COMPAEATIVE ANATOMY, 
rolled up, and by its internal structure. Its 
cavity is much contracted by numerous and 
broad duplicatures of the internal coat, 
which lie lengthwise, vary in breadth in a 
regular alternate order, and amount to 
about 40 in the sheep, 100 in the cow. 
The fourth, or the red, (abomasum, falis- 
cus, ventriculus intestinalis), is next in size 
to the pamich, of an elongated, pyriform 
shape, with an internal villous coat like that 
of the human stomach, with large longitudi- 
nal rugae. 
The three first stomachs are connected 
with each other, and with a groove-like con- 
tinuation of the oesophagus, in a very re- 
markable way. The latter tube enters just 
where the paunch, the second and third sto- 
machs approach each other ; it is then con- 
tinued with the groove, which ends in the 
third stomach. This groove is therefore 
open to the first stomachs, which lie to its 
right and left. But the thick prominent lips 
which form the margin of the groove, ad- 
mit of being dr awn together so as to form 
a complete canal ; which then constitutes a 
direct continuation of tlie oesophagus into 
the third stomach. 
The functions of tliis very singular part 
will vary, according as we consider it in the 
state of a groove, or of a closed canal. In 
the first case, the grass, &c. is passed after 
a very slight degree of mastication, into the 
paunch, as into a reservoir. Thence it goes 
in small portions into the second stomach, 
from which, after a further maceration, it is 
propelled, by a kind of antiperistaltic mo- 
tion, into the cesophagus, and thus returns 
into the mouth. It is here ruminated, and 
again swallowed, when the groove is shut, 
and the morsel of food, after tliis second 
mastication, is thereby conducted directly 
into the third stomach. During the short 
time which it probably stays in this situa- 
tion between the folds of the internal coat, 
it is still further prepared fi)r digestion, 
which process is completed in the fourth or 
true digestive stomach. 
Tlie phenomena of rumination suppose a 
power of voluntai'y motion in the part. And 
indeed the influence of the will in the whole 
function is incontestible. It is not confined 
to any particular time, since the animal can 
delay it accordingto circumstances, when the 
paunch is quite full. It has been e.xpressly 
stated of some men, who have had the 
power of ruminating, (instances of which 
are not very rare), that it was quite volun- 
tary with them. Blumenbach knew two 
men, who ruminated their vegetable food : 
both assured him that they had a real en- 
joyment in doing this, which has also been 
observed of others ; and one of them had 
the power of doing it, or leaving it alone, 
according to circumstances. 
The final purpose of rumination, as ap- 
plicable to all the animals in which it takes 
place, and the chief utility of this wonder- 
fully complicated function in the animal 
economy, are still completely unknown. 
What has been already suggested on these 
points is completely unsatisfactory. The 
old dream of Aristotle and Galen, that ru- 
mination supplies the place of incisor teeth, 
the materials of which are applied, in these 
animals, to the formation of horns, scarcely 
deserves mention. Perrault and others sup- 
posed that it contributed to the security of 
these animals, which generally eat much 
and are timid, by showing the necessity of 
their remaining long employed in chewing, 
in an open pasture. But the Indian buf- 
falo ruminates, although it does not fly even 
from a lion, but rather attacks, and often 
vanquishes that animal : and the wild goat 
dwells in Alpine countries, which are in- 
accessible to beasts of prey. 
The peculiar structure of the stomach in 
the camel and lama, which enables these 
animals to take at one time a sufficient 
quantity of water to last them for two, 
three, or more days, and thereby renders 
them adapted to inhabit the dry and sandy 
deserts, which constitute their natural 
abode, is highly worthy of attention. The 
fluid which they drink is deposited in nu- 
merous cells, formed in the substance of 
their first and second stomachs, by strong 
bauds of muscular fibres crossing each other 
at right angles. It should seem that the 
animal has the power of closing these cells 
by the contraction of those fibres which 
form the mouths of the cavities, or of ex- 
pelling the contahied fluid by putting the 
. other portions of fibres in action. 
This cellular structure is found in two 
parts of the first stomach ; and it occupies 
the whole of the second. It was found in a 
dead camel, that these cavities w'onld hold 
two gallons of fluid ; but they were pro- 
bably more capacious during life, as the 
animal in question always drank six or seven 
gallons of water every other day, and took 
more in the intermediate time. Mr. Bruce 
states, in his travels, that he procured four 
gallons from one which he slaughtered in 
Upper Egypt. “Shaw’s Abridgment of 
Bruch’s Travels.” Ed. 3. p. 371. 
As all the food whicli the animal takes 
