Edinburgh journal of natural history Edinburgh journal of natural history and of the physical sciences edinburghjournal01macg Year: 1835 66 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY, Account of a PaETERNATuaAi. Growth of the Incisort Teeth of a Rab- bit In the class Rodentia of Cuvier, of which the Rabbit is a member, there not unfrequently occurs an extraordinary development of the incisory or cutting teeth. It is a well established point in physiology, that those teeth, like the tusks of the Elephant, are in a constant state of growth, and that they emanate from long roots nearly equal in le
Edinburgh journal of natural history Edinburgh journal of natural history and of the physical sciences edinburghjournal01macg Year: 1835 66 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY, Account of a PaETERNATuaAi. Growth of the Incisort Teeth of a Rab- bit In the class Rodentia of Cuvier, of which the Rabbit is a member, there not unfrequently occurs an extraordinary development of the incisory or cutting teeth. It is a well established point in physiology, that those teeth, like the tusks of the Elephant, are in a constant state of growth, and that they emanate from long roots nearly equal in length to the jaw; they curve backwards under the molar teeth, extending in some instances as far back as the coronoid process. Owing to this beauti- ful adaptation of Nature to the habits of the tribe, there is a constant, gradual ad- vancement of tho interior part of the teeth, to supply that portion worn down by friction, while the animal is feeding or gnawing substances—for which tha Rodentia have a strong propensity. Under ordinary circumstances, this gradual increase is so admirably regulated, that the cutting edges of tho two pair of incisory teeth uniformly preserve the same relative situation. The above figure represents the head of a wild Rabbit, which is preserved in the private museum of Mr Robert Frazer, jeweller, 17, St Andrew's Street, Edinburgh; with an extraoi-dinary elongation above the gums, of both the upper and under inci- sors, the former measuring an inch and five-eighths, and reaching considerably above the nostrils, while the latter is seven-eighths of an inch in length, and very much in- curved, so much so, that their points would nearly reach the palate when the mouth IS closed. The under incisors are also considerably bent, becoming gradually thinner and more depressed towards their points, where they are divergent, the inner sides being nearly a quarter of an inch apart at the tips. Their ordinary length in the wild Rabbit is about a quarter of an
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