the manner in which the animal has been fed and the use to which it
has been put. A pendulous abdomen may be the result of an abdominal
tumor or of an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity; or, on the
other hand, it may merely be an indication of pregnancy, or of the fact
that the horse has been fed for a long time on bulky and innutritious
food. Pendulous abdomen occurring in a work horse kept on a concentrated
diet is an abnormal condition. The abdomen may increase suddenly in
volume from accumulation of gas in tympanic colic. The abdomen becomes
small and the horse is said to be "tucked up" from long-continued poor
appetite, as in diseases of the digestive tract and in fever. This
condition also occurs in tetanus from the contraction of the abdominal
walls and in diarrhea from emptiness.

In applying the ear to the flank, on either the right or left side,
certain bubbling sounds may be heard that are known as peristaltic
sounds, because they are produced by peristalsis, or wormlike
contraction of the intestines. These sounds are a little louder on the
right side than on the left on account of the fact that the large
intestines lie in the right flank. Absence of peristaltic sounds is
always an indication of disease, and suggests exhaustion or paralysis of
the intestines. This may occur in certain kinds of colic and is an
unfavorable symptom. Increased sounds are heard where the intestines are
contracted more violently than in health, as in spasmodic colic, and
also where there is an excess of fluid or gas in the intestinal canal.

The feces show, to a certain extent, the thoroughness of digestion. They
should show that the feed has been well ground, and should, in the
horse, be free from offensive odor or coatings of mucus. A coating of
mucus shows intestinal catarrh. Blood on the feces indicates severe
inflammation. Very light color and bad odor may come from inactive
liver. Parasites are sometimes in the dung.

Rectal examination consists in examination of the organs of the pelvic
cavity and posterior portion of the abdominal cavity by the hand
inserted into the rectum. This examination should be attempted by a
veterinarian only, and is useless except to one who has a good knowledge
of the anatomy of the parts concerned.

THE EXAMINATION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

The great brain, or cerebrum, is the seat of intelligence, and it
contains the centers that control motion in many parts of the body. The
fron