114 LECTURE IV. 



this subject, and it can only be mentioned as 

 one of those interesting zoological curiosities 

 which will probably long continue to remain 

 imperfectly understood. 



One of the great or leading characters of the 

 Order Pecora or Cattle, to which we now proceed, 

 is the total want of front-teeth in the upper jaw. 

 In the lower jaw there are six or eight front-teeth: 

 the grinders or side-teeth are usually pretty numer- 

 ous, and such of the Pecora as are furnished with 

 horns, have no tusks or canine-teeth; which on the 

 contrary are conspicuous in such as are not fur- 

 nished with the defence of horns. Another cha- 

 racter belonging to most of this tribe of Mammalia 

 is the power of rumination, or ruminating: that is, 

 of throwing up into the mouth at intervals a por- 

 tion of the food which has been hastily swallowed 

 during their feeding, in order that it may undergo 

 a more complete grinding by the teeth. This 

 action is so conspicuous in Cows and other cattle, 

 that every one is perfectly acquainted with it. 

 The stomachs of these animals and of others that 

 ruminate, are wonderfully calculated for facili- 

 tating this necessary operation, and may be found 

 described at large, accompanied by proper expla- 



