The inner part, or drum, of the ear, is situated in the hardest bone
of the body, called the petrosal. The nerve which passes into the drum
of the ear and gives the sense of hearing, is called the auditory
nerve. From the drum a small opening passes out into the outer part of
the ear; this is the portion which is seen on top of the head. It is
made up of a membrane known as the cartilage, which gives the ear its
stiffness. This cartilage is covered by a fine, delicate skin, covered
on the outside by fine, short hair. Situated on the inner side of the
outer ear are numerous long hairs projecting outward, the use of which
is to keep foreign bodies from dropping into the ear. The ear is moved
backward and forward by small muscles which are attached around it.
THE EYE.
The apparatus of vision comprises the essential organ, the globe of
the eye or eyeball, and its accessory parts or appendages. The eyeball
is situated in the orbital fossa, mentioned in chapter on the bones of
the head. It is chiefly made up of several coats around the outside,
and in the center by the humours of the eye. On the inner side of these
coats is a thin membrane called the retina, which contains the branches
of the optic nerve. This receives the reflections of objects as they
pass through the humours of the eye and from which the sensation
passes along the optic nerve to the brain. The oblong opening seen
in the middle of the eye is known as the pupil. If a horse be led
from a dark stall into the light and the pupils of the eyes watched
closely, it will be noticed that they get smaller, but on returning
it to the stall the pupils will be noticed to dilate or get larger;
thus it is seen that the pupils do not always remain the same size.
The chief use of the pupil is to gauge the sight. At the back part of
the eye are several muscles attached from around the eye to the bones
in the fossa. These muscles move the eye and assist in holding it to
its place. Around the front part are two movable curtains, one above
and the other below, called eyelids, the use of which is to open and
close the eye, and also to protect it from injuries. Around the free
border of the eyelids are what is known as the eyelashes, which keep
foreign substances from falling into the eye. Situated in the inner
angle is what is known as the haw of the eye; this membrane also helps
to protect it. In the corner of this angle is a small duct or opening,
through which a fluid called the tears passes down into the nasal
tubes, from whence it is carried down through the bones of the head and
emptied into the under part of the nostril or nose. A small gland is
situated on the upper part of the eye. This gland secretes the tears
which lubricates the eyes. The color of the eye is generally brown, but
in some cases it is white. It is then called a moon eye.
THE SKIN.
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