2J8 Zooloyical Society. 



these fiiscicLili resemble the semispinulis colli, but are inserted into 

 the oblique processes instead of the spines of the vertebrae. There 

 are no other muscles with which they can be compared in the Mam- 

 malia than these two, with neither of wldch however do they pre- 

 cisely correspond ; they seem however clearly to represent the second 

 series of oblique muscular fasciculi in the trunk of Fishes. Rather 

 than hazard expressing an incomplete or false analogy, I shall term 

 these collectively the fasciculi obliqui. 



Obliqiius colli. — The fasciculi which rise from the first two dorsal 

 and five lower cervical vertebree are joined near their tendinous ter- 

 minations by corresponding fasciculi of the longus colli posticus, and 

 the strong round tendons continued from the points of convergence 

 of these fascicles are inserted successively into the posterior oblique 

 processes of the twelfth to the sixth cervical vertebra inclusive ; the 

 two fasciculi next in succession receive no accessory fibres from the 

 longus colli posticus ; the anterior one derives an extensive origin 

 from the upper transverse processes of the eighth, seventh, and sixth 

 cervical vertebrae. It must be observed, however, that the whole of 

 each fasciculus is not expended in the strong round tendinous inser- 

 tion above described ; the portion which arises from the anterior 

 ridge of the transverse process passes more directly inwards than 

 the rest, and is attached to the tendon which terminates the fascicu- 

 lus immediately behind ; at the middle of the neck these accessory 

 fibres approach to the character of distinct origins. The tendons of 

 insertion, moreover, severally receive accessory fleshy fibres from 

 the base of the oblique processes of the two vertebrae next behind ; 

 and thus they become the medium of muscular forces acting from 

 not less than five distinct points, the power of which is augmented 

 by each tendon being braced down by the oblique converging series 

 of muscles immediately anterior to it. ITie fasciculus from the 

 eighth cervical vertebra, besides its insertion by the ordinar}' tendon, 

 sends off externally a small pyramidal bundle of muscular fibres, 

 which soon terminates in a long and slender tendon which is in- 

 serted into the oblique process of the third cervical vertebra. Cor- 

 responding portions of muscle are detached from the two anterior 

 fasciculi, which converge and terminate in a common slender tendon 

 inserted into the posterior oblique process of the fourth cervical ver- 

 tebra ; and thus terminates this complex muscle or series of muscles. 



Longus colli posticus. — The most internal or mesial of the super- 

 ficial muscles of the dorsal aspect of the thoracic and cervical regions, 

 called cervicalis ascendens by Meckel, and compared in part with 

 the spinalis dorsi by Cuvier, cannot be the representative of either 

 of these muscles, since they both co-exist separately with it in the 

 Apteryx. At its posterior part the muscle in question seems to be 

 rather a continuation of the longissimus dorsi ; its anterior part offers 

 a strong analogy with the mesial portion of the complexus and bi- 

 venter cervicis ; it appears to me to be evidently the analogue of the 

 first, or mesio-dorsal series of oblique fibres of the muscular system 

 in Fishes, but I shall adopt the name of the longus colli posticus 

 applied to it by Cuvier*. It commences by long and slender, but 

 * Lecons d'Anat. Comp., 2ud edit. vol. i. p. 284. 



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