A YOUNG NATURALIST. 



161 



ed to possess one of these animals alive. He duly ex- 

 amined the slender legs and tapering muzzle of the poor 

 creature, whose fawn-colored back, dotted over with sym- 

 metrically arranged spots, would change in color as it got 

 older. 



" Well, Master 6 Sunbeam,' in what class will you place 

 this mammal ?" asked Sumichrast, addressing Lucien. 



" It is not like any of those I know." 



"Well, then, you never can have seen goats, cows, or 

 sheep. It is a ruminant, or an animal which has three or 

 four stomachs. Its lower jaw is provided with eight inci- 

 sors, while the upper jaw has nothing but a cushion or 

 gum." 



" That's right enough," said Lucien, opening the fawn's 

 mouth. 



" In all ruminants, the food, when swallowed, passes into 

 the first stomach ; it is then brought up to be chewed 

 again ; this is called 6 chewing the cud.' You must often 

 have seen a cow or a sheep sitting quiet in the sun and 

 constantly chewing." 



" Yes," replied Lucien, " and l'Encuerado always told me 

 that they had eaten some bitter herb." 



" His explanation is about as correct as that given by the 

 Mexicans, who say that an animal which chews the cud is 

 reading the newspaper. Another characteristic of these 

 animals is, that their feet are cloven." 



" And they have horns !" cried Lucien. 



" Not all of them ; for instance, the camel, llama, and 

 musk-deer, are exceptions." 



It remained for us to decide how our fawn should be 

 cooked. After a discussion on the subject, we left the 

 point entirely to l'Encuerado, and I made my way down 

 to the bottom of the ravine. Upon lifting up some stones 

 and pieces of bark, I discovered several species of the Ca- 



