228 A MANUAL OF DENTAL ANATOMY. 



all is a very dense and hard, and apparently structureless,, 

 enamel film. The teeth are anchylosed to the bone, and arc 

 very frequently renewed, their successors being developed at 

 one side of their bases. 



Though the pike has rather more teeth than many other 

 fish, it may be taken as a fair example of most osseous fishes; 

 in this respect. Space will only allow of a few of the more 

 exceptional forms being here described. 



The angler (Lophius piscatorius), another predatory fish, 

 with an enormous mouth and disproportionately small body 

 and tail, lies hidden in the mud, or crouched upon the 

 bottom, and makes a rush upon smaller fishes which ap- 

 proach sufficiently near to it ; it is remarkable for the 

 manner of attachment of the teeth, some of the largest of 

 which upon the edges of its jaws do not become anchylosed, 

 but are so attached, as has been described at p. 203, as to 

 allow of their bending in and towards the mouth, but not in 

 the opposite or any other direction. The teeth of the outer 

 row are firmly anchylosed to the margins of the jaw, and the 

 far larger hinged teeth form a sort of irregular second row. 



The benefit of such an arrangement to a fish of its habit 

 is sufficiently shown ; its teeth allow the utmost freedom of 

 entry, but offer obstacles to anything getting out again. 



This arrangement of teeth, long supposed to be unique, is 

 closely paralleled in a very different fish, the Hake (Mer- 

 lucius, one of the Gadidce). This fish, the most active and 

 predatory of the Cod family, follows shoals of pilchards and 

 of herrings, themselves active fish, and feeds upon them. The 

 margins of the jaws carry two distinct and regularly ar- 

 ranged rows of teeth, an outer smaller row which are 

 anchylosed, and an inner longer row which are hinged. 

 They are very sharp, being tipped with spear points of 

 enamel, and are recurved. In the fresh state they look 

 quite red, being composed of a richly vascular vaso- 

 dentine. 



