NOTATION OF THE GALLOP OF FOUR PERIODS IN THE HORSE (AFTER PROFESSOR MAREY) 300 137. LEAP OF THE HARE (AFTER G. COLIN) 301 138. THE LEAP 302 139. THE LEAP 302 140. THE LEAP 303 141. THE LEAP 303 142. THE LEAP 305 143. THE LEAP 305 THE ARTISTIC ANATOMY OF ANIMALS INTRODUCTION GENERALITIES OF COMPARATIVE ANATOMY Of the animals by which we are surrounded, there are some which, occupying a place in our lives by reason of their natural endowments, are frequently represented in the works of artists--either as accompanying man in his work or in his amusements, or as intended to occupy the whole interest of the composition. The necessity of knowing, from an artistic point of view, the structure of the human body makes clear the importance we attach, from the same point of view, to the study of the anatomy of animals--that is, the study of comparative anatomy. The name employed to designate this branch of anatomy shows that the object of this science is the study of the relative position and form which each region presents in all organized beings, taking for comparison the corresponding regions in man. The head in animals compared with the human head; the trunk and limbs compared to the trunk and limbs of the human being--this is the analysis we undertake, and the plan of the subject we are about to commence. Our intention being, as we have just said, the comparison of the structure of animals with that of man, should we describe the anatomy of the human being in the pages which follow? We do not think so. Plastic human anatomy having been previously studied in special works,[2] we take it for granted that these have been studied before undertaking the subject of comparative anatomy. We will therefore not occupy time with the elementary facts relative to the skeleton and the superficial layer of muscles. We will not dilate on the division of the bones into long, short, large, single, paired, etc. All these preliminary elements we shall suppose to have been already studied. [2] Mathias Duval, 'Précis of Anatomy for the Use of Artists': Paris, 1881. 'Artistic Anatomy of the Human Body,' third edition, plates by Dr. Fau, text with figures by Édouard Cuyer: Paris, 1896. 'Artistic Anatomy of Man,' by J. C. L. Sparkes, second edition, text with 50 plates: Baillière, Tindall and Cox, London, 1900. This being granted, it is, nevertheless, necessary to take a rapid bird's-eye view of organized beings, and to recall the terms used in their classification.