THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM 57 



minor nerve. Anteriorly, by the temporal branch of the 

 temporofacial division of the facial. 



The auricular region contains the three "aurem 

 muscles," which are placed immediately beneath the 

 skin around the external ear, and are named attollens 

 attrahens, and retrahens ; they are fan-shaped, and their 

 fibers converge toward the pinna or auricle. 



These muscles possess very limited movement: the 

 attollens slightly raises the ear, the attrahens draws it 

 forward and upward, and the retrahens draws it backward. 



The palpebral region contains four muscles the 

 orbicularis palpebrarum, corrugator supercilii, levator 

 palpebra, and tensor tarsi. 



The orbicularis palpebrarum is a sphincter muscle 

 and surrounds the orbit and eyelids, becoming blended 

 with the occipitofrontalis and the corrugator supercilii. 

 Action, closes the eyelids. 



The corrugator supercilii is a small, narrow, pointed 

 muscle, situated immediately above the orbit, at the 

 inner extremity of the eyebrow. Action, draws the 

 eyebrows downward and inward. 



The levator palpebrae will be considered when describ- 

 ing the muscles of the orbital region. 



The tensor tarsi is a small, thin muscle. Action, draws 

 the eyelids and the extremities of the lacrimal canal in- 

 ward and compresses them against the globe of the eye; 

 in this position they receive the tears that are secreted. 



Orbital Region. As the name implies, these muscles 

 are connected with the orbit; there are i levator palpe- 

 brae, 4 recti (superior, inferior, internal, and external), and 

 2 oblique (superior and inferior) . These muscles all have 

 their special attachments to the several parts of the eye- 

 ball, and arise from the bony structure that encloses it. 

 Action, to control the movements of the eye. (Note the 

 arrangement of these muscles in Fig. 32.) 



