244 THE VETERINARY SCIENCE. 



Another point of difference between the ox and horse is that 

 th« bones In the leg of the ox are divided from fetlock down into 

 *wo parts, while in the horse they are not divided. 

 DIGESTIVE ORGANS OF THE OX. 

 The Lips of the ox are thick and hard, the upper one in front 

 has no hair on it and varies in color with the color of the animal. 

 and when cattle are in good health this space is always moist. 



The Cheeks on the inside are covered by numerous little rough 

 processes which give the cheeks a very rough appearance. 



The Ton^e of the ox is stronger than that of the horse and 

 is more movable, it is very thick and heavy at the back; it is 

 pointed at the front end and the upper part of it is very rough; 

 it is by means of the tongue the ox takes most of the food into his 

 mouth. 



The Glands which secrete the saliva are similar to those of 

 the horse. 



The Teeth differ very much from those of the horse, the ox 

 fias no front teeth in the upper part of his mouth, their place being 

 taken by a pad of cartilage or gristle. This pad takes the place 

 of the upper row of front teeth for the lower row of teeth presses 

 against it when the animal is cropping grass ; on account of this 

 pad it can be seen why cattle will not do as well on short grass as 

 horses. The front teeth in the lower row also differs from those 

 of the horse, they are eight in number, chisel-shaped and are 

 loosely set in the gum. The molars or back teeth are similar to 

 those of the horse only they are smaller and not so smooth on their 

 upper surface. The ox has twenty-four molars or back teeth, and 

 eight incisors or front teeth, making thirty-two in all. 



The Pharynx, or gullet in th« ox is much larger than that of 

 the horse. 



The CBsophagUS, or tube, which carries ths food down from the 

 mouth to the stomach is well developed, the fibres in it are very 

 strong and have a double action. When the animal is eating they 

 carry the food from the mouth down to the stomach, and during the 

 time the animal is chewing its cud they act the very opposite, 

 they carry the food from the stomach back up into the mouth. 



The Stomach is a very important organ to understand, for 

 cattle suffer a great deal from diseases of the stomach. The 

 stomach of the ox has a capacity of sixty gallons, and is divided 

 Into four divisions. The first department is the rumen or paunch; 

 the second is the reticulum, or honey comb ; the third is the 

 •masum^ or manyplies, and the fourth is the abomasum, or true 



