When the covers were removed at dinner-time, the bottom dish proved to be a quarter of lamb. Harry observed his father slip his knife under the shoulder, and separate it from the ribs, with no greater effort than was necessary for cutting through the flesh. "Poor thing," said Harry, "I suppose it had by some accident dislocated its shoulder, for it comes off with less difficulty than the leg of a fowl."

"Take care, my little philosopher, not to push resemblances further than they will bear," replied Mr. Beaufoy. "The existence of a corresponding ligament in the thigh-joint of a man and of a sheep, does not prove that their shoul

G

ders bear the same resemblance

Most

quadrupeds have no collar-bones; and in those which have not, the shoulderblade has no bony communication with the trunk, but is, as you see, merely bedded in the flesh, attached by muscles only to the body of the animal. Therefore, I can cut off the whole fore-leg without interfering with any bone or joint. After dinner, I will show you that the shoulder of a man is differently circumstanced."

Soon after the table was cleared, Harry, by his father's desire, fetched the plates belonging to Chambers's Dictionary; and there he saw that the human shoulder is formed by two bones, the collar-bone and the shoulder-blade. His own light, active body had no su

perfluity of flesh; and he could distinctly feel the shape of his collar-bone, from its union with the breast-bone to its junction with the shoulder, which it supports, and prevents from falling forward on the breast. Harry was very fond of what he called real proofs, by which he meant the comparison of drawings or descriptions with the objects represented or described; and his father and mother encouraged this taste, because they' thought it gave distinctness to his ideas, while it strengthened his powers of observation. On the present occasion it also accorded with Mr. Beaufoy's views respecting him.

The anatomical plates revived the ideas of the morning in Harry's recol

lection.

"You said, papa, that it would

be more difficult to restore the thigh

bone to its place, than that of the arm; what is the reason of this?"

"They are both ball and socket joints," replied his father; "but there is a difference in their form and proportion, admirably suited to the different offices each has to perform. The cup, or socket, at the shoulder, is much shal-' lower than that of the hip-joint; and the rim of this cup is formed of cartilage, or gristle, which, you know, is a smooth, solid body, harder than a ligament, but softer than a bone. Cartilage also possesses a natural elasticity, or disposition to yield to pressure, and to recover its form when the pressure is withdrawn.

"The construction of the cup of the shoulder, which is scarcely deeper than the corresponding part of the play-thing you call a cup and ball, must necessarily render it easy for any violent jerk, or strain, to displace the bone of the arm; but when such an accident has occurred, it also affords greater facility for returning the ball to the socket."

"But, surely, it would be still better if the socket were deep enough to prevent such accidents."

"That is a very partial view of the question, Harry. The shallowness of the socket, and the yielding nature of the cartilage that surrounds it, are also of great use in allowing that free motion of the arm, which is necessary for a