196 DISEASE IN WILD MAMMALS AND BIRDS 
of the first group (Peccaries )have a colon of this type, 
but it is not so complicated as in true ruminants. 
These complications seem designed to permit of a long 
retention of coarse food of low nutritive value per bulk 
for a time sufficient for full digestion ; reverse adaptation 
of large size of stomach and colon may be explained on the 
same basis. Let us now examine these two groups to dis- 
cover their pathological reactions and the nature of 
the lesions. 
Ungulates as a class stand in a position equivalent to 
the Primates in the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases. 
They show a conspicuous percentage of cases apparently 
due to incorrect food and, coupled with this, a high per- 
centage of gastric involvement, being exceeded in this 
respect by the marsupials only (there is an adequate 
reason for this — see below). Cases ascribed to bacterial 
Table 12. 
Showing the Percentage Incidence of Various Forms of Inflammation in the 
Alimentary Tract of Ungulata. 
Lesion 
Group A 
Perissodactyla and 
Swine, Wart Hogs, 
Peccaries 
Per cent. 
Group B 
Ruminants and 
Relatives 
Per cent. 
Acute fermentative gastritis 
All other forms of gastritis 
Acute toxic or fermentative enter- 
itis 
18. 
16.3 
1.6 
1.6 
0. 
0. 
2.1 
5. 
2.3 
All other forms of acute enteritis . . . 
Chronic enteritis 
8.4 
1.9 
Colitis and typhlitis 
3.1 
or parasitic agents are not numerous. Analysis of 
the records of the two groups discussed above brings out 
some interesting facts. Consultation of Table 12 shows 
percentage comparisons, based on the number of 
autopsies, of lesions in the various sections of the tract. 
Group A, that with the simple stomach and the short 
capacious colon, is represented by forty-four specimens, 
while Group B embraces 321 animals. Perhaps the use of 
these two widely differing figures for comparison is open 
