NUMBER OF BONES COMPOSING THE SKELETON 349 



in the fresli state, the intervertebral fibro-cartilage is in some pai*ts of tlie 

 spine of considerable thickness ; and if the proper substance is not artificially 

 supplied, the skeleton will be too short, or if too thick a material is added it 

 will be too long. In the engraving of the skeleton occupying the opposite 

 page, which is drawn from the skeleton in the Museum of the Koyal 

 Veterinary College, London, the spine is con^ectly represented, but the thorax 

 is too shallow, and the scapula, together with the whole fore extremity, i.s 

 placed too far forward. 



NUMBER OF BONES COMPOSING THE 

 SKELETON 



The skeleton is composed of two hundred and forty-seven separate bones, 

 which are united by joints to form the spine, thorax, pelvis, tail, and fore 

 and hind extremities. The spine is finished anteriorly by the head, which 

 is divided into the cranium and face, and contains the teeth. Separated 

 from the head is the os hyoides, which completes the number of bones. 

 Thus :— 



The spine consists of 7 cervical, 18 dorsal, and 6 lumbar vertebrae — 



Total 31 



The thorax is made up of the dorsal vertebnie, with 18 ribs on each 



side, and the sternum in the middle — Total 37 



The pelvis comprises 2 ossa innominata (or ilium, ischium, and pubes), 



and 1 sacrum — Total 3 



The TAIL contains on the average 17 bones 17 



The fore extremity is made up on each side of the scapula, humerus, 



OS brachii, and 8 carpal bones, 3 metacarpal, os sufFraginis, os coronfe, 



OS pedis, OS naviculare, 2 ossa sesamoidea — Total on both sides . . 40 



The hind extremity has the femur, patella, tibia, fibula, 6 tarsal bones, 



3 metatarsals, os suffraginis, os coronte, os pedis, os naviculare, 2 ossa 



sesamoidea — Total 38 



Bones op the cranium 10 



Bones of the face and lower jaw ". . 18 



Teeth 1 40 



Bones of the internal ear, 4 in each organ 8 



Os hyoides, or bone of the tongue, made up of five sections ... 5 



Grand total 247 



GENERAL ANATOMY OF THE SPINAL COLUMN 



The vertebral or spinal column is the first rudiment of internal skeleton 

 seen in the lower vertebrate animals, and this constitutes the type of that 

 great division of the animal kingdom. In the horse, also, it is the portion 

 of the skeleton first developed in the embryo, and foi'ms the centre around 



^The teeth are not strictly speaking bones, but as the general reader usually regards 

 them as such, and the distinction is a purely scientific one, we have allowed them to count 

 in the usual wny 



