212 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



extensile; it is the instrument with which the Echidna captures 

 its tiny prey. The queer little animal digs into the nests of ants 

 and termites ("White Ants"), and with its whip-lash tongue sweeps 

 up the inmates by hundreds. Observers state that the tongue, which 

 is coated with sticky saliva, is thrust into the breach in the nest and 

 drawn back into the Echidna's mouth when covered with ants. 

 The Echidna is a clumsy-looking creature and it moves over the 

 ground at a ludicrous, shambling walk. But when it comes to 

 burrowing the Echidna has no peer for celerity. When burrowing 

 in soft soil it works so quickly and its powerful claws are such 

 perfect fossorial appliances that the animal seems to sink into the 

 ground as though it were in a quicksand. The Native Porcupine, 

 which is nocturnal in habit, will, if attacked, roll itself up like a 

 Hedgehog, the sharp spines forming a defensive armour, beneath 

 which the vulnerable parts of the animal are secure. 



