266 



THE HORSE. 



CUT OF THE HOCK. 



bone, and with which 

 it is united by very 

 strong ligaments.— 

 This bone c, is called 

 the OS ca/cis, or bone 

 of the heel, and it 

 projects upwards, 

 flattened at its 

 sides, and receives, 

 strongly implanted 

 into it, the tendons 

 of powerful muscles. 

 These bones rest on 

 two others, the os 

 cuhoides, d, (cube- 

 formed) behind, and 

 the larger cuneiform 

 or wedge-shaped 



bone e, in front. The 

 larger wedge-shaped 

 bone is supported by 

 two smaller ones 

 f, and these two 

 smaller ones and 

 the cube-bone by the 

 upper heads of the 

 shank. bone g, and 

 the splint-bones h. 

 The cube-bone is 

 placed on the exter- 

 nal splint-bone, and 

 the cannon-bone ; the 

 small wedge-bone, 

 principally on the 

 inner splint-bone, 

 not seen in the cut; 

 and the middle 

 wedge-bone rests on 

 the iinf(iik-bone orlv, g. These bones are all connected together by very 

 strong ligaments which prevent dislocation, but allow a slight degree of 

 motion among them, and the surfaces which are opposed to each other are 

 thickly covsTed by elastic cartilage. 



Considermg the situation and action of this joint, the weight and stress 

 thrown upon it must be exceedingly great, and it must be liable to much 

 injury in rapid and powerful motion. What are the provisions to prevent 

 injury ? The grooved or pulley-like heads of the tibia, and the as'ragalus, 

 received deeply into one another, and confined by powerful ligaments, 

 admit freely of hinge-like motioi/, but of no side motion, to which the 

 joint might be exposed in rapid action, or on an uneven surface. The 

 Blightest inspection of the cut will show that the stress or weight thrown 

 by the tibia a, on the ast"agalus b, does not descend perpendi';;ularly, but 

 'n a slantine: diroction, b" which a sreat deal of concussion is avoided, or 



