162 GADOIDS. 



fishes. In every subgenus teeth are present on the intermaxillary, 

 premandibular, vomerine, branchial and pharyngeal bones, but not 

 on the hyoid or palatine bones ; and in all, the teeth are simple, 

 conical, and sharp-pointed ; varying only in regard to size and degree 

 of curvature. 



They are distributed over a broad band upon the upper jaw, 

 and over a narrower band along the lower jaw in the cod {Morrhua 

 vulgaris), the haddock (Mo?-. Merlangus), the dorse {Mor. callarias), 

 in which the exterior row is the largest in the upper teeth 

 and the interior row in the lower ones. In the pout fMorrhua 

 luscaj, the ling {Lota Molva), and the whiting {Merlangus vul- 

 garis), there is only a single row of long and large teeth in the 

 premandibulars. The exterior row of larger intermaxillary teeth 

 are more distinctly separated from the smaller posterior teeth of 

 the same bones in the haddock, in order to receive in their 

 interspace the points of the single row of premandibular teeth when 

 the mouth is closed ; but in the ling the upper teeth are numerous 

 and of small size. In the hake {Merlucius vulgaris) , there is a single 

 row of slender and sharp teeth in both the upper and lower jaws. 

 The tadpole-fish {Raniceps trifurcata), has two rows of sharp teeth in 

 the premandibular bones, and numerous smaller, but not serial teeth 

 in the intermaxillaries. In the coal-fish {Merlangus carbonarius) , the 

 torsk {Brosmius vulgaris), and the rock-ling {Motella 5-cirrata), the 

 teeth are small and ranged in a band along both jaws. The vomerine 

 teeth in all the cod tribe are usually arranged in a transverse crescent 

 on the expanded anterior part of the bone. 



All the teeth are less firmly attached to the bones in the Gadoids 

 than in other osseous fishes with laniariform teeth. In the cod-fish the 

 gelatinous conical pulp, after having formed the body of the tooth, is con- 

 tinued in an uncalcified state, but condensed into ligamentous firmness, 

 from the base of the tooth to the alveolar margin of the jaw : ossifica- 

 tion then proceeds from the jaw along the ligaments towards the base 

 of the tooth, which, however, rarely become anchylosed to the ossified 

 ligaments. The teeth, therefore, are generally detached in the course 

 of macerating the head of the cod, and the broad alveolar margin of 

 the dentigerous bones is then covere/d by the ossified dental ligaments 



