THE WITHERS 27 
structure and along its whole course backward 
it is attached firmly to the summits of the 
spines. 
The interspinous ligaments are thin mem- 
branous structures connecting the spines to one 
another and completely filling in the space 
between them from the bodies to the supraspi- 
nous ligament above, and thus completing a 
perfect partition between the two halves of the 
withers 
The dorso-scapular ligament is a reflection 
of the superficial fascia. It is a thick aponeu- 
rosis attached dorsally to the crest of the 
withers and passing outward and downward 
under the rhomboideus to the scapula and 
giving off layers which pass between the under- 
lying muscles—the longissimus and _spinalis. 
At the crest it is really the aponeurotic origin 
of both the rhomboideus thoracalis and the 
splenius. 
The importance of these ligaments in fistula 
of the withers lies in the fact that they are 
implicated in the disease more commonly than 
the other component parts. Lying adjacent to 
the initial seat of the inflammatory process, 
and being but poorly nourished structures, they 
fall an easy prey to microbie products, becom- 
ing riddled with necrotic areas and thus pre- 
venting cicatrization of contiguous abscess 
