128 



SKELETON OF THE OX 



The body is longer and is distinctly constricted in the middle. It bears a thin- 

 edged ventral crest. The arch — in addition to the usual notches, which are 

 shallow — is perforated in the posterior part by a foramen. The transverse proc- 



FiG. 124. — Fourth Lumbar Vertebra of Ox; Posterior View. 

 1, Cavity of posterior end of body ; 2, notch of arcli; 3, 4, articular processes; 5, spinous process; 6, transverse process. 



Mtdian crest 



ess is thick and strong, and bears a rounded mammillary process (except at the 

 posterior end of the series) ; the last two, although prominent, do not always articu- 

 late with the ribs. The spinous process is long. The first is much higher than in 



the horse, the next two are usu- 

 ally the most prominent, and be- 

 hind this there is a very gradual 

 diminution in height. The back- 

 ward slope, slight at first, in- 

 creases to the tenth; the last is 

 vertical and lumbar in charac- 

 ter. The summit is usually 

 pointed on the first, and the 

 thickening on those further back 

 is less than in the horse. The 

 width diminishes from the fifth 

 to the eleventh usually. Both 

 borders of the spines are in gen- 

 eral thin and sharp, but the last 

 three or four sometimes have 

 thick posterior margins. 



The lumbar vertebrae, six in 

 number, are much longer than in 

 the horse. The body is much 

 constricted in the middle, ex- 

 panded at either end, and bears 

 a rudimentary ventral crest. 

 The fourth and fifth are usually 

 the longest. The intervertebral 

 foramina are often double in 

 the anterior part of the series, 

 and are very large further back. 

 The articular processes are 

 large, and their facets are more 

 strongly curved than in the 

 horse. The transverse proc- 

 They are separated by considerable intervals, and form 



Their borders are thin and 



Fig. 125. — Sacrum op Ox; Dorsal View. 



1-4, Dorsal sacral foramina; 5, sacral canal; 6, 6, articular processes 

 7, auricular surface; 8, apex. 



esses all curve forward 



no articulations with each other or with the sacrum. 



