156 MAN AND APES. 



the same time in the dentition of any one of 

 the latisternal apes. 



1. One striking character of the human 

 teeth is their almost equal vertical develop- 

 ment. All the apes, on the contrary, possess 

 more or less projecting' tusk-like " eye-teeth," 

 or "canines" as they are technically called, 

 because similarly projecting in the dog. 



Now, in all the broad-breastboned apes, 

 the canines are both exceedingly long and 

 powerful, and, indeed, the Simiince are almost 

 like Baboons in this respect. 



The nearest approach to man is found, not 

 in the apes at all, but in the Half-apes, where 

 in some forms (as, e.g., Hapalemur) the excess 

 in length of the canines over the grinding 

 teeth is very small indeed. 



2. The second noteworthy character of the 

 human dentition is the close approximation of 

 the teeth one to another serially, so that no 

 vacant space (or, as it is technically called, 

 diastema) is left between any two adjacent 

 teeth. 



