13 



the appearance of a very lengthened cone or pyramid, whose point being 

 inverted, is made to meet the ground, and its broad basis to connect it to 

 the body. 



Having noticed separately the fore and bind limbs, we now take a view 

 of them in combination, in order to reraark a very beautiful provision in 

 their arrangement : and we ought also to State, that this fact was not of 

 our own observing, but was communicated to us several years back by 

 St. Bei, the first professor of the Veterinary College, and was probably 

 not unknown to the veterinary schools of France. It is this, that the 

 bones of the two limbs of quadrupeds are contra-disposed in the angles of 

 their upper parts, sustaining by this means the body reposing between 

 them; the shoulder-blade for example, is placed inclining backwards or 

 towards the loins ; the haunch-bone, on the contrary, is inclining forwards 

 towards the Shoulder opposed to it, and directed somewhat after the 

 manner of two rafters in the covering of a roof ; but their distance is 

 so considerable in this animal, that the fact might easily escape notice: 

 the two bones below these, the arm and thigh-bone, are in like manner 

 opposed, the thigh passing obliquely forwards to the stifle, the arm back- 

 wards to the elbow ; the tibia again is directed backwards to the hock, 

 and citbitus, or fore arm, though nearly perpendicular, is found a little 

 advancing forwards in the opposite direction ; the remainder of the limb 

 to the fetlock is made a simple perpendicular column : now, it is obvious 

 by this arrangement in the angles of the limbs so contra-disposed or 

 opposed toeach other, that the trunk, which reposes between them, will be 

 supported and held up, if the open State of these angles is maintained ; for 

 it will appear evident, that if these angles had all of them been formedin 

 the same direction in both limbs, the animal must have inclined and fallen 

 backwards or forwards, as the disposition might happen to be. 



These arrangements may be very well observed on the living animal, 

 but still better as also some other parts of these observations by a view of 

 the skeleton : to maintain their opposing forces, and prevent the collapse 

 of these angles.will be found perhaps one of the most important uses of 

 the muscles of these extremities, though but little attended to. 



Having viewed the outline of the frame of the body, also th^ trunk and 



E the 



