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THE GREAT THICK-SKINNED ANIMALS 
like the hog, has a hoof divided into two toes; but the animals of this 
new group differ entirely from other animals in that they chew their 
cud, and receive a special name, ruminants. This is a very large class, 
and it contains animals with which all are very familiar, because they 
are so common. The first one to suggest itself is the ox or cow. We 
have all seen the ox and cow come in on an evening from the pasture 
and lie down and appear to be eating and swallowing something when 
apparently they have nothing before them to take into their mouths. 
They are, in fact, chewing the cud. It is hardly necessary for us to 
go into a particular description of how this is done, but we can see for 
ourselves that, while grazing, these animals nip off the grass between 
the large cutting teeth in front of the lower jaw and the tough pad on 
the upper jaw, which has no teeth, the tough pad taking their place. 
After each mouthful the animal does not proceed to chew it or cut it 
up into fine pieces with the teeth, as flesh-eating animals do, but instead 
it swallows it immediately, and continues thus to graze until it satisfies 
its appetite. Then, as you have no doubt noticed, it seeks a quiet and 
shaded spot, and there lying down, or standing, it chews the cud at 
leisure. If careful attention be given, it will be seen that there is a 
slight hiccough action just as it commences to chew. The mouth, 
which was empty, becomes full of coarse pieces of grass, which have 
previously been taken into the first stomach. This the animal imme¬ 
diately proceeds to chew with the large back teeth or grinders, in a 
slow and steady manner, moving its lower jaw back and forth from 
one side to the other, from right to left. When this chewing has lasted 
a little while, the food is mixed with the liquids of the mouth, and made 
into a pulpy or soft mass, when it is swallowed. Then there is another 
hiccough, and another quantity of food is taken through the same 
process. 
