MR. J. C. GALTON ON DASYPUS SEXCINCTUS. 547 



other beast. It has, moreover, considerably more breadth than length; and, as a 

 slender transverse muscle, answers at most (« hoehstens ") to the distal eighth of the 



forearm 1 . 



Lumbr kales.— These muscles, five in number, are of considerable rise and len-th. 

 They are slightly ampulliform at origin, and arise from the posterior part of the s< .moid 

 bone of the flexor profundus, .apparently from three muscular masses, one median and 

 two lateral. The median portion arises inuncdiat.ly in IVont of the terminal tendon of 

 that faetor of the deep flexor which takes origin from the coronoid fossa. Only one 



lumbricalis is continuous with this, and is inserted into the ulnar side of the index 

 finger. 



The ulnar portion arises just in front of the termination at the common tendon of t hat 

 portion of the flexor profundus which takes origin from the inner condyle, and - ilh a 

 few fibres of which it is continuous on the radial side of its origin. Two lumhrical 



muscles are derived from this, which pass respectively to the radial sides of the fourth 

 and fifth digits. 



Prom the radial portion arises a lumhrical muscle which passes on straight to its 

 termination at the radial side of the index. Soon, however, after it leaves the sesamoid, 

 it gives off a more slender slip, which passes to the underside of the poller. Some of 

 the fibres of this portion seem to be continuous at origin with tin- terminal part of the 

 radial factor of the flexor prof 'undus, which arises from the internal condyle. 



It will be seen, from the above description, that the middle digit has no lumbricales, 

 that the index posesses two (one on each side), that the remaining digits have one each, 



the pollex on its ulnar side, the fourth and fifth digits on their radial aspects. 



Cuvier gives a fair representation of these muscles in one of his plates, and figures the 

 Iwnbricalis which passes to the pollex as an offset, as I have described above, from that 

 which belongs to the index 2 . Meckel states that the lumbricalcs in the " Tatu " are very 

 strong and long 3 . 



In animals as high in the scale as the Quadrumana there appears to be some indication 

 of the arrangement of the lumbriccdes such as exists in D<isypu%\ for, according to 

 Church, in the Orang, Magot, and Cebus, these muscles " formed a fleshy mass on the 

 palmar surface of the fused tendons " of the flexor profundus and pollicis*. 



Abductor minimi digiti. — A delicate, fusiform muscle, about half an inch in length, 

 which arises from the pisiforai bone, in advance of the insertion of the flexor carpi 

 ulnaris, and is inserted into the ulnar side of either the metacarpal or first phalanx of 



the fifth digit. 



Cuvier has given an indication, but somewhat indistinct, of this muscle, in one of his 



plates ; but he has not attached to it any symbol 5 . 



Flexor brevis (or Ojiponens?) digiti quinti. — A strong fleshy muscle, seemingly sepa- 

 rable into two portions ; one of which arises from the stout ligament which proceeds from 

 the palmar boss of the os lunare to the rounded nodule upon the t rapezio- trapezoid bone, 

 and is inserted into the radial side of the fused proximal and middle phalanges of the 



1 Op. cit. p. 532. 2 Op. cit. pi. 260. « Op. cit. p. 560. 



4 <( 



On the Myology of the Orang Utang," Nat. Hist. Itev. Jan. 1862, p. 82. * Op. cit. pi. 260. 



VOL. XXVI. 



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