NATURALISTS CABIMET. 



Singular conformation. 



not the animal's mouth, but is merely an appen- 

 dage projecting beyond it. 



The cavity of the mouth is like that of other 

 quadrupeds, and contains two grinders on each 

 side, both in the upper and under jaw; but in- 

 stead of front teeth, the nasal and palate bones 

 are continued forwards, lengthening the anters 

 or nostrils, and forming the upper part of the 

 beak ; and the two portions of the lower jaw, in- 

 stead of terminating, as in other quadrupeds, are 

 also continued forwards, and form the under por- 

 tion of the beak. This structure is very different 

 from the bills of all birds, since in them the cavi- 

 ties of the nostrils do not extend beyond the 

 root of the bill ; and in the lower portions, which 

 correspond with the under jaw of quadrupeds, 

 the edges are hard, to answer the purpose of 

 teeth, and in the middle there is a hollow space 

 to receive the tongue : but in the platypus the 

 two thin plates of bone are in the centre, and the 

 parts that surround them are composed of skin 

 and membrane. 



The teeth have no fangs that sink into the jaw, 

 as in most other quadrupeds, but are embedded 

 in the gums. They have also only lateral pro- 

 cesses from the outer and inner edges of the jaw, 

 to secure them in their places. The tongue is 

 scarcely half an inch long, and the moveable 

 part is not more than a quarter of an inch. It 

 can be drawn entirely into the mouth, and, when 



