132 LUCIOIDS. 



Van Diemen's Land, now before me, which exceed six inches in length, 

 have the whole of their convex alveolar border beset with a band of 

 minute sharp conical rasp-like teeth ; along the inner border of each 

 band there is a row of moderately long, slender, straight and very 

 acute teeth, with intervals of from four to six times their own diame- 

 ter. Their dentition resembles very closely that of the true Sauroid 

 Fishes. 



The Garpike, {Belone vulgaris), has a row of large sharp conical 

 and recurved teeth, together with many small ones upon each of its 

 long intermaxillary and premandibular bones ; but the palatines and 

 hyoid are edentulous. There is a small patch of villiform teeth on 

 the vomer. The pharyngeals are paved with small tuberculate teeth. 

 The Mormyri have a simple row of small compressed and notched 

 teeth on each jaw : and villiform teeth on the tongue and vomer. 



The Esox Lucius or common Pike has an immense number of 

 teeth, all of which are conical, slender and sharp-pointed. They are 

 placed on the intermaxillary, premandibular, palatine, vomerine, 

 lingual, branchial and pharyngeal bones. The largest and most for- 

 midable of these teeth are those situated in the lower jaw, and at the 

 anterior part of the palatines and vomer. The intermaxillary teeth are 

 small and slightly recurved, placed in a single or double alternate 

 row : the teeth at the anterior part of the lower jaw correspond 

 in size and arrangement with the intermaxillary ones ; but the poste- 

 rior teeth are much longer and stouter, especially the first ; they form 

 a single row, and are separated by wide intervals in which are si- 

 tuated the successional teeth in different stages of development in a 

 recumbent position, directed inwards, and concealed by the gum. 



The teeth of the palatines and vomer are arranged in numerous 

 close-set rows, the largest being placed at the anterior part of these 

 bones, and along the mesial edges of the palatines ; those on the 

 vomer are so numerous, small, and close set, as to resemble the teeth 

 of a rasp. The mesial chain of hyoid. bones supports four longitu- 

 dinally oblong patches of smaller rasp-like teeth. Similar teeth are 

 arranged along the inner surfaces of all the branchial arches ; and the 

 four superior and two inferior pharyngeal bones are beset with some- 

 what larger teeth of a similar conical, sharp pointed, recurved form. 



