ies. Transverse
slits were common in the folds of the neck, the flexures of the joints
(fig. 20), and the anterior abdominal wall either in the mid line or in
creases like those stretching across from the anterior superior iliac
spines. Again they were seen in the palms and soles, but here more
readily tended to assume the stellate forms. Vertical slits are less
common; they occurred with the greatest frequency in the posterior
axillary folds.

Oval apertures of exit are far less common than those of entry, since
the most common factor for the production of an oval opening, bony
support, is never present. In long subcutaneous tracks, or very
superficial wounds, they are however sometimes met with and may
terminate in a pointed gutter (see figs. 18 and 24).

The greatest modifications in the appearance and nature of the apertures
of entry are dependent on previous deformation of the bullet, when all
special characteristics are lost, and it becomes impossible to form any
opinion as to the type of bullet concerned. These modifications are
naturally far more common in the aperture of exit, since the bullet so
often acquires deformity in the body as the result of impact with the
bones. Further remarks on this subject will be found with the
description and comparison of the various bullets on p. 81.

[Illustration: FIG. 24. Superficial Thoracico-abdominal Track. Small
entry: discoloration of surface over costal margin from deep injury to
skin; well-marked 'flame' gutter exit (see fig. 18)]

2. _Direct course taken by the wound track._--This character primarily
depends on the velocity with which bullets of small calibre are made to
travel, and on the small area of the tissues upon which they operate. In
this relation the degree of velocity retained by the bullet is often of
minor importance, provided it be sufficient to penetrate the body. Fired
within a distance of 2,500 yards there is little doubt that a bullet of
the Lee-Metford, Mauser, or Krag-Joergensen types, passes straight
between the apertures of entry and exit when these are of the type
outline, even when the bones are implicated. By reason of the small size
of the projectiles, their shape, and the spin and velocity transmitted
to them, there is no reason why at a sufficiently short range they
should not traverse the body from the crown of the head to the sole of
the foot. The necessary conditions of position and distance for such an
injury are obviously not oft