THE SKELETON. ^7 



tlie leg (tlie shoulder-blade) only on a broader basis 

 and in an elastic manner; a flat bone of the sliape 

 of the shoulder-blade only being fit for that pur- 

 pose. 



Beticeen arm hone and leg hone (Fig. l"", b and h'), 

 running likewise in the same direction, the similarity, 

 also in regard to shape, is a larger one. At the 

 upper end of the arm bone the cartilaginous roller 

 for the flexor tendon of the fore arm represents the 

 stifle of the hind leg. The lower end cf the arm 

 bone forms a joint, on the backside of which the 

 lever of the elbow presents exactly the same lever 

 as on the hock joint (c and c'). 



The two bones connected by the knee joint, the 

 fore arm and shin hone, run both in the same perpen- 

 dicular direction as the slianh hone of the hind leg 

 and represent together (taken as supporting bones) 

 the shank bone of the hind leg (d and d'). lu every 

 position— forward or backward — which the fore leg 

 assumes in supporting, both these bones always 

 represent a straight line, one supporting column, in 

 which function the joint in the knee may be con- 

 sidered as not existing. The knee joint should not 

 be movable if under weight, and it also shows no 

 lever projections on which muscles could pro- 

 duce powerful actions. The joint must, therefore, 

 be considered simply as a ruption of the straight 



