X 
INTRODUCTION. 
of the gizzard in comminuting the food, fo as to prepare it for 
digeftion, would exceed all credibility, were they not fupported 
by incontrovertible fa£ts founded upon experiments. In order 
to afcertain the llrength of thefe ftomachs, the ingenious Spa- 
lanzani made the following curious and very interelling experi- 
ments : — Tin tubes, full of grain, were forced into the llomachs 
ofTurkies, and after remaining twenty hours, were found to be 
broken, comprefled, and diftorted in the moll irregular manner.* 
In proceeding further, the fame author relates, that the ftomach 
of a Cock, in the fpace of twenty-four hours, broke off the an- 
gles of a piece of rough jagged glafs, and upon examining the 
gizzard, no wound or laceration appeared. Twelve llrong nee- 
dles were firmly fixed in a ball of lead, the points of which pro* 
jedted about a quarter of an inch from the furface ; thus armed, 
ft was covered with a cafe of paper, and forced down the throat 
of a Turkey; the bird retained it a day and a half, without 
file wing the leaft fymptom of uneafinefs ; the points of all the 
needles were broken off clofe to the furface of the ball, except 
two or three, of which the Humps projedted a little. The fame 
author relates another experiment, feemingly Hill more cruel : 
He fixed twelve fmall lancets, very lharp, in a fimilar ball of 
lead, which was given in the fame manner to a Turkey-cock, 
and left eight hours in the ftomach ; at the expiration of which 
the organ was opened, but nothing appeared except the naked 
ball, the twelve lancets having been broken to pieces, the fto- 
mach remaining perfedtly found and entire. From thefe curi- 
ous and well-attefted fadts we may conclude, that the ftones fo 
often found in the ftomachs of many of the feathered tribe are 
highly ufeful in comminuting the grain and other hard fubftan- 
ces which conftitute their food. The ftones,” fays the cele- 
brated Dr Hunter, “ afiift in grinding down the grain, and, by 
feparating its parts, allow the gaftric juices to come more rea- 
dily into contadl with it.” Thus far the conclufion coincides 
with the experiments which have been juft related. We may 
* Spallanzani’s Differtation, vol. X, page is. 
