BONES OF THE HEAD. 347 



cavity in which the brain lies. They are flat bones, united 

 by immovable or fixed sutures. They protect the brain, and 

 give, by their outward appearance, a pretty accurate idea of 

 its shape. It is on the shape and size of these bones, together 

 with those of the face, that the beauty of the head depends. 

 And this beauty of the head is generally connected with ex- 

 alted and noble spirit, for the reason that the brain is the 

 seat and center of life and spirit, and the brain gives shape to 

 the head. The bones are made to suit the shape of the brain ; 

 the brain first existed, and the bones were formed after- 

 ward. The names of these bones are, the frontal, two parie- 

 tal, four temporal, the ethmoid, the sphenoid, and the occij)- 

 ital bones. 



The frontal, or forehead, Jowe is a broad, flat bone which occu- 

 pies the forward and upper part of the skull, known as the 

 forehead, lying above the eyes. 



The parietal hones occuj^y the upper portion of the cranium, 

 above and between the ears. The suture or division between 

 these two bones becomes completely ossified in older age in 

 the horse, so that they form one bone. 



The temporal bones are two on each side. They occupy the 

 region known as the temples. They are quite thin in part of 

 their extent, and thick and irregular in other parts. 



The ethmoid hone is very irregular in its shape, somewhat 

 resembling a bat with its wings spread and turned up. It 

 occupies the under and forward portion of the skull, and 

 assists to form the cavity of the cranium and also the cavities 

 of the nose. 



The sphenoid hone, ox wedge-bone, occupies the lower or 

 under part of the skull, extending across from one temporal 

 bone to the other. 



The occipital hone occupies the back part of the skull. It is 

 a large and strong bone. It gives attachment to the first bone 

 of the spine, called the atlas. It has a large hole through its 

 under and backward portion, through which the spinal cord, 



