ii MAN AND APES: HAND AND FOOT. 121 



Three of the bones of the second row of the 

 carpus bear the four long bones which support the 

 palm of the hand. The fifth bone of the same 

 character is articulated in a much more free and 

 moveable manner than the others, with its carpal 

 bone, and forms the base of the thumb. These 

 are called metacarpal bones, and they carry the 

 phalanges or bones of the digits, of which there 

 are two in the thumb, and three in each of the 

 fingers. 



The skeleton of the foot is very like that of the 

 hand in some respects. Thus there are three 

 phalanges in each of the lesser toes, and only two 

 in the great toe, which answers to the thumb. 

 There is a long bone, termed metatarsal, answering 

 to the metacarpal, for each digit; and the tarsus 

 which corresponds with the carpus, presents four 

 short polygonal bones in a row, which correspond 

 very closely with the four carpal bones of the sec- 

 ond row of the hand. In other respects the foot 

 differs very widely from the hand. Thus the great 

 toe is the longest digit but one; and its metatarsal 

 is far less moveably articulated with the tarsus 

 than the metacarpal of the thumb with the car- 

 pus. But a far more important distinction lies in 

 the fact that, instead of four more tarsal bones 

 there are only three; and, that these three are not 

 arranged side by side, or in one row. One of them, 

 the os calcis or heel bone (ca), lies externally, and 

 sends back the large projecting heel; another, the 



