THE r ELVIS. 7 



The pubis is wide and thin ; it has no channel on its inferior face, and 

 the upper face is very concave. The foramen ovale is large, and its 

 mar<^in thin. The symphysis is ossified earlier than in the Mare. 



The sacrum is longer, and more curved and voluminous than that of 

 the Mare. The lateral borders are sharp and directed downwards. It 

 is composed of the same number of vertebras as in the Horse. The 

 articular surfaces for union with the coxic approach the vertical direc- 

 tion. 



The coccygeal hones are stronger and more tuberous ; they are from 

 sixteen to twenty in number. 



The pelvis of the Cow is therefore less developed than that of the 

 Mare, though it has more extensive bony walls ; it is also lighter and 

 less voluminous. We shall see that it likewise differs in its form and 

 direction, and that this has a notable influence in the mechanism of 

 parturition. 



Fig. 3. 



Pklvis ok thk Sheki". 



A, Ilium ; B, Pubis ; C, I>schium : D, Foramen Ovale ; E, Cotyloid Cavity. 



Slicep and Goat. 



In the Sheep and Goat, the bones of the pelvis greatly resemble those 

 of the Cow. The ischium, instead of being curved in a longitudinal 

 direction, however, is nearly rectilinear, and the external iliac fossa is 

 divided into two portions by a small longitudinal crest. The pelvis, on 

 the whole, is more horizontal and longer than in the Cow. 



Bitch ami Cat. 



In the Bitch and Cat, the lateral diameter of the pelvis is greater 

 before than behind ; the ilimn is almost vertical, and its external face 

 is much depressed. The space which forms the pubic arch only occu- 

 pies the inner moiety of the posterior border of the ischium, which is 

 very broad ; between the arch and the ischial tuberosity is a roughened 

 lip, which is directed downwards. The sacrum is somewhat quad- 

 rangular ; it is composed of three bones, which are consolidated at an 

 early age, and the lateral surfaces for articulation with the ilium are 

 turned outwards and almost vertical. There are only tliree vertebral 



