OCR Text |
Show 1°'9.] ANATOMY OF HYAENA CROCUTA. 95 major into the shaft of humerus at the junction of its upper and middle thirds. It agrees closely with Meckel's description of this muscle in H. striata, and also with what exists in //. brunnea and Civet. As in them, it also gives off a dorsi epilrochlearis. The rhomboideus is a single muscle. It arises from the ligamen-tum nuchas corresponding to the last two cervical vertebrae, and also from the anterior four dorsal spines. Insertion is into the superior costa, as well as about an inch of the anterior costa, of the scapula. It has no occipital attachment such as Meckel found in H. striata, in this respect agreeing with Viverra and, according to Douglas, with the Dog. Superior and inferior serrati postici are not combined as in H. brunnea; though almost continuous, they are distinguishable by the different direction of their fibres. The superior is from the seven anterior dorsal spines, its costal attachment extending from the fourth to the eleventh ribs. Inferior serratus is from the lumbar aponeurosis to the four posterior ribs. Erector spines is subdivided as usual. The sacro-lumbalis small, is inserted into the last four ribs; it is prolonged forwards, however, to the first rib by a musculus accessorius. There is no cervical continuation in the form of a cervicalis ascendens. The longissimus dorsi, smaller than the spinalis dorsi, is attached by fleshy bundles to the ten anterior dorsal transverse processes, and by tendinous slips to the corresponding ribs. An enormous transversalis cervicis is continued into the neck. It arises from the posterior four cervical and anterior four dorsal articular processes, receiving in addition accessory bundles from the third, fourth,fifth, and sixth dorsal spines ; it is inserted into the transverse processes of the last five cervical vertebrae. The trachelo-mastoid is absent. Spinalis dorsi, the innermost and largest subdivision of the erector, is inserted into the spines of the anterior dorsal and last two cervical vertebrae. Apparently these muscles are similarly arranged in H. striata and H. brunnea. In these animals the unusual nature of the relative sizes of the dorsal muscles, the one to the other, is noted by Meckel and Murie respectively. As Dr. Murie puts it, "the serrati posfici usually small, are here large ; the sacro-lumbalis and longissimus dorsi, on the contrary, are comparatively small, although in themselves of no mean bulk; but the spinalis dorsi obtains by far the largest dimensions, and is indeed a very powerful muscle of enormous magnitude." In the main these remarks are equally applicable to H. crocuta. In the Civet Macalister records a cervicalis ascendens and also a trachelo-mastoid. The multifidus spinee extends as far back as the seventh caudal vertebra. Rotatores spinee are large ; the interspinals are also well marked. Levatores cost arum, with the usual attachments, are very strong ; their fibres are quite continuous with those of the external intercostal muscles. |