222 BOA. PYTHON. 



place have been detached. The base of each of the above teeth is 

 extended transversely, compressed antero-posteriorly, and anchylosed 

 to a shallow alveolus, extending obliquely across the shallower alveolar 

 groove. An affinity to the Lizard-tribes is manifested by the greater 

 development of the outer as compared with the inner wall of the 

 alveolar furrow. 



The palatine teeth, of which there are three or four in each 

 palatal bone, are as large as the superior maxillaries, and are similarly 

 attached : the pterygoid teeth, five or six in number, which complete 

 the internal dental series on the roof of the mouth, are of smaller size 

 and gradually diminish as they recede backwards. In the interspaces 

 of the fixed teeth in both these bones, the places of attachment of the 

 shed teeth are always visible, so that the dental formula, if it included 

 the vacated with the occupied sockets, would express a greater number 

 of teeth than are ever in place and use at the same time. In the 

 smaller species of Boa the intermaxillary bone is edentulous. 



94. Python. — The dentition of the great Java Python {Python 

 amethystinus) is figured, after Cuvier, at Plate 65, fig. 6 and 7. 

 The intermaxillary bone (a) is represented as supporting four 

 teeth : the superior maxillary (&) as being armed with eighteen teeth, 

 but of these the three which are situated on the inner side of the 

 anterior part of the outer row are the successors of those teeth to 

 which they are contiguous. No serpent has a double row of fixed 

 and serviceable teeth implanted on the same bone. 



The palatine bone, opposite to which is the letter c in fig. 6, 

 supports six teeth ; and the remaining eight teeth of the series are 

 continued upon the pterygoid bone, d. The premandibular element 

 of the lower jaw (fig. 7) is armed with eighteen teeth. In the tiger 

 Python {Python tigris) the teeth are less numerous than in the great Py- 

 thon. The intermaxillary bone exhibits the places of attachment of four 

 teeth, but I have rarely found more than two in place : these in their 

 size and curvature resemble the posterior teeth of the maxillary series. 

 There are about twelve teeth in each superior maxillary bone, which 

 gradually diminish in size as they recede backwards ; the number of 

 sockets is eighteen. There are six sockets on each palatine bone, 

 and generally four teeth in place ; eight sockets on each pterygoid 



