ANATOMY OF THE BEAVER. 55 



of the foot and receives the apex of the first cunei- 

 form, which is flattened and notched at the distal end 

 to receive the phalangeal bone of the first toe. 



A small cuneiform is articulated with the 2d meta- 

 tarsal, and a large one with the 3d metatarsal, receiv- 

 ing also the head of the 4th metatarsal, which is the 

 largest of its class. A portion of this 4th metatarsal 

 is articulated with the cuboid. The 5th metatarsal is 

 joined to the side of the 4th, and has no connection 

 with the tarsus. On the tarsal end of the first toe a 

 movable flat bone is placed, answering by its connec- 

 tion with muscles, the purposes of a patella. 



The peculiarities of the tarsal articulation are : the 

 supplementary scaphoid bone, the form and position 

 of the 1st cuneiform, and the connections of the 4th 

 and 5th metatarsals. 



The sesamoid bones are found as usual. The pha- 

 langes present nothing remarkable. The terminal 

 ones, to which the claws are attached, are furnished 

 with a bony process to support the claw. The first 

 toe is smallest and shortest, then the 5th and the 2d; 

 the 3d and 4th are about equal in length. The claws 

 of the 1st and 2d are placed obliquely, being turned 

 inward, so that their points are not worn; the others 

 become blunt and rounded at their extremities. The 

 second toe has an extra claw growing from the skin 

 and partly covered by the regular claw; it is flattened 

 laterally and has a sharp edge above and a point. 



The claws of the fingers are about as long as those 

 of the toes, but are much narrower and more pointed. 

 The 1st finger is shorter than the 5th; then the 2d, 

 the 4th, and the 3d. 



The hyoid bone forms a semicircle and has an an- 

 terior projection. 



