Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1890-04-04
HOW THEY EAT.

chin. has five teeth in five jaws-one
in each jaw-all the five Immediately
surrounding the stomach. The Jaws
have a peculiar centralized motion
all turning inward and downward, so
that they also act as feeders.
Snails have teeth on their tongues,
hundreds of them, but as if these were
not enough, some have them also IN
their stomach.
The cuttlefish, which among other
strange things always walks with It's
head downward, does not chew its
food at all, but masticates with its
gizzard. So do geese, fowls, ducks,
and indeed al modern birds. Selling
their food in their beaks, they swal-
low it whole if grain or seed, and IN
large pieces if it be fruit or bread. In
that condition it goesinto the gizzard,
a powerful muscle with very tough,
horny lining, which acts as mill,
being sufficiently powerful to pulver-
ize uncooked corn. To assist in the
milling process all grain-eating birds
swallow little pieces of gravel, grass,
crockery, metal, &c, the horny inte-
rior of the gizzard being sufficiently
tough to escape cutting by these ma
terials. 1t is because of this fact that
the ostrich has acquired his reputa-
ton of enjoying a ferruginous diet.
Even when they had teeth birds
only used them to make their food,
depending upon the gizzard for mas
tication then rs now.
Fishes and reptiles use their teeth
for the same purpose, that OF taking
their food, but, like the birds, they
gulp down their food unchewed and
unbroken if possible.
There are, however, exceptions.
The ray or skate, for instance, has
mouth set transversely across its head
the jaws working with a rolling mo-
ton like two hands set back 70 back.
In the Jaws are three rows of flat
teeth, set like mosaic pavement,
and between these rolling jaws the
fish crushes oysters and other mol
lusks like so many nuts.
The carp's teeth are set back on 'he
pharynx, so that it may be literally
said to masticate its food in its throat.
The carp, is the only cud-chewing
fish, the coarsely swallowed food be-
ing forced up to these throat teeth
for complete mastication.
Some fishes are absolutely tooth
less, like the sucker and lamprey;
others again have hundreds and hun
dreds of teeth, sometimes SO many
that they cover all parts Of the
mouth.
The great Greenland whale has no
teeth, its baleen plates, or whalebone
taking their place. Along the centre
of the palate runs strong ridge, and
on each side of this there is wide
depression along which the plates
are inserted. These are long and flat,
hanging free, aud are placed trans
versely-that is, across the mouth,
with their side parallel and near each
other. The base and outer edge Of
the plates are Of solid whalebone, but
the inner edges are fringed, filling up
the interior of the mouth and acting
as a strainer for the food, which con-
sists OF the small swimming mollusks
meduse, or jelly fishes. This whale
rarely, if ever, swallows anything
larger than herring. shoals of these
small creatures being entangled III
the tibres of the baieen, the water
which does not escape from the
mouth being expelled by the blow
holes. Though the cavity Of this
whales mouth is big enough TO con-
tain ships long boat, the gullet is
not larger than mans fist. The
lower Jaw has neither baleen nor
teeth, but has large, feshy lips within
which the upper Is received when the
mouth is closed.
While the Greenland whale has no
teeth, the sperm whale has them IN
great quantities Oh the lower jaw,
ard uses them, too when occasion re-
quires. On the other hand, the mar
whale very seldom develops more
than one, the left upper canine. 1t
makes up for the lack of number by
the extraordinary growth attained by
this one tooth. 1t grows out and
right forward, on line with the body
until it becomes a veritable tusk,
sometimes reaching the length of ten
feet. Apropos Of tusks, the elephants
are its unduly developed upper in