84 



ELEMENTS OF HIPPOLOGY. 



bone and cannon-bone, whose function is to enable' the foot to 

 be brought forward without striking the toe on the ground, and, 

 by the elasticity of its cartilages, to reduce the shock of impact 

 of the foot with the ground. 



The trapezium 

 is a bone placed 

 at the back of 

 the knee to af- 

 ford a lever-like 

 attachment for 

 the tendons that 

 bend the knee. 

 The carpal-bones 

 are arranged in 

 two layers, three 

 in a layer. The 

 upper three ar- 

 ticulate, with 

 thick cartilages 

 between, with 

 the leg- bone. 

 The lower three 

 carpals rest on 

 the metacar- 

 pals, of which 

 there are three. 

 One, the great 

 metacarpal, or 

 cannon -bone, 

 continues the 

 bony column to- 

 wards the foot. The other two, on either side of the cannon- 

 bone, are rudimentary, and are called splint bones (Figure 59 A). 



Figure 58. — Capped Elbow. 



