[3] Opposite the angle of the mandible the fascia is very strong, and binds the anterior edge of the sternocleidomastoideus firmly to that bone.

Between the mandible and the mastoid process it ensheathes the parotid gland—the layer which covers the gland extends upward under the name of the parotideomasseteric fascia and is fixed to the zygomatic arch.

It is complemented by the pterygospinous ligament, which stretches from the upper part of the posterior border of the lateral pterygoid plate to the spinous process of the sphenoid.

It occasionally ossifies, and in such cases, between its upper border and the base of the skull, a foramen is formed which transmits the branches of the mandibular nerve to the muscles of mastication.

The fascia which lines the deep surface of the sternocleidomastoideus gives off the following processes: This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 388 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)