The Superficial Circumflexa Ilii, smaller than the preceding, follows the course of Poupart's ligament beneath the integuments, and at the anterior superior spine of the ilium terminates in anastomosing with the deep circumflexa ilii, the ilio-lumbar, glutaeal, and external circumflexa femoris arteries.

The profunda is the next branch given off from the femoral; but it will be more convenient to examine the muscular and the anastomotic arteries first.

The Muscular Branches

The Muscular Branches are small and irregular: they arise from the femoral in its course down the thigh, and are distributed to the muscles of the thigh in the neighborhood of the femoral artery, chiefly to the sartorius and vastus internus.