Mr. Bennett on the Natural History of tJie Ornithorhynchus, 3 1 Iv 



Bennett determined to return to the interior and renew his investi- 

 gations. On the 15th of November he again arrived at Mundoona, 

 where he found that the river had fallen greatly, and sought in vain 

 for the Water-Moles in the spots in which they had a few weeks be- 

 fore been so abundantly seen. Some burrows were also examined, 

 but without success. On the 21st he proceeded to Gadarigby, on 

 the Murrumbidgee, where his exertions were more successful, seve- 

 ral specimens being obtained ; but the only female shot was young 

 and unimpregnated. On the 27th he returned to Mundoona^ where 

 a female had been shot the previous day, the uterine organs of 

 which afforded evidence that the young had been just produced. 

 The abdominal glands were large, but no milk could be expressed 

 from them ; the fur still covered the portion of integument on which 

 its ducts terminated ; and there was no appearance of projecting 

 nipple. No such projection was observed in any of the specimens 

 in which the secretion of milk was demonstrable. Two other females 

 were procured at the same place ; but both proved to be unimpreg- 

 nated. 



On the 8th of December Mr. G. Bennett quitted Mundoona for the 

 banks of the Murrumbidgee, and near Jugiong, on the latter river, 

 had an opportunity of inspecting the burrow of an Ornithorhynchus, 

 containing three young ones, which appeared to have not long pre- 

 viously been brought forth. They were only thinly covered with 

 hair and measured in length about H inch. No fragments of shells 

 were observable in the burrow, nor anything that could lead to the 

 supposition of the young having been excluded while yet in the egg. 

 A want of spirit in which to preserve these interesting specimens 

 unfortunately prevented their conveyance to Sidney. 



On the 28th of December the author visited apart of the WoUon- 

 dilly River, in the neighbourhood of Goulburn Plains, called by the 

 Natives Koroa, in order to explore the burrow of an Ornithorhyn- 

 chus which had there been discovered. The termination of this bur- 

 row was thirty-five feet from the entrance ; and Mr. G. Bennett states 

 that burrows have been observed of even fifty feet in length. It was 

 found to contain two young specimens, of the dimensions of 10 inches 

 from the beak to the extremity of the tail. The nest consisted of dry 

 river-weeds, the epidermis of reeds, and small dry fibrous roots, 

 strewed over the floor of the terminal cavity. An old female was 

 captured soon after on the banks of the river, in a ragged and 

 wretched condition, which was conjectured to be the mother. But 

 little milk could be pressed from her abdominal glands, as might have 

 been expected in the parent of such well- grown young ones. She 

 died at Mittagong, on the 1st of January, but the young ones sur- 

 vived until some time after their arrival in Sidney. 



Mr. G. Bennett proceeds to describe in detail their habits in a 

 state of captivity. Their various attitudes, when in a state of re- 

 pose, are strikingly curious, and were illustrated by the exhibition 

 of sketches made from the life. The young were allowed to run 

 about the room : but the old one was so restless, and damaged the 

 walls of the room so much by her attempts at burrowing, that it was 

 found necessary to confine her to the box.. During the day she would 



