ORANG OUTANG. 



31 



the fingers, one of which passes to the little finger ; 

 a circumstance not found in Dr Tyson's animal. 



The extensor brevis digitorum sends tendons to all 

 the fingers ; thus supplying the deficiency of an ex- 

 tensor brevis pollicis. In Tyson's subject, the exten- 

 sor brevis digitorum was wanting, and the extensor 

 brevis pollicis was peculiarly strong. In our ani- 

 mal, the thumb had two long extensors of its pha- 

 langes, and a long extensor of its metacarpal bone. 

 These muscles arise in common with the extensor 

 communis. In these respects, the thumb of 

 this extremity in the Orang Outang differs from 

 the great toe of man, and resembles his pollex 

 manus. 



The flexion of the toes or fingers of the lower ex- 

 tremity in the Orang, is accomplished by a curious, 

 and in some respects a more complicated mechanism 

 than in man. This structure has not been noticed by 

 Tyson, nor by any other anatomist, until the time 

 of Cuvier, by whom it is well described * as it 

 occurs in the Mandrell, which appears to differ but 

 little in this respect from the Orang. 



The flexor brevis arises from the heel-bone, by a 

 strong muscular head, covered by a firm aponeurosis, 

 and sends strong perforated tendons to the four smal- 

 lest fingers. The tendon going to the fore-finger, is 

 continued more directly from the belly of the 



* Anatomie Comparee, torn. i. p. 3Q4-. 



