148 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
I knew well enough that the male platypus has a spur—some- 
thing like a cock’s—near the heel on each hind leg which is con- 
nected to a poison gland. The spur carries a narrow channel 
through which the poison flows when ejected by muscular con- 
traction, and this functions in much the same way as the hollow 
fangs in a venomous snake. Opinions differ as to the exact function 
of the spur, but the fact that it occurs only in the male has caused 
Ne 
PLATYPUS 
some to attribute to it a secondary sexual significance. By others it 
is thought to be purely a defensive weapon brought into action 
only during the mating season. 
I had already handled several males which were as docile as kit- 
tens, so I was slightly off guard when the fisherman who brought 
this one took it out of a box and handed it to me. In fairness I 
must say that he was wearing thick leather gauntlets and told me 
to beware of the spur. I took it from him gently with my bare 
hands but at this moment it struggled and in a flash thrust its spur 
deep into my left hand. There was immediate intense pain and 
my hand began to swell. The pain continued all night and by 
morning the whole of my arm up to the shoulder was badly 
swollen. By putting my hand at intervals in very hot water the 
