42 



FORM AND ACTION. 



FIG. III. 



between the shoulders and the haunches, little between the arms 

 and the thighs ; but below the knees and hocks, all the four legs 

 are constituted alike. 



The divisions of the fore-extremity 

 are, the shoulder {a, b), the arm (c, d), the 

 cannon (e), the pastern (f), the coronet 

 (g), and the foot (h): the joints are, the 

 shoulder-joint (3, 4), the elbow-joint (n), 

 the knee (o), the fetlock (p), the pastern- 

 joint (q), the navicular -joint (r), and the 

 coffin-joint (s). Each fore-limb is com- 

 posed of twenty-one pieces or separate 

 bones : — two compose the shoulder, the 

 scapula or blade-bone (a) and the hume- 

 rus (b) ; two, the arm, the radius (d) and 

 the ulna (c) ; eight small bones (o, z), the 

 knee ; three, the leg, the cannon (e) and 

 two splint-bones (t) ; two, the fetlock, 

 the sesamoid-bones (p); one, the pastern, 

 the pastern-bone (f) ; one, the coronet, 

 the coronet-bone (g); and two, the foot, 

 the coffin (A) and the navicular-bone (r). 

 Some of these bones are long, some short; 

 some are cylindroid, some flattened in 

 shape ; some are obliquely, others per- 

 pendicularly placed : all are connected 

 one to another in such manner as to form 

 sorts of hinges or joints between them, 

 from which they derive various kinds and 

 degrees of motion. 

 Viewing the bones of the fore-limb in their natural position 

 we find that, instead of its component pieces being ranged in 

 perpendicular lines, one upon the other, some of them form an- 

 gles with each other, while others descend in straight lines, direct 

 from the body towards the ground. The two bones composing 

 the shoulder, for instance, are angularly disposed; the arm and 

 cannon bones constitute straight shafts of support ; but the pas- 

 terns strike off in an oblique direction, at an obtuse angle, and 



