The bony palate forms the vaulted roof of the mouth, the central and posterior parts of which are nearly horizontal; and on all sides, except at the back, it is bounded by the alveolar ridge. Into its formation several bones enter; in the adult skull one usually sees posteriorly a cruciform suture indicating the limits of the superior maxillæ and palate bones; but even in the adult, evidence is forthcoming in the existence of traces of sutures to indicate that the anterior part of the palate is formed independently of the part immediately behind it. Thus Mr. Carless tells me that a cursory examination by him of a few dozen adult skulls picked up at random in the Museum of the College of Surgeons revealed the fact that in quite one half of them traces of sutures could be seen extending outwards from the posterior part of the anterior palatine canal; and a similar examination by him of 40 skulls from the Museum of King’s College of many nations and various ages showed a similar result. In almost all there was distinct evidence of the suture in the median line; in 21, the maxillo-intermaxillary suture was indicated; whilst in 10 skulls, representing the period from infancy to young adult life, both the above were seen in all, and 7 showed traces in addition of a suture placed between them on either side, and which we shall describe hereafter as the endo-mesognathic. Kölliker[34] similarly records that out of 325 adult skulls examined, 96 of them showed definite traces of the maxillo-intermaxillary suture. Albrecht[35] declares that nine tenths of the skulls in the Königsberg and Kiel Museums from children under five years of age reveal the existence of _five_ intermaxillary sutures, proving that there are four separate portions to the so-called intermaxilla. Each portion carries an incisor tooth, and the canine is developed immediately at the junction between the outer portion and the maxilla. Occasionally there are three incisors on each side, the jaw being then called hexaprodontous; the extra tooth is developed from the inner segment of the intermaxilla (or endognathion), the outer segment (or mesognathion) carrying as usual only the lateral incisor. The accompanying illustrations well indicate this arrangement of sutures and teeth (Figs. 26 and 27); the importance of these facts will be emphasized later. All traces of the facial aspect of these sutures disappear quite early in life. [Illustration: FIGS. 26 AND 27.—Diagrams to represent the normal human upper jaw of a child, with four and six incisors respectively, and also indicating the five intermaxillary sutures. (After _Albrecht_.) EG, MG, XG. Endo-, meso-, and exo-gnathion. _e._ Inter-endognathic suture. _f._ Endo-mesognathic suture. _g._ Exo-mesognathic suture. _i₁._ Central incisor. _i₂._ Lateral incisor. _iₐ._ Accessory incisor. _c._ Canine. _m₁._ First temporary molar. _m₂._ Second temporary molar.]