150 



MAMMALIAN DENTITION 



modern Englishmen, as Keith points out, possess upper incisors 

 which overlap the lower teeth. Hence in the development of 

 modern Europeans certain changes of quite marked extent have 

 occurred even in recent times. A prominent chin and capacious 

 tongue space are present in this as in all modern human skulls. 

 The canines are prominent, stump-like, non-projecting teeth 

 which do not stand out from the almost uniform contour of the 



Fig. 53. — Occlusal view of dentition of modern European (Skull 248, W.R.U.). Effect 

 of civilization uponj a dentition like that presented in Fig. 51. 



antemolar dental arch. The premolars are small and set rather 

 within the line of the molar teeth. The second premolar, hav- 

 ing its posterior moiety very slightly developed, appears small 

 beside the large and stable first molar. Of the molars the first 

 is the largest and the progressive reduction in size from before 

 backwards is Avell seen. The angle between the antero-posterior 

 axes of the first and second upper molars is quite apparent 

 but in the mandible the eruption of the corresponding teeth is 

 less regular. In all three upper molars the metacone is reduced: 



