Several previous workers have reported some dorsal muscles supplied by ventral nerves and vice versa. Those findings should be viewed with suspicion until verified, because the proximal parts of the tibial and peroneal nerves are intimately associated and their relationship is easily misinterpreted. I found a branch of the tibial nerve that is closely associated with, and distributed with, the peroneal nerve. That branch of the tibial nerve has been mistakenly considered a part of the peroneal nerve by some workers. My study revealed no definite exceptions to the expected innervation.

Table 1. Synonymy of the Muscles of the Leg of Birds

Gadow (1891)Hudson (1937)Howell (1938)Fisher & Goodman (1955)Holmes
ilio-tibialisilio-tibialisextensor
iliotibialis
lateralis		extensor
ilio-tibialis
lateralis		extensor
iliotibialis
lateralis
ilio-tibialis
internus s.
sartorius		sartoriusextensor
iliotibialis
anterior		extensor
ilio-tibialis
anterior		extensor
iliotibialis
anticus
ambiensambiensambiensambiensambiens

femori-tibialis externus		............
femori-tibialis externus		............
vastus lateralis		femoritibialis externusvastus lateralis
(a) pars postica
(b) pars lateralis
{
femori-tibialis {
medius {
{		vastus lateralis
femori-tibialis medius } {
} vastus medialis {
} {		vastus medialisvastus medialis
femori-tibialis internusfemori-tibialis internusfemoritibialis internusfemoritibialis internus
ilio-fibularisbiceps fernorisextensor iliofibularisextensor ilio-fibularisextensor iliofibularis
ilio-femoralis externusglutaeus medius et minimuspiriformispiriformispiriformis
ilio-trochantericus posteriorilio-trochantericus posteriorgluteus profundusgluteus profundusgluteus profundus
ilio-trochantericus anteriorilio-trochantericus anterioriliacusiliacusiliacus
ilio-trochantericus mediusilio-trochantericus medius............ilio-trochantericus mediusiliotrochantericus medius
ilio-femoralis internusiliacuspsoaspsoaspsoas
caud ilio flexoriussemitendinosusflexor cruris lateralisflexor cruris lateralis
(a) main head
(b) accessory heads		flexor cruris lateralis
accessorius semitendinosiaccessorius semitendinosifemorocruralisfemorocruralis
ischio-flexoriussemimembranosusflexor cruris medialisflexor cruris medialisflexor cruris medialis
caud-ilio-femoralis
(a) pars
caudi-femoralis
(b) pars
ilio-femoralis		piriformis
(a) pars
caudi-femoralis
(b) pars
ilio-femoralis
caudofemoralis
caudofemoralis
(a) pars
caudi-femoralis
(b) pars
ilio-femoralis		caudofemoralis
(a) pars caudifemoralis
(b) pars iliofemoralis
flexor iliofemoralis
ischio-femoralisischio-femoralisflexor ischiofemoralisflexor ischiofemoralisflexor ischiofemoralis
{
pub-ischio-femoralis {
{		adductor longus et brevis
(a) pars anterior
(b) pars posterior
adductor superficialis

adductor superficialis

adductor superficialis
adductor profundusadductor profundusadductor profundus
obturatorobturator internus } {
} obturator {
} {		obturator internus }
} obturator
}
accessorii M. obturatorisobturator externusobturator externus
gastrocnemiusgastrocnemius gastrocnemiusgastrocnemius
flexor perforans
et perforatus
digiti II		flexor perforans
et perforatus
digiti II		 flexor perforans
et perforatus
digiti II		flexor perforans
et perforatus
digiti II
flexor perforans
et perforatus
digiti III		flexor perforans
et perforatus
digiti III		 flexor perforans
et perforatus
digiti III		flexor perforans
et perforatus
digiti III
flexor perforatus
digiti IV		flexor perforatus
digiti IV		 flexor perforatus
digiti IV		flexor perforatus
digiti IV
flexor perforatus
digiti III		flexor perforatus
digiti III		 flexor perforatus
digiti III		flexor perforatus
digiti III
flexor perforatus
digiti II		flexor perforatus
digiti II		 flexor perforatus
digiti II		flexor perforatus
digiti II
flexor hallucis longusflexor hallucis longus flexor hallucis longusflexor hallucis longus
plantarisplantaris plantarisplantaris
flexor profundus s. perforansflexor digitorum longus flexor digitorum longusflexor digitorum longus
popliteuspopliteus popliteuspopliteus
peroneus superficialisperonaeus longus peroneus longusperoneus longus
tibialis anticustibialis anterior tibialis anteriortibialis anticus
extensor digitorum communisextensor digitorum longus extensor digitorum longusextensor digitorum longus
peroneus profundusperonaeus brevis peroneus brevisperoneus brevis
extensor hallucis brevisextensor hallucis longus extensor hallucis longusextensor hallucis longus
abductor digiti IIabductor digiti II abductor digiti IIabductor digiti II—
extensor brevis digiti III } {
} extensor proprius {
} digiti III {
} {		 extensor brevis digiti IIIextensor brevis digiti III
extensor brevis digiti IV extensor brevis digiti IVextensor brevis digiti IV
flexor brevis digiti IIIlumbricalis ............lumbricalis
abductor digiti IVabductor digiti IV abductor digiti IVabductor digiti IV
flexor hallucis brevisflexor hallucis brevis flexor hallucis brevisflexor hallucis brevis
adductor digiti IIadductor digiti II adductor digiti II............
adductor digiti IVadductor digiti IV ........................

Table 2. Relative Sizes (in Percentages) of Some Muscles in
Tympanuchus and Pedioecetes

MuscleTympanuchusPedioecetes
Ave.
RangeNo.[1]Ave.RangeNo.[1]

Iliacus: width of fleshy origin (divided by length of ilium)

.10.08-.1113.19.17-.196

Flexor cruris lateralis: maximum width of exposed part (divided by length of ilium)

.22.19-.2713.31.27-.366

Flexor cruris medialis: width of origin (divided by length of ilium)

.11.08-.1613.22.19-.236

Flexor cruris medialis: width of insertion (divided by length of tibiotarsus)

.09.08-.1313.17.15-.174

Adductor superficialis: width of origin (divided by length of ilium)

.20.17-.2313.13.10-.165

Femorocruralis: distance of proximal end of origin from proximal end of femur (divided by length of femur)

.59.55-.6313.40.38-.436

Extensor digitorum longus: length of fleshy belly (divided by length of tibiotarsus)

.73.64-.8313.59.50-.624

FOOTNOTES:

[1] No. = number of legs.