RUMINANT QUADRUPEDS. 89 



large first stomach, or paunch. Here it is macerated or 

 soaked. Then it is passed into the second stomach, or 

 honeycomb stomach, as it is called, from the cellular ar- 

 rangement of its inner surface. Here in some way it is 

 ah 1 made into distinct balls. Each of these is passed up 

 into the mouth, and is chewed. It then goes down the 

 gullet into the third stomach, the manyplies, so called 

 because its inner lining membrane has a great many folds. 

 From thence it is passed into the fourth stomach. It is 

 this that corresponds to the stomach of man, and of all 

 animals that live partly or wholly on animal food ; for 

 here the gastric juice is secreted and is mingled with the 

 food. In the suckling Ruminant the milk passes directly 

 into the fourth stomach, the other stomachs remaining 

 unemployed until the animal begins to graze. 



155. The purpose of this arrangement for rumination 

 is thus stated by Carpenter : " The Ruminantia, taken as 

 a group, are timid, and are destitute of powerful means 

 of defense against their foes, seeking safety in flight when 

 alarmed, rather than stopping to defend themselves. A 

 large proportion of them are natives of tropical regions, 

 where they are liable to the attacks of the larger beasts 

 of prey. Now their food consisting, as it does, of grass- 

 es and herbage, which contain a considerable amount of 

 woody fibre requires to be thoroughly masticated be- 

 fore it can be properly digested. When feeding on the 

 pastures they frequent they are subject to many alarms ; 

 and if they were compelled to spend a considerable time 

 in masticating their food before swallowing it, they would 

 often be in danger of starvation, by being obliged to leave 

 their pasture before their wants were supplied. But by 

 their power of subsequently returning their food to the 

 mouth, and chewing it at their leisure, they are enabled 

 to dispense entirely with any mastication previously to 

 first swallowing it, and to feed with comparative quick- 

 ness. They thus convey a store of food into the first 

 stomach or paunch, as the Monkey does into his cheek- 



