258 OUTLINES OF EQUINE ANATOMY. 



through the medium of a synovial bursa. Almost as far 

 as the inferior part of the anterior extremity of this muscle 



Tensor vaginae femoris blends with its anterior part to 

 a considerable extent. It arises from the inferior part of 

 the antero-inferior spinous process of the ilium, and in- 

 feriorly forms an aponeurotic expansion, which blends with 

 the faschia lata, and which slightly extends over the in- 

 ternal surface of the muscles in front of the femur. It 

 becomes firmly attached to the external surface of the pa- 

 tella. By dividing and dissecting back these muscles we 

 expose 



Gluteus maximus, a large bulky mass of muscular sub- 

 stance, clothing the dorsum of the ilium. It arises from 

 the tendinous structure of the longissimus dorsi by a pro-- 

 jecting process, which grows narrower and thinner until it 

 terminates opposite the last rib ; from the antero-inferior 

 and supero-posterior spinous processes and dorsum surface 

 of the ilium as far down as the neck ; also from the ante- 

 rior part of the sacro-sciatic ligament. Inferiorly it is in- 

 serted by two heads; one runs to the anterior tubercle of 

 trochanter major of the femur, it constitutes a broad 

 tendon, which first passes over the superior smooth surface, 

 from which it is separated by a bursa, and then becomes 

 attached to a roughened ridge ; the other contains mus- 

 cular fibres, and after becoming- inserted into the prominent 

 posterior tubercle of this eminence, sends muscular fibres 

 to the ridge running from it to trochanter minor externus. 

 By careful division of this muscle inferiorly we may expose 

 gluteus internus, which arises from the external surface of 

 the neck of the ilium, and runs to the roughened internal 

 surface of trochanter major ; it crosses, and is attached to 

 the capsular ligament of the hip-joint, and on the dry 

 bones its superior point of attachment is marked by a 

 transverse irregular ridge. 



Triceps abductor femoris arises from the superior 

 spinous ligament of the middle sacral bones, and from the 

 sheath of faschia which invests the coccygeal muscles of 

 the lateral part of the sacrum, blending with biceps ro- 

 tator tibialis, from the sacral transverse process, and from 

 the sacro-sciatic ligament ; it receives a bulky mass from 

 the tuberosity of the ischium, and after sending a some- 

 what irregular fibrous band to the posterior surface of the 

 femur, midway between the two small trochanters (with 



