224 ANATOMY OF THE RABBIT. 
(ce) The semimembranosus. Origin in two portions: 
First (superficial) portion: Fascia covering the first head 
of the biceps. 
Second (deep) portion: Lateral process of the ischial 
tuberosity. Insertion: In common with the gracilis on the 
fascia of the proximal portion of the medial surface of the leg. 
This fascia is contracted into two ligaments, one of which 
carries the insertion of the muscle to the distal end of the 
tibial tuberosity, the other to the distal end of the leg, where 
it joins the tendon of the heel (tendo calcaneus). 
({) The semitendinosus. Origin: Ischial tuberosity. In- 
sertion: Medial condyle of the tibia. The muscle is com- 
pletely enclosed by the adductor magnus, which must be 
split to expose it. 
BiOODVESSELS AND NERVES OF THE THIGH. 
*The femoral artery (a. femoralis) traverses the medial surface 
of the thigh, beginning at the dorsal side of the inguinal ligament, 
where it continues the external iliac artery. Immediately distal 
to the inguinal ligament it gives off the deep artery of the thigh 
(a. profunda femoris). The latter passes to the dorsal side of the 
pectineus and adductor brevis muscles and is distributed to the 
posterior proximal portion of limb, chiefly to the adductores 
longus and magnus. A second. branch, the lateral circumflex 
artery (a. circumflexa femoris lateralis), is given off from the 
anterior wall. It passes between the second head of the rectus 
femoris and vastus lateralis, on the one hand, and the two portions 
of the vastus intermedius, on the other. It supplies various parts 
of the quadriceps femoris group. A third branch of the femoral, 
the superficial epigastric artery (a. epigastrica superficialis), 
given off medially, and passing to the abdominal wall, has been 
divided (p. 178). At the beginning of the distal third of the thigh, 
a small branch, the a. genu suprema, passes over the medial 
condyle of the femur to the ‘knee-joint, and at about the point 
of origin of this vessel a large branch, the great saphenous 
artery (a. saphena magna), arises from the posterior wall. It 
passes across the medial surface of the distal end of the adductor 
longus, and through the tendon of the gracilis, to the medial 
