THE ANATOMY OF THE OX. 45 



the temporal bone behind the orbital fossa, being formed by the 

 union of the posterior borders of the palatine and pterygoid 

 bones, and the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone. The 

 posterior nares are very narrow, and situated behind the superior 

 maxillee, and not between those bones. The pterygoid bones are 

 large, and usually close an opening which is left between the 

 sphenoid and palatine bones. The superior turbinal is small, 

 the inferior turbinal being largely developed. The vomer is very 

 large, and rests on the anterior half of the maxillary suture. The 

 inferior maxilla is longer, but less massive than in the horse. 

 The neck is more constricted, and the symphysis seldom becomes 

 completely ossified. There are eight small alveoli in front for the 

 incisors and canines, the latter being close up to the former. 

 The condyles are small and convex in their short diameter, but 

 slightly concave in their long diameter, thus allowing of a con- 

 siderable amount of lateral motion. The coronoid processes are 

 long, and the sigmoid notches are very deep. The hyoid bone 

 has one cornu and two oornicula on each side. The two cornua or 

 stylohyals are suspended from the temporal bone. The spur 

 process is small and blunt. 



SECTION IL— LIGAMENTS AND MUSCLES. 



In the ox the dorso-lumbar supraspinous ligament is com- 

 posed of yellow elastic tissue, and anteriorly is expanded and 

 attached to the sides rather than to the summits of the neural 

 spines of the vertebree. The inferior common ligament is very 

 strong, and the intervertebral discs are thicker than tbose of the 

 horse. The ligamentum nuchee is also stronger, the weight it 

 has to bear being greater. The sternal ribs articulate with their 

 cartilages by means of true diarthroses, and they are supplied 

 with synovial membranes. The sternum has an inferior common 

 ligament, and the presternum, or manubrium, articulates with 

 the mesosternum by a diarthrosis. The transverse lumbo-sacral 

 and interlumbar articulations are peculiar to the horse, and not 

 present in the ox. With regard to the ligaments of the hind 

 limb, the pubo-femoral ligament is also wanting in the case of 

 all the domesticated animals except the horse, and it is owing to 

 the absence of this ligament that the larger riimioants can 



