172 



COUES, 



(b.' — From tarso-metatarse.) 



Although the little calcaneal muscle, just discussed, really lies wholly 

 on the sole, yet it belongs to the last group, and we only now come to 

 muscles of the digits that may be properly called tarso -metatarsal. As 

 usual, these are more numerous and bulky upon the plantar than upon 

 the dorsal aspect of the foot. They are chiefly the special muscles of 

 the great and little toes. We find but one for the hallux, while on the 

 other hand, three may be demonstrated upon the little toe. In this 

 animal, tliere is absolutely no specialization of external form, etc., 

 of the thumb and great toe ; while these digits are, if anything, less 

 favored with special muscles than either the little finger or little toe 

 is. Here, at any rate, nothing but the difference in the number of the 

 internodes stands in the way of the correlation of the little toe with 

 the thumb, and conversely, of the great toe with the little finger. 



Flexor brevis hallucis. — A very small and insignificant muscle lying 

 upon the first metatarsal; it arises near the base of this bone, and is 

 inserted by two heads into either side of the base of the great toe, 

 with a pair of sesamoids. We can distinguish no other muscle upon 

 the ball of the great toe. It directly flexes. 



Flexor brevis minimi digiti. — A short, plump muscle, almost entirely 

 fleshy, that arises from the os calcis, passes down over the next mus- 

 cle, divides into two heads, between which runs a tendon of the long 

 fibular flexor digitorum; they are inserted into either side of the base 

 of the little toe. 



Abductor minimi digiti. — A flattish, fleshy muscle, lying along the 

 outer border of the foot, filling up what would otherwise be a de- 

 pression between the os calcis and the head of the 5th metatarsal, 

 arising from the former, and inserted into the outer aspect of the 

 basal phalanx of the little toe. 



Adductor minimi digiti. — A well developed, distinct, long, flat 

 strip of muscle arising near the head of the 3d metatarsal at the centre 

 of the sole, and passing obliquely outward and forward to be inserted 

 into the inner side of the base of the 1st phalanx of the little toe. 



This muscle seems to be the largest and outermost of a series of 

 four that diminish successively from the 5th to the 2d toe. They 

 arise near together, along a line corresponding to the passage of 

 the tendon of the peroneus longus across the sole; and each is 

 inserted into the inner side of the base of a digit. They are appar- 

 ently spreaders of the web, like the interrossei from which, however, 

 they are wholly distinct. 



The plantar interosseilie wholly upon, instead of between, the meta- 

 tarsals, and are well developed. They embrace the bases of the 2d 

 - 4th digits. The dorsal were not specially examined ; they appeared 

 to be inconsiderable. 



It is only just to ourselves to say, in concluding a necessarily im- 



