Wilcox (1948), studying a loon, did not find any peroneal supply to M. extensor iliotibialis lateralis or to M. gluteus profundus. He found a femoral, rather than a peroneal, supply to M. piriformis. He found an obturator, instead of a tibial, supply to M. flexor ischiofemoralis. (In some of my specimens I found a tiny blood vessel, appearing much like a nerve, emerging from the obturator foramen and entering M. flexor ischiofemoralis.) Wilcox reports an innervation of M. caudofemoralis pars caudifemoralis from the pudendal plexus, in addition to the usual sciatic one. Wilcox did not distinguish tibial and peroneal components in the thigh. In the shank and foot he misidentified the peroneal nerve as the tibial nerve and therefore gave erroneous innervations for all the muscles supplied by this nerve, except for M. adductor digiti IV, which actually should be supplied by the tibial nerve.
Howell (1938) studied only the hip and thigh musculature of the chicken. He overlooked the femoral nerve supply for M. gluteus profundus.
Romer (1927) studied only the hip and thigh muscles of the chick. He did not distinguish tibial and peroneal components in the thigh. He did not mention any sciatic supply for M. gluteus profundus.
Appleton (1928), studied (in various birds) only those muscles of the hip and thigh that are innervated by the tibial and peroneal nerves. He terms the former "ischiadicus ventralis" and the latter "ischiadicus dorsalis." His findings did not differ from mine.
Many differences in the innervation of specific muscles are reported in the literature, even in the same species (by different workers). Some of these differences may be real; others are probably misinterpretations. Consequently more work needs to be done before a complete understanding can be obtained of the innervation of the leg muscles of birds. Especially needed are studies of the tibial-peroneal nerve relationship, perhaps approached by a method other than gross dissection.
FOOTNOTES:
[SUMMARY]
The muscles and nerves were dissected in eight legs of the Lesser Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), six legs of the Greater Prairie Chicken (T. cupido pinnatus), three legs of Attwater's Prairie Chicken (T. c. attwateri), and six legs of the Sharp-tailed Grouse (Pedioecetes phasianellus jamesi) for the purpose of obtaining information on individual variation as well as variation between these closely related species. Relatively little information is available regarding the nerves of the leg of birds and little is known about individual variation and variation between closely related forms in the muscles of the leg of birds.