68 MAMMALIAN ANATOMY 



The following table will be of service in quickly recognizing the 

 different cervical vertebrae. The numbers refer to the vertebrae. The 

 body is always ventral ; the cephalic articular surfaces face dorsally. 



TABLE. 

 An arterial canal in the transverse process. 



No body ; flat, wing-like transverse process Atlas 



A distinct body. 



Tooth-like (odontoid] process projecting from cephalic 



end of body Axis 



No odontoid process. 



Spinous process rudimentary; laminae with greater 



cephalo-caudal diameter 3 



Spinous process distinct ; laminae with lesser 



cephalo-caudal diameter. 

 Ventral or costal element of transverse process 



undivided. 



Cephalo-caudal diameter of laminae 

 greater, spinous process shorter, costal 

 element coalesced with transverse 



element 4 



Cephalo-caudal diameter of laminae less, 

 spinous process longer, costal element 



more free ;3 



Costal element divided into cephalic and 



caudal branches (> 



No arterial canal in transverse process 7 



THE THORACIC VERTEBRAE. 



The thirteen Thoracic Vertebrae are generally called the Dorsal 

 Vertebrae, an obviously misleading term ; not they alone, but all ver- 

 tebrae are on the dorsum or back of the skeleton. They are thoracic ; 

 situated in the region of the thorax, or chest, between the cervical and 

 the lumbar vertebrae (Fig. 43). Most of them can be recognized at 

 once by their small bodies and their long, pointed spinous processes. 

 The thoracic vertebrae, moreover, furnish attachments to the dorsal ends 

 of the ribs (Fig. 44) ; hence the facets on the sides of the bodies for 

 these articulations are common to them all. Since, as a rule, the ribs 



