242 NATURAL HISTORY ESSAYS 



top-heavy gait. Like the great anteater already- 

 described, this monotreme anteater recalled several 

 animals in one. Its bowed legs and padding gait 

 reminded one of a bear ; when standing still it often 

 raised itself high on its legs, the arched back and 

 long beak then absurdly suggesting a spiny elephant. 

 The echidna shivers and puffs like an armadillo and 

 like it examines every crevice of its cage with great 

 minuteness, at once attacking any weak spot. It 

 differs from that animal, however, in using one 

 forepaw only to prise open a crevice, standing 

 on the other meanwhile. The flexibility of the 

 echidna's clumsy wrist is quite surprising ; more 

 to be expected is the sinuosity of its long 

 tongue, which can be protruded a clear three 

 inches from the mouth and is freely used for exploring 

 crevices. The Amsterdam specimen lived at least 

 four years in the collection, thriving on a mixture of 

 beef, eggs, and milk. The writer observed another 

 echidna at Rotterdam, rolled up asleep. These 

 animals are often kept in the Australian zoological 

 gardens, being fed on bread and milk and finely 

 chopped eggs. As illustrating the abundance of 

 the spiny anteater in its own country, it may be 

 mentioned that a specimen was presented to the 

 Adelaide collection in July, 1899, a second in 

 the following August, a third in May, 1900, a 

 fourth in September, 1900, and a fifth in November 

 of the last-named year. At Melbourne similarly an 



