26 Hounds 



shall first of all give a detailed account of the 

 skeleton. 



The Skeleton of the Hound 



This is spoken of as an endoskeleton because the flesh 

 (muscles) are situated externally to it. The frame- 

 work encloses the soft internal organs, whilst it serves 

 to support — at the same time is protected by — the 

 muscles, thus acting as a framework upon which lever- 

 age power and movement are executed. If the skeleton 

 be divided in its mesial plane, i.e., down the backbone, 

 the right and left halves will be counterparts, so that 

 it is only necessary to speak of the parts in the singular 

 number, thus saving much useless verbiage. 



The skull is composed of numerous small bones 

 united together in later life by bony union, but during 

 foetal existence, and, to some extent, weeks after such, 

 the union is by means of cartilage or gristle. Hence 

 there is practically no movement executed between 

 the individual bones entering into the formation of 

 the skull. 



Most of these cranial bones have their opposing sur- 

 faces cut out like the teeth of a fine saw, and it is this 

 interlocking or dovetailing that serves to strengthen 

 the bond of union. 



The right and left sides of the forehead meet at a 

 prominent ridge known as the sagittal crest. 



The " poll " or top part of the skull is formed of 



