342 
THE VETERINARY SCIENCE 
of the paunch. The inside is ful) of folds, or layers of mem- 
brane, into which all the coarse parts of the food pass and 
are rolled about until they are fine and well prepared to pass 
into the last division. When this part of the stomach be- 
comes deranged and the food becomes dry and hard between 
the folds, the disease called impaction of the many-plies, or 
dry murrain is the result. 
(d) The Abomasum or fourth stomach is the true di- 
gestive part. In it the food is completely digested. The walls 
are redder in color than those of the three first divisions and 
contain the glands which secrete the acids and gastric juices. 
This stomach has two openings, one through which the food 
enters and the other through which it passes into the small 
bowels. 
9. The Bowels or Intestines. 
The intestines of the ox are divided into large and small 
bowels. This, together with their structure and action, re- 
sembles that of the horse. The small bowels are only half 
the size of those of the horse, being about one-half inch in 
diameter, and about 150 feet in length. The large bowels are 
not nearly so large as those of the horse, and are 36 feet in 
length. 
10. The Liver. 
The Liver of the ox resembles that of the horse except 
that it is provided with a gall bladder which resembles a pear 
in shape. This acts as a sac in which to store the gall dur- 
ing the time it is not required in digestion. When digestion 
is going on the walls of the gall sac contract and force the 
gall down to the food. The other two glands, the pancreas 
and spleen, resemble those of the horse. The juices from 
these glands have the same action in cattle as they have in 
the horse. 
11. Rumination or Chewing the Cud. 
Food when first taken into the mouth of a ruminant is 
but lightly masticated and mixed with the saliva from the 
salivary glands, after which it is swallowed, passing through 
the oesophagus into the paunch. This division acts as a sort 
of storehouse for food thus eaten quickly. When the animal 
has time, so to speak, he lies or stands quietly and completes 
•■he mastication of his food by chewing the cud. This peculiar 
