Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of AnimalsLee, R., Mrs.
General
Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals
Lee, R., Mrs.
Animal behavior -- Juvenile literature
A peculiarity in the digestive organs of some animals causes all those
who possess it to be thrown together into one large order, by
naturalists. They have no front teeth, except in the lower jaw, and in
place of them, the upper jaw is provided with a bony pad. A very few
have canine teeth, and their grinders are marked with double crescents.
They have two hoofs, but as the inside edge of these is flattened, they
look as if they had only one cleft down the middle, the foot underneath
is provided with elastic pads, connecting the toes together, and
extruding beyond them at the sides. These cushions at each step expand,
support the animal in yielding sand, and protect it on harder ground.
After they have taken their food, these Ruminantia, as they are called,
lie down, and remain in a state of complete repose, in order to chew it
a second time; and the process is thus accomplished: they have four
stomachs, the first is called the paunch, and is the largest of all;
into it descend the grass, herbs, and leaves, when first cropped and
imperfectly masticated. Thence the mass goes into the second stomach, or
honeycomb, so named, because its structure gives it the appearance of
that substance: it is small and globular, and by means of its cells,
squeezes the food into little balls, which are thrown up into the mouth
of the animal, to receive a second mastication, called "chewing the
cud." After this has been effected, it descends into the third stomach,
or the feck, which looks something like the several leaves of a book;
lastly it goes into the fourth stomach, which is merely wrinkled. It is
in this that real digestion takes place; all the previous labour having
been but a mere preparation for it, and indicated by the name of the
order, taken from a Latin word, signifying "to chew over."
It would seem impossible for any animals to be more useful to man than
the dog or the horse, yet these Ruminantia are still more precious to
him, for while they serve him as beasts of burden, or transport, they
perform agricultural labours and supply him generally with a variety of
food. Milk, butter, cheese, the very best meat, the strongest yet most
delicate leather, that most valuable commodity wool, hair, horn, and a
long list of utilities, all proceeding from them; while the extreme
beauty of many of the genera, and the sport they afford, contribute to
his mere pleasure, as well as his comfort.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account