706 CAMELS WITH SOUTH AFGHAN EXPEDITION, 1878-9. 
cations on the air cells, and the circulation is complete. 
The digestive organs of the camel, as in all ruminants, are 
complicated, but I will endeavour to give a familiar outline of 
them. The food being gathered is rolled about by the tongue 
and masticated to a certain extent by the larger set of teeth 
(the molars), during the process being mixed with a propor¬ 
tion of saliva, and the fluid secreted from the lining mem¬ 
brane of the mouth itself called mucus, it is then thrown 
into the pouch at the top of the gullet, named the pharynx, 
and from thence propelled down the gullet or oesophagus 
into the rumen or first stomach, which is a large store for 
food at this stage of its passage. The rumen is a musculo- 
membranous bag occupying a very large portion of the abdo¬ 
men ; it is divided into four compartments internally, and is 
lined by a continuation of the membrane covering the mouth 
and inside of the gullet, but modified in character. The 
remarkable peculiarity of this stomach in the camel which 
I wish to describe is that appended to it are pouches ar¬ 
ranged in two groups, right and left, the right being the 
larger, and each group disposed in parallel rows separated 
by strong muscular bundles, given off from a large band of 
fibres, which commence at the entrance extremity of the 
rumen, and proceed in a longitudinal direction, dividing the 
entire cavity into two compartments. Muscular bundles of 
fibres are arranged transversely, and are otherwise distri¬ 
buted, so as, when contracting, to close the square-shaped 
mouths of the pouches. This arrangement, all comparative 
physiologists agree, is a provision for the especial stowage of 
water, enabling the camel above all animals to tolerate on an 
emergency an abstinence from that fluid; but let the word 
emergency be remarked, for it has been mentioned that, 
although the animal is thus enabled to travel on a short 
supply, it does not follow that he is not better with his 
tanks frequently replenished; this interesting provision has 
been made much stock of by lecturers, and I am afraid in 
their enthusiasm erroneous impressions have been conveyed ; 
for instance, I recollect one who said that when he found 
the camel to possess two extra stomachs for the conveyance 
of water, the object of which was to supply him with refresh¬ 
ment during his passage through the desert, he could not 
help ejaculating how wonderful! and he went on to enlarge 
greatly upon the jealousy with which the supply was drawn 
upon, conveying the idea that it was only when the 
animal arrived at an extremity that these stomachs were 
opened, and, even then but just sufficient quantity of water 
exuded to moisten the parched palate, for fear the store 
