INTESTINES IN OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 
699 
which, in place of being studded with enormous papillae and covered 
by a thick epithelium, is velvetted, very vascular, ruby, abun¬ 
dantly furnished with mucus, and ten times augmented in its sur¬ 
face by having plicce running obliquely from the omassum even to 
the pylorus. 
Compared with the intestines or with the bulk of the body, the 
capacity of the stomach of the ruminant is enormous. An ox’s 
stomach contained 215 litres* (French pints) of water, while the 
intestines of the same subject held but 125. The stomach of a 
cow of middle size contained 290 litres, while its intestine held 
but 173; so that in the two cases there is but very little 
difference in the proportions. 
In the calf, and even in the foetus, the rumen is proportionately 
less developed than in after-life; the abomassum, which acts almost 
alone at this period, being of considerable volume, though it never 
equals that of the rumen in the adult. In a subject from eight to 
nine weeks old, the stomach contained 22 litres; of which 6J 
went for the abomassum, and 15^ for the other three cavities; 
making the former, as to the other three, as I to 238. 
In the sheep and goat, the stomach is in volume rather below 
this standard relatively to the intestine. In a goat, its capacity 
was 29 litres; of which 25 were for the rumen, 2 for the 
reticulum, 9 decilitres t for the omassum, and 3 litres 3 decilitres 
for the abomassum. The pig, which may be regarded as the 
type of omnivora, possesses a simple stomach, but much more in 
form like that of a carnivorous animal than the horse’s. Its 
capacity is considerable. I have found in it from to 8J litres 
in pigs of moderate size, at a year old. Compared with the 
intestines, in capacity, it is as 1 to 2, or as 1 to 2^. 
In the dog and cat species the stomach is pyriform. In capa¬ 
city, of course, it varies much in dogs of different size. In the 
smallest I have found it to contain 6 decilitres; in the largest 
8 litres. 
In cats there is no great variation. From 237 decilitres to 
3*57; or, as contrasted with the capacity of the intestines, as 
from 18 to 22 with from 24 to 25. 
The stomach of the rabbit reminds us much of that of the horse, 
as to exterior form and the disposition of the cardia, but is more 
incurvated. Its capacity is great, compared with the size of the 
animal. 
From what has been said it will be seen that, in relation 
of capacit}' of stomach to that of intestine, the ox stands first, 
* A litre, or French pint, is equal to 1 pint 15 oz. I 3 43 m. English, or 
nearly 2 pints. 
t A decilitre is the tenth part of a litre. 
