874 



when the teeth are equally fine and numerous, 

 but longer, they are called " ciliifbrm " {denies 



Fig. 561. 



TEETH. 



recurved, as in the Mur&na; or barbed, as ?n 

 Trichiurus, and some other Scomberoids ; or 

 it may be bent upon itself, like a tenterhook, 

 as in the fishes thence called Uoniodonts.* 

 In the Bonito may be perceived a progressive 

 thickening of the base of the conical teeth : 

 and this being combined in other predatory 



Fig. 563. 



Palatine bone and teeth ( Silurus). 



ciliiformes) : when the teeth are similar to, 

 but rather stronger than these, they are called 



Fig. 562. 



Jaws and teeth (Myliobates). 



" setiform" {denies setiformes, denies en brosse) : 

 conical teeth, as close set and sharp pointed 

 as the villiform teeth, but of larger size, are 

 called " rasp-teeth " (denies raduliformes, dents 

 en rape or en eardes,fig. 561.) ; the Pike pre- 

 sents such teeth on the back part of the vomer : 

 the teeth of the Sheat-fish (Silurus glfinis) 

 present all the gradations between the villi- 

 form and raduliform types. Setiform teeth 

 are common in the fishes thence called Chae- 

 todonts* ; in the genus Cithar'ma they bifur- 

 cate at their free extremities ; in the genus 

 Plntax they end there in three diverging 

 points (fig- 563.), and the cone here merges 

 into the long and slender cylinder. Some- 

 times the cone is compressed into a slender 

 trenchant blade : and this may be pointed and 



* X*/r>5, bristle ; ftfc, tooth. 



Mandibular teeth, magnified (Platax). 



fishes with increased size and recurved direc- 

 tion, they then resemble the laniary or canine 

 teeth of carnivorous quadrupeds, as we see in 

 the large teeth of the Pike, in the Lophiusf , 

 and in certain sharks.^; 



The anterior diverging grappling teeth of 

 the wolf-fish form stronger cones ; and by 

 progressive blunting, flattening, and expansion 

 of the apex, observable in different fishes, the 

 cone gradually changes to the thick and 

 short cylinder, such as is seen in the back 



Fig. 564. 



Inferior pharyngeal bone and teeth (Labrus). 



teeth of the wolf-fish, and in similar grinding 

 and crushing teeth in other genera, whether 

 feeders on sea-weeds, or crustaceous and testa- 

 ceous animals. The grinding surface of these 

 short cylindrical teeth maybe convex, as in 

 the Sheep's-head fish (Sargus) ; or flattened, 

 as in the pharyngeal teeth of the Wrasse (La- 

 Z>n/s). Sometimes the hemispheric teeth are 

 so numerous, and spread over so broad a sur- 

 face, as to resemble a pavement, as in the 

 pharyngeal bones of the Wrasse or Rock-fish 

 (Labrus, fig. 564.) ; or they may be so small, 

 as well as numerous (denies graniformes), as 

 to give a granulated surface to the part of the 

 mouth to which they are attached (premax- 

 illaries of Cossyphus) . |j A progressive increase 



* Tttvtx, an angle ; 5<sW, a tooth. 



t Vol. III., fig. 512, p. 978. art. PISCES. 



I l\).fig. 510, p. 976. 



Ib./#.513, p. 978. 



|| Odoutography, pi. 45, fig. 1. 



