io the Rearinfj and Feeding of Cattle. 
257 
believe that it was in reality opposed to your experience, I would 
at once discard it ; but the apparent contradiction appears to me 
to be a misconception. The view I allude to is the following : 
that the pecidiar aptitude of any animal, or of a breed, to fatten, 
must arise from a peculiar smallncss and fineness of texture of 
the lungs. Although Liebig has not announced in his work the 
opinion that smallness of lungs is an indication of a tendency to 
become fat, still he conceives that it is so. On consulting some 
eminent physiologists in our own country, I find that they also en- 
tertain the same view. Cline asserts quite the contrary, and agricul- 
turists have generally acceded to his opinion. He says,* " An ani- 
mal with large lungs is capable of converting a given quantity of 
food into more nourishment, and therefore has a greater aptitude to 
fatten." Mr. Youatt holds a similar doctrine ; and both he and 
Mr. Cline uphold their opinion by reference to the capacity of 
the chest. " On the roundness and capacity of the chest," says 
Mr. Youatt, " depend the size and the power of the important 
organs which it contains, the heart and the lungs ; and in pro- 
])ortion to their size is the power of converting food into nourish- 
ment." The opinions of two such authorities deserve every 
attention; and yet theory compels us to hold a different view. 
Let us therefore examine their reasons more closely. 
In the first place, it does not necessarily follow that large lungs 
should be placed in a round and capacious chest. The chest 
and lungs are independent formations ; the one may exist, while 
the other does not exist, or has almost disappeared. Secondly, 
the chest in cattle often contains a portion of the abdominal viscera, 
the diaphragm being pushed forwards. Thirdly, a capacity of 
chest may indicate a rapidity of respiratory action, with a small 
lung. But we will give two more quotations fiom Mr. Youatt's 
own works to show this : — " The slightest inspection of a well- 
formed sheep will show that the ribs spring from the spine more 
horizontally than those of the horse, or even of the ox ; and con- 
sequently the greater roundness and capacity of the chest.' 'f And, 
again, farther on, in the same work, Mr. Youatt states : — " In the 
horse the lungs are necessarily capacious. In the ox the lungs 
are less developed. In sheep little exertion of strength or speed 
is required, and the lungs are smaller, compared with the size of 
the animal." ;{] We therefore see by Mr. Youatt's own descrip- 
tion that the size of the lungs in these animals is inversely pro- 
portional to the roundness and capacity of the chest. The ribs 
of a pig spring more horizontally out from the spine, and the 
chest is consequently rounder than that of any of the other 
* On tlie Breeding and Form of Animals, p. 4. 
t Ycuatt on Sheep, p. 420, iibi supra. % lb., vol. ii. p. 443. 
VOL. IV. S 
