?34 NATURAL HISTORY ESSAYS 



during life with a bluish skin. The tongue is long, 

 flexible, and red (not purple as in the great anteater) : 

 the salivary glands are immensely developed. The 

 eyes are small, with a pale blue iris ; the ears 

 in a specimen now before me are without an 

 external conch, and the aural aperture is hidden by 

 a spiny ckevaux de frise. The whole of the upper 

 part of the body, indeed, bristles with a panoply of 

 short quills which extends well down the sides : the 

 tail is practically a burr armed with very convincing 

 thorns. The under parts are clothed with thick, 

 coarse hair : the forelegs are much bowed in front, 

 and the hind ones in male subjects carry a short 

 spur on the heel. The claws are powerful, 

 broad, and flat. In the true echidna they are five in 

 number and form a very effective natural rake. In 

 colour this animal is of a general blackish brown 

 hue ; the spines being yellowish at their bases, and 

 black at the tips, thus somewhat recalling (save for 

 their shortness) those of porcupines. The coarse fur 

 of the under surface is blackish brown. 



The echidna inhabits Tasmania, Australia and 

 New Guinea. Attempts have been made to separate 

 various sub-species according to the amount of 

 admixture of hair with the spines. Thus the 

 Tasmanian race (the largest) is darker than the 

 others, owing to the furry coat which, doubtless 

 developed by reason of its more southern habitat, 

 almost swamps the scanty spines. The Aus- 



