24 FISTULA AND POLL-EVIL 
the fourth and the fifth spines, and often as 
far forward as the second. It is at the level of 
the second dorsal spine where the causative 
center of most of the cases of fistula of the 
withers that we have examined carefully, were 
located. 
An important point to remember about the 
funicular portion of the ligamentum nuche is 
its wide expansion posteriorly. Approaching 
the crest of the withers it extends in the out- 
ward and downward direction five to six inches, 
partly enveloping the rhomboideus and _ tra- 
pezius. This expanded portion is often the 
cause of recurrence of fistula after the main 
portion has been removed. 
It is surmounted along its course by the 
“pad of the mane” a structure composed of 
elastic fibers interspersed with adipose tissue. 
It is most abundant in the middle of the cervi- 
cal region and is best developed in stallions of 
the draft breeds. 
The funicular portion is a sheet-like par- 
tition dividing the superior cervical muscles 
into halves. It is composed of two layers 
attached loosely to one another by areolar tis- 
sue, and each layer is composed of two parts, 
anterior and posterior. The anterior part is 
thick and strong, attached to the funicular 
portion above and to the cervical spinous proc- 
