COMMON MOLE. 21 



complete, as the figures of the skull of this species (figs. 

 9 & 10) demonstrate. 



These figures may afford acceptable aid to the collectors 

 of fossil bones, who have not the recent pig. 10. 

 skeleton at hand for comparison. The 

 dentition of the fossil, as in the recent 

 mole, ^consists of eleven teeth on each 

 side of both upper and lower jaws. The 

 first three in the upper jaw are small, 

 simple, and implanted by a single fang : 

 the fourth resembles a canine tooth by the 

 size and shape of its crown, but it has two 

 fangs, like the three succeeding premolars of the upper 

 jaw ; the last three teeth are implanted by three fangs, and 

 their large and complicated crowns and their mode of suc- 

 ceeding the deciduous teeth, prove them unquestionably to be 

 true molars. In the lower jaw the first four teeth are small, 

 simple, and with single fangs ; the fifth corresponds in 

 shape and development of the crown with the canine- 

 shaped tooth above, but it has also two fangs, and more- 

 over passes behind that tooth when the mouth is closed, 

 which is contrary to the relative position of the true canine 

 teeth in Carnivora; all the remaining teeth of the lower 

 jaw are implanted by two fangs each, the last three being 

 evidently true molars. The letters in cut 9 indicate the 

 classification of the Mole's teeth, according to the views 

 adopted by Professor Bell ;* the letter i indicating the 

 incisors ; c, the canines ; p, the premolars, and m, the true 

 molars. 



Professor de Blainville regards the upper canine as an 

 incisor ; I much regret that I have not hitherto had an 

 opportunity of examining a Mole young enough to shew 



* British Quadrupeds, p. 85. 



