130 A MANUAL OF ANATOMY. 



margin of the trapezius, supplies the integument over the 

 occipital protuberance. 



The remaining branches of the posterior divisions of the 

 occipital nerves are small. The internal branches supply 

 the integument of the back of the neck near the middle 

 line. The external branches are distributed to the muscles 

 of this region. 



The Occipital Artery. Figs. 76 and 77. 



It is found at this stage of the dissection as it emerges 

 from under the inner border of the splenius capitis muscle, 

 between the sternomastoid and trapezius muscles close to 

 the occipital bone. Its course is upward over the back of 

 the head, breaking up into branches as it goes, to finally 

 anastomose with the posterior temporal, posterior auricular, 

 and the opposite occipital. 



Its deeper course, from where its dissection stopped 

 (page 95) as it lay between the rectus capitis lateralis and 

 posterior belly of the digastric, is backward between those 

 muscles to the occipital groove on the mastoid process of 

 the temporal bone, then along the insertion of the superior 

 oblique muscle and complexus, being covered by the 

 sternomastoid, splenius capitis, trachelomastoid, and pos- 

 terior belly of the digastric in this part of its course. 



The artery gives off numerous small branches to the 

 muscles, and one of considerable size, the princeps cervicis, 

 which courses downward beneath the splenius and com- 

 plexus muscles to form an anastomosis with the profunda 

 cervicis. See latter, page 135. The preceding is usually 

 called the deep branch of the princeps cervicis. A small 

 branch of the princeps cervicis perforates the splenius and 

 forms an anastomosis with the superficial cervical branch 

 of the transverse cervical. See page 1 1 2. 



