396 
THE  REV,  R.  T.  LOWE  ON  ALEPISAURUS. 
The  nostrils  are  placed  half  way  between  the  centre  of  the  pupil  and  tip  of  the  upper 
jaw,  a  little  above  a  line  drawn  horizontally  from  the  one  of  these  points  to  the  other. 
The  anterior  nostril  is  a  round  orifice,  the  posterior  a  curved  lunate  opening  close  be- 
hind it.  In  the  former  figure  they  were  overlooked,  or  quite  erroneously  represented 
as  a  single  orifice  near  the  tip  of  the  muzzle. 
In  the  upper  jaw  the  intermaxillary  bones  are  finely  and  closely  serrated  throughout, 
as  in  the  former  two  specimens  ;  the  anterior  teeth  being  rather  larger  than  the  hinder : 
and  in  front,  at  the  tip  of  the  muzzle,  there  is  a  pair  pointing  forwards  and  curving  a 
little  downwards,  one  on  each  side,  above  the  line  of  the  rest,  and,  as  it  were,  upon  the 
lip  itself.  The  palatine  bones  in  front  are  furnished  with  a  group  of  three  very  large 
recurved  lancet-shaped  teeth,  placed  in  a  triangle,  of  which  the  apex  is  directed  forwards  : 
proceeding  backwards  there  succeeds  a  vacancy ;  then  follows  on  each  side  a  single 
lancet-shaped  tooth,  not  much  more  than  half  the  size  of  those  of  the  group  in  front ; 
and  behind  this  a  row  of  seven  much  smaller,  close-set  teeth,  gradually  increasing  in  size 
backwards,  but  the  hindmost  not  above  half  the  length  of  the  single  one  immediately 
preceding  them.  All  these  are  fixed  immoveably  ;  but  upon  a  close  examination  were 
discovered,  lying  loose,  flat,  and  buried  amongst  the  skin  of  the  palate,  with  their  points 
directed  backwards,  three  more  long  lancet-shaped  teeth,  one  in  the  middle  of  the 
group  of  three  in  front,  a  second  in  the  interval  between  these  and  the  next  large  pa- 
latal tooth,  and  the  third  between  the  last-mentioned  tooth  and  the  row  of  seven  be- 
hind it.  Whether  they  were  originally  like  the  others,  fixed,  and  are  merely  loose  from 
injury  or  fracture,  or  are  properly  moveable  and  free,  I  can  scarcely  venture  to  decide. 
At  first  sight,  and  from  the  way  in  which  they  lie  amongst  the  loose  gelatinous  integu- 
ments of  the  palate,  with  no  appearance  of  a  regular  attachment  by  the  base,  their  con- 
dition seems  the  eflfect  of  accident.  Yet  it  would  be  difiicult  to  explain  perhaps,  on  the 
supposition  of  their  having  been  broken  off  by  violence,  either  the  regularity  of  their 
particular  direction,  or  the  perfect  condition  of  the  other  teeth. 
The  lower  jaw  is  in  this  specimen  rather  longer  than  the  upper.  It  is  obtuse  at  the 
point,  and  has  a  pair  of  rather  long  subcorneal  teeth  in  front  at  the  tip,  one  on  each 
side,  with  a  smaller  one  between  them  ;  and  below  these  on  the  tip  of  the  jaw,  quite  out- 
side the  mouth,  and  upon  or  half  way  down  the  tip  in  front,  or  as  it  were  upon  the  middle 
of  the  lower  lip,  there  is  a  single  smaller  conical  tooth,  pointing  forwards  but  curved 
upwards.  Behind  the  pair  of  teeth  first  mentioned,  there  extends  along  each  side  a  row 
of  five  much  smaller,  and  becoming  gradually  more  compressed ;  then  come  three  rather 
larger,  and  still  more  compressed ;  and  then  two  lancet-shaped  ones,  considerably  larger, 
particularly  the  last  of  the  two,  which  is  double  the  length  of  the  first,  and  equals  the 
single  palatal  one  behind  the  interval — into  which,  when  the  mouth  is  closed,  it  locks — 
above  mentioned  in  the  upper  jaw.  A  short  interruption  in  the  row,  or  a  vacant  inter- 
val, succeeds,  followed  by  a  close-set  series  of  eleven  short  but  broad,  triangular,  much 
compressed  teeth,  reaching  nearly  to  the  corners  of  the  gape,  which  in  the  present,  as 
well  as  in  both  the  former  specimens,  has  a  kind, of  internal  web  or  skin,  joining  one 
jaw  to  the  other,  which  extends  some  little  distance  forwards  towards  the  teeth  from 
