THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM. 267 



pale, and have a simple contour line. They never penetrate into 

 the muscular fasciculus, but, after running a short distance, ate 



Fig. 101. 



either applied obliquely or transversely to it, or proceed for 

 some distance in close contiguity and parallel with it ; in 

 either case, becoming attenuated to a sharp point, and fre- 

 quently as fiue as a fibril of connective tissue. All these 

 conditions are best seen in the mylohyoideus ("Wagner), and 

 above all, in a delicate cutaneous muscle of the thorax, as was 

 pointed out to me by Ecker, and in which the distribution of 

 the nerves has recently been very accurately described by 

 Reichert. He observed in this case, as I had done in man, 

 that only a small portion of the muscle was well supplied with 

 nerves, which were but sparingly distributed to the other 

 portions. The trunk of the nerve supplying the 160 — 180 

 fasciculi of this muscle, contains, according to Reichert, 7 — 10 

 fibres, and ultimately, by continual division, forms 290 — 3 10 

 terminal filaments, so that there is more than one for each 

 muscular fasciculus. 



Fig. 104. Divisions of nerve-fibres, in a small twig from the cutaneous thoracic 

 muscle of the Frog, x 350 diam.: a, bifurcation; b, threefold division. 



