IN THE EOWER ANIMALS, ETC. 335 



Beaver Lake. I have seen two of their supposed 

 haunts ; one in the stream that runs through Nant 

 Francon, the other in the river Conwy, a few 

 miles above Llanrwst, and both places in all pro- 

 bability had formerly been crossed by beaver- 

 dams. But they must have been very scarce, 

 even in earlier times, as, by the laws of Howelda, 

 the price of a beaver's skin was fixed at 120 pence, 

 a great sum in those days. 



Having thus directed your attention to some of 

 the more characteristic forms of dentition in the 

 lower animals, I purpose, on a future occasion, to 

 notice the relations which the several types of 

 teeth bear to the human dentition. The question 

 is not unfrequently asked, ''Does the study of 

 these and kindred subjects tend to any practically 

 beneficial result ?" It may be replied that, apart 

 from the rich store of intellectual gratification to 

 be derived from the study of the infinite variety 

 of special adaptation of structure to function, 

 throughout the world of animal life, it serves an 

 important end in training the observant faculties, 

 which cannot fail to be serviceable in a profession 

 such as our own. 



That the highest attainments in natural history 

 are not incompatible with professional eminence, 

 I need only cite the example of a gentleman, who, 

 throughout his long and honourable professional 

 career, could yet secure time for the profound 

 cultivation of this science. In addition to his 



