Title: The cat : an introduction to the study of backboned animals, especially mammals
Identifier: catintroduction00miva (find matches)
Year: 1881 (1880s)
Authors: Mivart, St. George Jackson, 1827-1900
Subjects: Cats; Anatomy, Comparative
Publisher: New York : Scribner's
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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chap, in.) SKELETON OF TEE HEAD AND TRUNK. 45 Its first component vertebra is considerably larger than the two suc- ceeding ones, which are about equal in size. The ventral surface of the sacrum (A) is markedly concave from before backwards, and is also concave transversely at its more an- terior part. It is marked by two transverse lines (which indicate the original limits of the vertebral centra), and at each end of each line is a considerable aperture or foramen (/). These four open- ings, called the ventral sacral foramina, give exit to the anterior divisions of the sacral nerves.
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—The Saprum A. Ventral view. B. Dorsal view. C. Front view. c. Anterior central articular surface. /. Foramina. I. Lateral masses. m. Rudiments of zygapophyses and metapo physes conjoined. s. Neural spines. z. and 3. Zygapophyses. The dorsal surface of the sacrum is rough, and exhibits three neural spines (is) projecting nearly straight upwards. They are all shorter than the neural spine of the last lumbar vertebra, and the third sacral neural spine is much smaller than the two in front of it, whereof the first is the taller. External to the neural spines, and at the outer margins of the neural laminae (which form a completely roofed neural canal throughout the sacrum), there are, on each side, four eminences, representing zygapophyses or metapophyses, or both(wz). Thus at the anterior end of the centrum we have (z) on each side a prezygapophysis (with its outer margin prolonged by the metapophysis), which is like that of the last sacral vertebra, except that it is somewhat larger. Behind this there is a smaller prominence, which represents the conjoined metapophysis and zygapophysis anchylosed together at the junction of the first and second sacral vertebrae. Behind this, again, there is another still smaller prominence which represents the same parts at the junction of the second and third sacral vertebrae. Behind this again, and close behind the third sacral neural spine, is a third process (which is the postzygapophysis of the third sacral vertebra) which articulates with the first vertebra of the tail (5). Just external to each process formed of coalesced and anchylosed zygapophyses, is a considerable aperture or foramen. There are four such, and these are termed the dorsal sacral foramina, and they

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