332 DISSECTION OF THE RABBIT 



Slit up with scissors the vestibule and hinder part of the 

 vagina along one side. Note the great vascularity of the 

 walls, the position and relations of the clitoris, and the 

 opening of the bladder into the vestibule. 



Slit up the anterior part of the vagina along the mid- 

 ventral line, to expose the openings of the uteri into the vagina. 

 Note the very prominent lips of these openings. 



VIII. DISSECTION OF THE NECK. 



A special dissection of the neck is desirable on account of 

 the great importance of the structures contained in it, more 

 particularly the nerves. 



Lay the rabbit on its back on a dissecting -board ; and 

 pin back the head so as to extend the neck strongly. Make 

 a median ventral incision through the skin of the neck, and 

 dissect the skin away from the underlying parts, taking care 

 not to damage these. 



A. The Hyoid Bone. 



The body of the hyoid is a transverse bar of bone, deeply 

 placed between the rami of the mandible, and about midway 

 between the hinder end of the mandibular symphysis and the 

 angles of the jaw. 



The posterior cornua of the hyoid are a pair of slender 

 rods of bone, about half an inch long, running .backwards and 

 outwards from the outer angles of the body of the hyoid, parallel 

 to the angles of the jaw. 



Determine the position and shape of the hyoid by feeling 

 with the finger. 



B. The Trachea. 



The trachea or windpipe is a straight tube, running down 

 the neck almost in the middle line. It is only partially 

 exposed at present, but will be seen better in the course 

 of the dissection. Its anterior end, which is placed almost 

 immediately behind the hyoid, is dilated, and surrounded on 



