16 THE HORSE AND ITS RELATIVES 



considerable series of such bones. In a large 

 proportion of these a similar degeneration was 

 observed, sometimes in one and sometimes in both 

 splint-bones ; and it may accordingly be considered 

 that such atrophy is comparatively common in 

 Argentine horses. It is further noticeable that the 

 degeneration is more marked in the outer than in 

 the inner splint-bone, alike in the fore and the hind 

 limb. At the close of the descriptive portion of 

 the communication the author arrives at the con- 

 clusion that Argentine horses are endeavouring to 

 discard these seemingly useless portions of the 

 skeleton. 



It may be added that in veterinary anatomy 

 the first and second phalanges, or toe-bones, of 

 the horse's foot are respectively termed the upper 

 and lower pastern-bones, while the enlarged 

 terminal bone which carries the hoof is known as 

 the coffin-bone. The last-named bone, it may be 

 noted, is much wider in the fore-foot than in the 

 hind-foot ; having almost the shape of a cheese- 

 cutter in the fore-leg. Another term employed in 

 veterinary works is fetlock, which denotes the 

 joint between the lower end of the cannon-bone 

 and the upper pastern. 



The middle segment of the skeleton of the 

 horse's fore-leg, that is to say the one immediately 

 above the carpus, or so-called knee, is formed 

 mainly by the radius, or inner leg-bone ; the ulna 



