‘22 VETERINARY OBSTETRICS. 
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are longitudinal. These folds assist in enlarging the 
cavity at the period of parturition, and become oblite- 
rated then, 
Anteriorly the vagina receives into it the cervix 
or neck of the uterus, which is projected some distance 
into its cavity, and has its walls thrown into a number 
of folds or ridges. 
In the walls of the vagina in the Cow, and 
sometimes also in the Mare, are found the canals of 
Gertner, which are believed to perform a function in 
foetal life. By one extremity these canals open into the 
vulva at the lateral aspect of the meatus, and by their 
other extremity they terminate in a blind cavity in the 
walls of the uterus. 
The Uterus. 
This is the most important female organ of 
reproduction, and is the cavity in which the healthy or 
normal development of the foetus takes place, and 
where it is retained and nourished until it is able to 
maintain an independent existence outside of the body. 
This organ is divided into a body and two horns. The 
horns are situated anteriorly, and are slightly curved on 
themselves, presenting inferiorly a concave curvature 
in the Cow, and a convex one in the Mare. The 
internal cavity of the uterus, like the external, is also 
divided into a body and two horns, but in the non- 
pregnant animal, the horns are only very rudimentary, 
and become enlarged to accommodate the foetus after 
impregnation and growth take place. The walls of the 
uterus and horns are formed of three distinct layers, 
