CATTLE 



209 



beasts for agricultural labor, while cows were 

 everywhere valued for their milk and meat. 

 As furnishin<r amusement bulls are now used 



Norm AX Mii.ch Cow- 

 only in Spain for bullfights and in the south 

 of France for the famous "bull races." 



The bull or the draft ox, properly so called, 

 no matter to what species he belongs, bears, 

 as a general thing, the following type : a large 

 head, the nape of the neck very broad, the 

 legs long and sinewy, the hind quarters 

 strongly developed, and the muscles visible 

 under a relatively thin skin. His shape is 

 long and angular. 



The animal intended for the shambles is, 

 on the contrary, square in form, with rounded 

 outlines. Its whole exterior shows massi\'e- 

 ness ; the head is narrow, the neck short and 

 thick, the tail narrow, and the line of the 

 back completely horizontal. Seen in front or 

 behind the draft ox presents a narrow, thick- 

 set body on long legs, while viewed in the same 

 manner the animal for butchering presents a 

 body somewhat square-like in form, with ap- 

 parently short legs. 



II. The Cow 



The cow {bos taitriis doincsticiis) is stolid 

 by nature and \'ery little intelligence appears 

 in the big, kindly eyes with which she stares, 

 in the stable or in the field, at young and old, 

 donkeys and trains, horses and boats. A single 



occupation seems to absorb her thoughts, — that 

 of flicking off with her tail the flieS'that torment 

 her as she br(jwses the grass or chews the cud. 

 Rumination is an essential thing with her, 

 though she does it when halt aslee]) ; essen- 

 tial, that is, for the stomach of all nmiinants, 

 which is composed of four parts, — the nniicn, 

 the I'cticuluin, the omasinn^ and the abomasuin. 

 Attei- being triturated and partly digested in 

 the first stomach, or rumen, the insufficiently 

 digested lood is retiu'ned to the (esophagus 

 antl thence into the mouth, where it is mixed 

 with the saliva secreted by the salix'ary glands 

 as the cow chews it, after which she passes 

 the cud downwai-d to its destination. The 

 cow has eight teeth in the lower jaw ; the 

 upper jaw appears to have none, and persons 

 ignorant of cattle would doubtless think so, 

 but a connoisseur would tell them to "feel" 

 the teeth. They then find a cartilaginous edge 

 to the upper jaw which takes the place of front 

 teeth, while at the two sides of the jaw at the 



I\L\ri:RX.\i, C.\R!:s 

 PhiitoC.W. Keid 



back are six large and very sharp teeth. The car- 

 tilaginous front edge is far more useful for nip- 

 ping off the grass than a row of teeth would be. 

 To the owner of milch cows the production of 

 milk is naturally of the greatest importance. 



Digitized by IVIicrosoft® 



