396 THE REV. R. T. LOWE ON ALEPISAURUS. 
The nostrils are placed half way between the centre of the pupil and tip of the upper 
jaw, a little above a line drawn horizontally from the one of these points to the other. 
The anterior nostril is a round orifice, the posterior a curved lunate opening close be- 
hind it. In the former figure they were overlooked, or quite erroneously represented 
as a single orifice near the tip of the muzzle. 
In the upper jaw the intermaxillary bones are finely and closely serrated throughout, 
as in the former two specimens ; the anterior teeth being rather larger than the hinder : 
and in front, at the tip of the muzzle, there is a pair pointing forwards and curving a 
little downwards, one on each side, above the line of the rest, and, as it were, upon the 
lip itself. The palatine bones in front are furnished with a group of three very large 
recurved lancet-shaped teeth, placed in a triangle, of which the apez is directed forwards : 
proceeding backwards there succeeds a vacancy ; then follows on each side a single 
lancet-shaped tooth, not much more than half the size of those of the group in front ; 
and behind this a row of seven much smaller, close-set teeth, gradually increasing in size 
backwards, but the hindmost not above half the length of the single one immediately 
preceding them. All these are fixed immoveably ; but upon a close examination were 
discovered, lying loose, flat, and buried amongst the skin of the palate, with their points 
directed backwards, three more long lancet-shaped teeth, one in the middle of the 
group of three in front, a second in the interval between these and the next large pa- 
latal tooth, and the third between the last-mentioned tooth and the row of seven be- 
hind it. Whether they were originally like the others, fixed, and are merely loose from 
injury or fracture, or are properly moveable and free, I can scarcely venture to decide. 
At first sight, and from the way in which they lie amongst the loose gelatinous integu- 
ments of the palate, with no appearance of a regular attachment by the base, their con- 
dition seems the effect of accident. Yet it would be difficult to explain perhaps, on the 
supposition of their having been broken off by violence, either the regularity of their 
particular direction, or the perfect condition of the other teeth. 
The lower jaw is in this specimen rather longer than the upper. It is obtuse at the 
point, and has a pair of rather long subconical teeth in front at the tip, one on each 
side, with a smaller one between them ; and below these on the tip of the jaw, quite out- 
side the mouth, and upon or half way down the tip in front, or as it were upon the middle 
of the lower lip, there is a single smaller conical tooth, pointing forwards but curved 
upwards. Behind the pair of teeth first mentioned, there extends along each side a row 
of five much smaller, and becoming gradually more compressed ; then come three rather 
larger, and still more compressed ; and then two lancet-shaped ones, considerably larger, 
particularly the last of the two, which is double the length of the first, and equals the 
single palatal one behind the interval—into which, when the mouth is closed, it locks— 
above mentioned in the upper jaw. A short interruption in the row, or a vacant inter- 
val, succeeds, followed by a close-set series of eleven short but broad, triangular, much 
compressed teeth, reaching nearly to the corners of the gape, which in the present, as 
well as in both the former specimens, has a kind of internal web or skin, joining one 
jaw to the other, which extends some little distance forwards towards the teeth from 
