10 



LIVE-STOCK JUDGING 



prises all those which enter into the supportive structure 

 or framework of the body, such as bone, cartilage, liga- 

 ments and tendons, and the interstitial tissue of all 

 the organs. All of the connective tissues are more or less 

 fibrous in character (Fig. 2). 



9. Muscle tissue. — Muscle tissue may be divided into 

 voluntary and involuntary, the former represented by the 

 skeletal muscles with which the judge is most concerned 



Fig. 3. — Involuntary muscle in 

 longitudinal section ; the muscle- 

 cells are often cut obliquely, and 

 hence appear shorter than when 

 isolated. 



Fig. 4. — Involuntary muscle in 

 transverse section : portions 

 of three bundles are repre- 

 sented separated by areolar 

 tissue (o) ; the nucl eated areas 

 are sections of the muscle- 

 cells through their nuclei ; the 

 smaller figures represent sec- 

 tions of the cells cut nearer 

 the ends. 



in the matters of locomotion and meat production, 

 the latter entering into the makeup of the heart, the walls 

 of the blood vessels and the intestines, structures having 

 to do with the vital functions. The characteristic feature 

 of muscle tissue is its contractility, which takes place in 

 response to a nerve stimulus (Figs. 3 and 4). 



10. Nerve tissue. — The nervous system is divided into 

 a central, composed of the brain and the spinal cord, and a 



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