145 



September II, 1832. 

 Richard Owen, Esq., in the Chair. 



Dr. Weatherhead communicated to the Committee several extracts 

 from a letter which he had recently received from Lieutenant the 

 Hon. Lauderdale Maule of the 39th Regiment, now in New South 

 Wales. They referred to the habits and ceconomy of the Ornitho- 

 rhynchi. 



" During the spring of 1 83 1 ," writes Lieut. Maule, " being detached 

 in the interior of New South Wales, I was at some pains to discover 

 the truths of the generally accepted belief, namely, that the female 

 Platypus lays eggs and suckles its young. 



" By the care of a soldier of the 39th Regiment who was stationed 

 at a post on the Fish River, a mountain stream abounding with Pla- 

 typi, several nests of this shy and extraordinary animal were discoverd. 



"The Platypus burrows in the banks of rivers, choosing generally a 

 spot where the water is deep and sluggish, and the bank precipitous 

 and covered with reeds or overhung by trees. Considerably beneath 

 the level of the stream's surface is the main entrance to a narrow pas- 

 sage which leads directly into the bank, bearing away from the river 

 (at a right angle to it) and gradually rising above its highest water- 

 mark. At the distance of some few yards from the river's edge this 

 passage branches into two others which, describing each a circular 

 course to the right and left, unite again in the nest itself, which is a 

 roomy excavation, lined with leaves and moss, and situated seldom more 

 than twelve yards from the water, or less than two feet beneath the sur- 

 face of the earth. Several of their nests were, with considerable labour 

 and difficulty, discovered. No eggs were found in a perfect state, but 

 pieces of a substance resembling egg-shell were picked out of the 

 debris of the nest. In the insides of several female Platypi which 

 were shot, eggs were found of the size of a large musket-ball and 

 downwards, imperfectly formed however, i. e. without the hard outer 

 shell, which prevented their preservation." 



In another part of his letter Mr. Maule states, that in one of the 

 nests he was fortunate enough to secure an old female and two young. 

 The female lived for about two weeks on worms and bread and milk, 

 being abundantly supplied with water, and supported her young, as 

 it was supposed, by similar means. She was killed by accident on 

 the fourteenth day after her capture, and on skinning her while yet 

 warm, it was observed that milk oozed through the fur on the stomach, 

 although no teats were visiole on the most minute inspection : but on 

 proceeding with the operation two teats or canals were discovered, 

 both of which contained milk. 



The body of the individual last referred to (together with several 

 others) has" been preserved in spirit to be transmitted to Dr. Weather- 



