54: 



ODONTOGRAPHY. 



General The dental system of the Mastodon is a subject of much interest. The 



Remarks. 



form, number, and structure of the teeth have materially aided in dis- 

 tinguishing the different members of the elephantine family. Hence it has 

 happened, that these organs have received an earlier, more full and exact 

 investigation than any other parts of the skeleton ; and this investigation 

 has been favored by the great number of teeth which have been discovered, 

 and their good state of preservation. 



Elephant. Before describing the teeth of the Mastodon, it will be useful to take 

 a transient view of those in another member of the proboscidian family, 

 the only living one known to us, the elephant. As the teeth of the latter 

 are composed of numerous lamella?, this animal has been denominated 

 by De Blainville, Elephas Lamellidontos ; while the Mastodon, from the 

 nipple-shaped eminences of its teeth, has been denominated Elephas Masto- 

 dontos. The lamellated arrangement of the elephant is readily distinguished, 



Lameiia?. on inspecting the cutting surface of the worn teeth, by the layers of the 

 whiter substance, the enamel, which, in the Asiatic species, has the form 

 of a flattened oval, and in the African a lozenge-like shape. This lamellated 

 arrangement is most distinctly observed in the posterior part of the jaw 



