132 Anatomy of the Rabbit. 



by its greater diameter and muscular walls. The size of this 

 portion is enormously increased in animals which contain or 

 have borne young. 



(h) The mesometrium is the supporting peritoneum of the uterus, 

 and is a continuation of the mesosalpinx. The mesometrium, 

 mesosalpinx and mesovarium together constitute the broad 

 ligament (lig. latum uteri). 



(i) The round ligament of the uterus (lig. teres uteri) crosses the 

 broad ligament, and may be traced from the anterior end 

 of the uterus to the body-wall below the posterior portion 

 of the inguinal ligament where it is inserted (cf. p. 49). 



(j) The vagina is a flattened median tube with muscular walls; 

 it receives anteriorly the apertures of the right and left uteri. 



2. Preparatory to dissecting the urinogenital structures of the pelvis, 

 the median incision of skin of the ventral surface should be continued 

 backward to the base of the clitoris, the structure and attachments of 

 the latter being then examined as follows : 



(a) The cavernous bodies (corpora cavernosa clitoridis) form the 

 body of the structure, as in the male, and are attached to 

 the posterior border of the ischium through short fibrous 

 cords, the crura clitoridis. 



(b) The suspensory ligament (lig. suspensorium clitoridis) is a 

 short median cord joining the base of the clitoris with the 

 posterior end of the symphysis. 



(c) The pubocavernosus and ischiocavernosus muscles pass from 

 the posterior border of the ischium to the base of the clitoris 

 on either side, the former being medial in position. 



The attachments of the clitoris should be severed and the symphysis 

 divided. By pressing apart the two sides of the pelvis the urinogenital 

 tube may be dissected out and removed, together with the terminal 

 portion of the rectum. 



The related structures, the middle haemorrhoidal artery, etc., appearing in this 

 dissection are as in the male (see note p. 130). 



In the urinogenital ducts examine the extent of the vagina back- 

 wards and its connection with the canal of the bladder to form the 

 common vestibulum. The latter is comparable to the male urethra 

 (cf. p. 47, Fig. 25). The bulbourethral gland (gl. bulbourethralis) (cf. 

 p. 131) lies on the dorsal wall. 



By slitting open the vestibulum and extending the incision into the 

 bladder and also forward into the left uterus the apertures of these 

 structures may be examined from the interior. There is an external 

 uterine aperture (orificium externum uteri) for each division of the 

 uterus. 



