20 



HORSE AND MAN. 



with the ' metatarsals ' of the horse — marked T in the 

 illustration — which correspond with the bones form- 

 ing the instep of man. Similarly, the phalanges, or 

 toes, have totally vanished, except those which belong 



to the cannon bone, and, like 

 the metatarsals, are fused into 

 single bones. 



Thus, from the so-called 

 ' knee ' to the end of the fore 

 limb is the real hand of the 

 horse, and from the hock to 

 the end of the hind limb is the 

 true foot, the horse walking 

 on the tips of the third and 

 fourth fingers of the hand, 

 and on the tips of the third 

 and fourth toes of the foot. 



Before leaving the skeleton 

 for the present, I wish to call 

 the attention of the reader to the mode in which the 

 joints of the limbs work. 



The humerus is directed backwards, while the 

 femur slopes forward. Consequently, when the 

 animal moves, the elbow and stifle (the real knee), 

 which are on a level with each other, bend towards 

 each other. Then, the two next joints — i.e. the so- 

 called knee and the hock — bend away from each 



left les and pelvis 

 (human). 



