THE ANATOMY OF THE OX 



213 



Fi; 



119. — The stomach of the ox. 

 (Courtesy Orange Judd Company.) 



medium-sized animals, with 

 a maximum of sixty for large 

 ones. The rumen is the largest 

 division of the stomach, 

 making about 80 per cent of 

 the whole, the recticulum 5 

 per cent, and the other divi- 

 sions about 7 or 8 per cent 

 each. 



The intestines of the ox 

 are of two classes, large and 



small. The small intestine connects with the true stomach, 

 and is about 130 feet long. The large intestine is about 

 thirty-five feet long, and is a continuation from the smaller 

 intestine to the anus or vent. These organs occupy the 

 rear part of the abdomen, the small intestine being situ- 

 ated below the large one. 



An indication of the age of the ox is to be found in the 

 number of rings about the base of the horn, or in" the 

 number and character of the front teeth. The horn, as 

 has been stated, is an outgrowth from the frontal bone. 

 When an ox reaches the age of three years, one ring is 

 usually to be seen about the base of the horn. The fourth 

 year a second ring appears, with one each year following, 

 until the animal is six or seven years old. Thus, by adding 

 two years to the number of rings visible, many have' as- 

 sumed they could state the age of an ox. This method, 

 however, is hardly certain or satisfactory, for the rings 

 are not always well defined, and at best this estimate .can 

 only be applied in case of the cow. The rings appear 

 later on the bull, at either four or five years, and in view 

 of the constant usage of the horns by the male, they are 

 largely rubbed off. Youatt states " also that, " if a heifer 

 goes to a bull when she is a two-year old, or a little before 

 that time, there is an immediate change in the horn, and 

 the first ring appears, so that a real three-year old would 



"Cattle, 1860, p. 280. 



