150 NERVOUS SYSTEM. 



In its course, this nerve receives a communicating branch 

 of considerable size from the cervical plexus, by the auricu- 

 laris magnus. It sends some filaments to the integument. 

 The inferior, or occipital branch, the larger of the two, is 

 distributed to the occipital portion of the occipito-frontalis 

 muscle and to the integument. 



3. The digastric branch is given off near the root of the 

 posterior auricular. It is distributed to the posterior belly 

 of the digastric muscle. In its course, it anastomoses with 

 filaments from the glosso-pharyngeal nerve. From the 

 plexus formed by this anastomosis, filaments are given off 

 to the digastric and to the stylo-hyoid muscle. 



4. Near the stylo-mastoid foramen, a small branch is 

 given off, which is distributed exclusively to the stylo-hyoid 

 muscle. 



5. Near the stylo-mastoid foramen, or sometimes a little 

 above it, a long and exceedingly delicate branch is given off, 

 which is not noticed in most works on anatomy. It is de- 

 scribed, however, by Hirschfeld, under the name of the lin- 

 gual branch. 1 It passes behind the stylo-pharyngeal muscle, 

 and then by the sides of the pharynx to the base of the 

 tongue. In its course, it receives one or two branches from 

 the glosso-pharyngeal nerve, which are nearly as large as the 

 original branch from the facial. As it passes to the base of 

 the tongue, it anastomoses again by numerous filaments 

 with the glosso-pharyngeal. It then sends filaments of dis- 

 tribution to the mucous membrane, and finally passes to the 

 stylo-glossus and the palato-glossus muscle. 



Having given off these branches, the trunk of the facial 

 passes through the parotid gland, dividing into its two great 

 terminal branches. 



1. The temporo-facial branch, the larger, passes upward 

 and forward to be distributed to the superficial muscles of 

 the upper part of the face; viz., the attrahens aurem, the 



1 LUDOVIC HIRSCHFELD, Traite et iconographie du systeme nerveux, Paris, 1866, 

 p. 206, and, Atlas, PI. xxx., Figs. 2, 13. 



