1204 TEMPERATURE OF BODY OF ORA'ITHORHYNCHUS PARADOXUS, 



ON THE TEMPERATURE OF THE BODY 

 OF ORNITHORHYNCHUS PARADOXUS. Blumenb. 



By N. de Miklouho-Maclay. 



The low temperature of the body of Echidna hystrix (28° C. or 

 82°, 4 F.), (1) as compared with that of other mammals made me 

 desirous of ascertaining also the temperature of Ornithorhynchus 

 paradoxus. Through the kindness of Mr. Win. Macleay, to whom 

 a specimen of this animal has been sent alive from Penrith, I had 

 the opportunity a few days ago of making the desired observation. 



The elongated narrow bulb of a sensitive thermometer (2) having 

 been introduced into the cloaca of the animal (a young g) the 

 mercury gradually rose to 24°, 4 C. (or 75", 9 F.), and remained 

 stationary. The water in the tub in which the animal was kept, 

 had a temperature under 23° C. (73°, 6 F.), and the temperature 

 of the air in the room (observed with another thermometer) was 

 20°, C. Cor 68° F.) 



The thermometer having remained in the cloaca not more than 

 two minutes, it appeared to me that a slight possibility of a higher 

 temperature of the body of the Ondthorhynchus was not quite 

 excluded. I was therefore very glad to have a chance of trying 

 the same experiment again on the same animal two days later. 



This time I let the thermometer remain in the cloaca, over 

 5 min. and obtained the temperature of 25° 2 C. (or 77° 3 F.), the 

 temperature of the air being that afternoon 23° O. (73°, 6 F.), and 

 of the water of the tub. 24 Q 3 C. (75° 8 F.) 



(1.) My paper on the temperature of the body of Echidna hystrix. Cuv. 

 Proceed. Linn. Soc. of N.S.W. Vol. 8, p. 425. 



(2.) The scale of the thermometer used (of Patz and Foehr in Berlin), was 

 divided into degrees (centigrade) from 24° to 46° C. The tenths of a degree 

 were carefully and distinctly marked on the scale. 



