THE SKELETON. 11 



BONES OF THE HEAD. 



There are twenty-two bones in the head. 

 skull, - these are shaped and united in 



such a way as to form a sort of round box which is 

 called the s/atZZ, or cranium. This is one of the most 

 important parts of the skeleton, since it contains the 

 brain, the most delicate organ of the body. The 

 word organ, in physiology, means any single part of 

 the body which serves a special purpose. Thus, the 

 brain, heart, lungs and veins are organs. The skull, 

 or brain-box, is placed, like a dome, at the top of the 

 structure of the body. It is wonderfully fitted for 

 the protection of its tender contents. It is shaped 

 for strength as well as for beauty. 



The front of the skull is formed by the frontal 

 bone (1), or bone of the forehead. The two parietal 

 bones (2) form the upper sides, and the two tem- 

 poral bones (3) form the lower sides of the skull. 

 At the back of the head (4, back view of skeleton) 

 is the occipital bone. Two more of the skull bones 

 form its lower part or base. These we will not 

 name here ; but you will find them named in the full 

 table of the bones which has been given. 



The remaining fourteen bones of the 



The Face. 



head give shape to the face. The two 

 nasal bones (6) form the bridge of the nose, and the 

 two malar bones (4) the prominence of the cheeks. 

 The upper jaw is formed of the two upper maxillary 

 bones (7). The lower jaw bone (8) is called the 



