76 Anatomy of the Rabbit. 



largeTaperture, the foramen magnum occipitale, for the passage of the 

 central nervous system from the cranial cavity into the vertebral canal. 

 On either side of this is a smooth, ridge-like projection, the occipital condyle 

 (condylus occipitalis), for articulation with the superior articular pits of 

 the atlas. At a little distance lateral to the occipital condyle, the 

 nuchal surface is continued downward through the medium of a some- 

 what triangular, pointed jugular process (processus jugularis). This 

 structure is separated from the occipital condyle by a pronounced notch, 

 the posterior boundary of a deep narrow excavation, the jugular fossa 

 (fossa jugularis), which lies between the condyle and the tympanic bulla. 

 The jugular process serves for the attachment of muscles belonging to the 

 tongue, hyoid, and mandible, namely, the styloglossus, stylohyoidei 

 major and minor, and the digastricus, the suspensory ligament of the 

 lesser cornu of the hyoid also being included in the ligament of the 

 stylohyoideus minor. Toward the dorsal margin of the nuchal surface, 

 the dorsal surface of the skull is projected backward as a shield-shaped 



-j>.o.e. 



Fio. 30. Lateral surface of the skull: AS, alisphenoid (ala magna); BO, basioccipital 

 (basilar portion of occipital); BS, basisphenoid (body oi posterior sphenoid); F, 

 frontal; I, interparietal; L, lacrimal; M, maxilla; MS, mastoid portion of petrosal 

 (petromastoid) ; N, nasal; OS, orbitosphenoid (alaparva); P, parietal; PL, palatine; 

 FM, premaxilla; SO, supraoccipital (squamous portion of occipital); SQ, squamosal; 

 T, tympanic; ZY, zygomatic. 



a.p., piriform aperture of nose; d.i., incisor teeth; d.m., molars; d.pm , premolars; 

 f.i., infraorbital foramen; f.mx., maxillary fossa; f.o., optic foramen; f.s., stylomastoid 

 foramen; f.t., temporal fossa; 1.1., lateral lamina of pterygoid process; l.m., medial 

 lamina; m.a.e., osseous portion of external acoustic meatus; p. a., alveolar process of 

 maxilla; p.e., ethmoidal portion of orbitosphenoid; p.f., frontal process of premaxilla; 

 p.j., jugular process of occipital; p.m., mastoid process of mastoid; p.mx., maxillary 

 process of frontal; p.o., orbital process of maxilla; p.o.e., externa] occipital protuber- 

 ance; p.s., squamosal process of parietal; p.s.a., and p.s.p., anterior and posterior 

 supraorbital processes of frontal; p. z., zygomatic process of squamosal; p.z.m., zygo- 

 matic process of maxilla; s, sphenoorbital process of maxilla; s.m., spina masseterica; 

 sq., squamosal process of squamosal. 



promontory. The lateral margin of this projection is the superior nuchal 

 line (linea nuchae superior). It forms a curved ridge, the position of 

 which indicates the dorsal limit of the occipital musculature. The 

 posterior, somewhat tri-radiate tip of the projection is the external 

 occipital protuberance (protuberantia occipitalis externa), an important 



