THE ALIMENTARY CANAL. 
87 
etc.; and the abdomen, containing the stomach, intes¬ 
tines, etc. The oesophagus passes through a slit in the 
Fig. 52.—Ideal Section of a Mammalian Vertebrate: A, pectoral, or fore limb; B, 
pelvic, or hind limb: a, mouth; b, cerebrum; c, cerebellum; d , nose; e , eye; /, 
ear; g, oesophagus; h, stomach ; i, iutestine; j, diaphragm, or midriff; k, rectum, 
or termination of intestine; l, anus; m, liver; n, spleen ; o, kidney ; p, sympa¬ 
thetic system of nerves; 9 , pancreas; r, urinary bladder; s, spinal cord; u, ure¬ 
ter; v, vertebral column; w, heart; x , lung; y, trachea, or windpipe; z, epi¬ 
glottis. 
diaphragm, and almost immediately expands into the 
stomach. 
In the majority of Mammals, the stomach is a muscular 
bag of an irregular oval shape, lying obliquely across the 
abdomen. In the Flesh-eaters, whose food is easy of solu¬ 
tion, the stomach is usually simple, and lies nearly in the 
course of the alimentary ca¬ 
nal ; but in proportion as the 
food departs more widely 
in its composition from the 
body itself, and is therefore 
more difficult to digest, we 
find the stomach increasing 
in size and complexity, and 
turned aside from the gen¬ 
eral course of the canal, so as 
to retain the food a longer 
time. The inlet, or open¬ 
ing, into the oesophagus is c 
left sac; B, right sac; C, duodenum. 
ed cardiac ; the outlet, or 
