TO MAMMALS. Ill 



called enamel, coats the tooth, and penetrates into it in some ; whilst 

 in a few a third substance is added, called crusta petrosa, or cement. 



A tooth consists of two parts, a crown, or external portion, and 

 a root, which is fixed in the socket. The root is either real or ficti- 

 tious, in the latter case being merely a continuation of the crown, 

 and continuing to grow for an indefinite period, as in the tusk of 

 the Elephant, and the quasi-incisors of Rodents. Certain teeth are 

 deciduous, and fall or are pushed out (after a longer or shorter period) 

 by their successors. Others are permanent, and from their first ap- 

 pearance are never succeeded by others. The first are often called 

 milk-teeth, but in some animals they are shed before birth, and in 

 others not till a late period of life. They are never (or very rarely) 

 renewed more than once, in this dififering essentially from the teeth 

 of Reptiles and Fishes, which are being continually shed and re- 

 newed. 



Teeth vary much in number among Mammals, and are entirely 

 wanting in a very few. In the more perfect animals they are of four 

 kinds, viz.. Incisors, Canines, Premolars or false molars, and Molars. 

 Incisors are situated in the front of each jaw, in the intermaxillary 

 bones, and corresponding portion of the lower jaw. They never 

 exceed six above and six below, except in Marsupial animals. They 

 are sometimes wanting in the upper jaw, as in Ruminating animals, 

 and entirely in Ant-eaters and Armadillos. They vary much in form 

 and size, and in many Bats are unequal in number in the upper and 

 lower jaws. 



The Canine teeth are one on each side of the incisors, both above 

 and below, and are also fixed in the intermaxillary bone. They 

 usually, except in Man and one or two others, succeed the incisors 

 after more or less interval. They are absent in several animals, 

 especially among the Ruminants, but are present in some of that 

 order. In some they occur only in the males, in others they are 

 larger in that sex, and in a few are very largely developed. The 

 praemolars are those next the canines, and like them and the incisors, 

 are deciduous, and succeeded by others. They vary greatly in 

 form and size, being unicuspid in some, bicuspid in others. They 

 are not found amongst Rodents, but in these animals they are present 



