THE MUSCULATURE OF THE TRUNK. 273 



free cervical ribs. The remaining five fasciculi makes 

 similar insertions, but become more and more intimately 

 blended with the obliquus colli muscles of the same side, 

 and which make similar insertions. 



Now, where these fasciculi terminate in the middle 

 of the neck, w r e find another series commencing. Calling 

 the one at the middle of the neck the first of this 

 new set, we find it to be a long slender slip which 

 arises, tendinous, from the neural spine of the seventh 

 cervical vertebra, and extending obliquely forwards 

 (just the reverse of the last series) it merges with 

 the fibres of the under side of the longus colli posticus 

 proper. The next in order of this series of fasciculi is 

 shorter and thicker, and thus they proceed until the 

 last or sixth one, coming from the neural spine of the 

 axis vertebra, blends very intimately with the inner 

 margin of the longus colli posticus at its proper inser- 

 tion. This last fasciculus is the shortest and thickest 

 of this series. 



Professor Garrod gave an excellent figure (P.Z.S., 

 Plate xxvi.) of the very interesting arrangement of the 

 longus colli posticus in the Plotus anhinga, and after 

 describing its peculiarities as they are found in that 

 bird, he says, in conclusion, that "It is nearly always 

 the case in avian anatomy that the inner fibres of 

 the cervical portion of the longus colli posticus muscle 

 become differentiated to form the digastrique du cou 

 of Cuvier, better known to us as the biventer cervicis, 

 a muscle one peculiarly interesting modification of 

 which, in the genus Ceryle among the Alcedinidse, has 

 been described and figured by Dr. Cunningham in the 

 Society's Proceedings (1870, p. 280). This, by the way 

 I may mention, I have had the opportunity of fully veri- 

 fying, Meckel, in his General Treatise on Comparative 



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