103 ANATOMICAL STRUCTURE OF THE SHEEP. 



Cbc Boms of the Body. 



The backbone, or vertebrae, extends from the articulation of 

 the first bone of the neck, called the atlas, to the last bone of the 

 tail, termed the coccyx. 



The bones of the neck, or cervical vertebrae as they are 

 termed, are very irregular in shape, with a large channel in the 

 center passing through all of them, and protected on all sides by 

 the bodies of the separate vertebrae. It is in this channel that 

 the spinal cord is situated, and through holes in the bodies of 

 the vertebrae, called foramen, the spinal nerves pass to the 

 different parts of the body. These bones all have large projec- 

 tions from their superior surfaces and sides, which are respec- 

 tively termed the superior and transverse processes. The super- 

 ior increase in size become very large in the region of the 

 shoulder, and then decrease as they approach the tail, while the 

 transverse processes are small in the region of the neck and 

 shoulder, increasing in length as they approach the loin, finally 

 disappearing at the coccyx. 



These processes or spines are for the attachment of the 

 various muscles, and from those of the neck we also find a yellow 

 elastic ligament passing forward from the withers to the poll, 

 which is mainly instrumental in supporting the head and neck. 

 Attached to the side of the bodies of the vertebrae of the 

 shoulders and loin are long, flat bones, termed the ribs, 13 on 

 each side, eight of which being attached directly to the chest- 

 bone, called the sternum, are termed the trvie ribs, the other five 

 are attached by a cartilage to the former, and are termed the 

 false. The ribs should sprang horizontally from the backbone 

 describing an arch as they descend downward and slightly for- 

 ward, increasing the rotundity of the frame, which gives the 

 animal a greater surface for the deposition of flesh. The loins 

 are formed by the strongest of the vertebrae, the transverse pro- 



