The Skeleton. 11 



The ribs and breast bone (sternum) are attached to- 

 gether in a greater or less degree. The ribs gradually 

 lengthen from the first to the ninth, thence becoming 

 shorter to the 18th. In the horse the ribs are narrower, 

 closer together and rounder than in cattle, in the latter 

 the ribs are comparatively flat and broad. The desir- 

 able form of rib in the horse is the well sprung one, 

 giving the body the shape known as the barrel. In 

 cattle the spring of rib varies with the type, in fact, it 

 may be stated that those animals used for meat- 

 producing purposes should have a well sprung rib, 

 the spring being right from the back, in fact, the upper 

 part of the ribs aid in forming the great width of back 

 so much desired. In the dairy cow the ribs take a some- 

 what different direction, the arch of the ribs resembling 

 more nearly that of a hip roof than that of a barrel. It 

 is very important that the ribs (5 and 6) just behind the 

 front limbs should be well sprung so as to give plenty of 

 lung room. This applies to all domesticated animals of 

 any type or of any breed. The width of chest of the 

 dairy cow is taken behind the shoulders about one foot 

 below the withers. The slab-sided animal, so-called, due 

 to lack of spring of rib, is generally a notoriously bad doer. 

 The upper end of each rib forms joints with two vertebrae, 

 the ribs are thus capable of being lifted up and outwards 

 during the act of breathing. The factors determining 

 the spring of ribs are: Heredity and lung develop- 

 ment, for with good lung development in the young 

 animal, bones which at that time are impressionable, so 

 to speak, may and will be given direction. Heredity, of 

 course, is the supreme factor of the two, and if good 



