1880.] 



DENTAL CHARACTERS OF THE CANID^. 



269 



we have seen, has commenced even in Otoeyon. And I think 

 there can be no reasonable doubt that the occasional appearance of 

 an extra molar in domestic dogs is not a monstrosity, but a reversion 

 to the earlier and more complete dentition of the primitive stock of 

 the Canidse. 



In Icticyon the dentition is modified in the opposite direction, by 

 the suppression of ^-3 and the reduction of '-^^. Indeed this tooth 

 was supposed to be absent altogether, until Professor Flower recently 

 observed it in a specimen which has already been the subject of a 

 communication to the Society. 



I am greatly obliged to the President for enabling me give a figure 

 of the skull (fig. 15) and teeth (fig. 16) of the specimen in question, 

 which, though not quite fully adult, has the complete permanent 

 dentition. 



Fig. 16. 



Upper (A) and lower (B) ebeek-teeth of Icticyon vcnaticus ; 0, the rigbt lower 

 sectorial and second molar, from within ; D, the right upper sectorial, from 

 within ; a, the accessory cusp ; the inner anterior cusp is not sufficiently 

 well defined. 



In the following table of measurements I add those of an imperfect 

 skull in the British Museum. 



Table XIV. — Cranial and Dental Measurements of 

 Icticyon Yenaticus. 



I. 



Total length 118 



Length of palate 56 



Breadth „ 40 



Length of basicranial axis . . 52 

 ^^^ 11-5 



II. 



59 

 41 



13 



