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It is generally recognized that there is a close relationship between the utilization of roughage feed and rumination behaviour in ruminant animals (Gordon, 1955, 1968; Pearce & Moir, 1964; Campling, 1966; Welch & Smith,1969; Sudweeka et al. 1975; Thomas, Kelly & Wait, 1976; Fujihara, 1981). Likewise, it is also well known that rumination behaviour is clearly affected by differences in the physical and/or chemical properties of the diet (Gordon, 1958; Campling, Freer & Balch, 1962; Balch, 1971; Ørskov, Fraser& Gordon, 1974; Osuji, Gordon & Webster, 1975; Morgan & Campling,1978; Harumoto & Kato, 1978a, b; Fujihara, 1980b). Recently, Fujihara (1980a, b) observed more efficient rumination in sheep offered fresh grass than hay, and suggested that the efficient rumination might induce an efficient utilization of dietary nitrogen when feeding fresh grass.

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In ruminant animals, it is clear that the act of chewing during eating and rumination has an important effect in reducing the particle size of ingested food1,2), and this function probably facilitates microbial degradation in the rumen3). Therefore, there have been several investigations of eating and rumination behaviour in relation to the utilization of roughage feed in ruminants4,5).It is also well known that eating and rumination behaviour are considerably influenced by changes in chemical composition as well as physical properties of food eaten. According to FREER et al.6), time spent eating and ruminating reduced markedly when urea was added to an oat-straw diet in cows, and they suggested that there are important interactions between the two factors (chewing and microbial degradation) responsible for reducing particle size in the rumen. Similar observations were made with sheep by HEMSLEY and MOIR7) .

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