ORIGIN AND VARIETIES OF FARM BIRDS. 



10. 



portions for food are the breast, the thigh, the leg, the neck and the 

 wing. The back and rump give but little flesh, very choice in flavor. 



Fig. 1 represents the skeleton of a hen of average size and in the pro- 

 portions as ordinarily met with. 



Explanation. — ^ — ^The head, length 2 3-4 inches. B — The neck, 

 length 5 1-3 inches. G — The back or spine. D — ^The hips or hip 

 bones, (the back and hips comprise 

 from the shoulder to the tail,) length 

 5 9-10 inches. E — Rump or coccygis, 

 length, 1 1-2 inches. F — Shoulder- 

 blade or shoulder. G — Collar bone or 

 *merry-thought.' H — Chest or thorax, 

 composed of the sides and breast-bone 

 (bone of the throat); it contains the 

 heart, liver, etc. 1 — The breast-bone, 

 length a little over 3 1-2 mches. J — 

 The wing bones, as will be seen, are 

 composed of the humerus or shoulder- 

 bone of the wmg, length 3 1-7 inches ; 

 also the radius and the cubitus, the fore- 

 arm or pinion, length 2 3-4 inches ; the 

 tip of the wing, or that which takes the 

 place of the hand and fingers, length 2 1-3 inches. K — 

 The leg, composed of c? — (Fig. 2.) the thigh bone, 

 length 3 1-7 inches ; e — the shin bone, length 4 1-3 

 inches ; / — ^the bone of the foot, the tarsus, length 

 3 1-7 inches ; g — the claws, that of the middle, length 

 2 1-3 inches ; the two to the right and left, length 

 1 6-10 inches ; that of the back, length 8-10 inches ; h 

 — the patella or knee ; i — the os calcis or heel. 



The foot as shown in Fig. 2, is all that part (/) 

 from (g) to {i). The hen — like nearly all four-footed 

 animals, and unlike man — walks on the toes. If the 

 hen walked on the foot, all that portion from the toe 

 aails up to e, would 'rest on the ground, and hence the position of the 

 irear toe would be different. As it is placed, it supi)orts the other toes m 

 iv^alking and especially when on the perch, at night ; for all land breeds 

 are peculiar in this, that when they are at rest, they retain their position 

 securely by the simple weight of the body, which causes the sinews and 

 muscles to contract and thus draw the toes firmly around the object 

 grasped. Some fowls have five, and even six toes, but fouronh' sire used 

 to advantage — thiee before and one behind. The rest are really super- 

 uumerary — as much so as two timmbsi on h luan^ band 



ANATOMY OF THE HEN. (Fig 1). 



:Fig. 2). 



