12 Veterinary Elements. 



conformation is wanted only animals with such confor- 

 mation can be used as breeders with much chance of 

 success. The numbers of pairs of ribs are, in the horse, 

 18; cow, 13; sheep, 13; pig, 14. 



The expression well-ribbed-up refers to the close- 

 ness of the last rib to the hips, such a conformation is 

 desired in all animals with the exception of the dairy 

 cow. The reasons that it is so desired are several, in 

 horses looseness of the coupling is often an indication of 

 poor digestive and staying powers, and in the beef ani- 

 mals, the tissues forming that location, the upper flank, 

 are tough, gristly, in fact, consequently not of great value 

 as meat. The breast bone (sternum) receives the attach- 

 ments of the first 8 ribs (true ribs) and resembles a boat's 

 keel; if small and narrow, the floor of the chest will also 

 be narrow; the front part of the breast bone and its cov 

 erings form the brisket. In dairy cattle we find it sharp, 

 in other animals smooth, wide and well covered with 

 muscles. The backbone, ribs, breast bone and the dia- 

 phragm (a large muscle separating the intestinal cavity 

 from the lung cavity) constitute the boundaries of the 

 chest cavity. 



The Limbs. In the fore limbs there are the bones of 

 the shoulder (scapula), the arm (humerus), forearm 

 (radius and ulna), of the knee (the carpus, made up of 

 8 small bones), the cannon and splint bones (large and 

 two small metacarpals), the pastern (os suffraginis and 

 corona), the pedal, coffin and shuttle bones (os pedis 

 and os naviculare), the last two being contained in the 

 hoof. The long bones of the limbs are often said to have 

 a* shaft and two extremities, the latter, the expanded 



