, between whose stomach 

 and that of a corn-mill, naturalists have traced a 

 very close resemblance. The grain is first passed 

 by the gullet into the craw, which may be compared 

 to the hopper of the mill, through which the grain 

 is gradually emptied on the grinding-stones. There, 

 as we have seen, it remains a certain time, till it is 

 considerably softened ; and then, not all at once, but 



* Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, No. III., p. 206. 



