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Nor is it perhaps mucli more to the purpose to ask : If the 

 spur and its accompanying gland are not intended as weapons, 

 what object are they intended to effect. They may be con- 

 nected with a sexual object, an opinion which Owen is 

 evidently inclined to adopt. The gland is situated very near 

 the organs of generation, and Bennett suggests that the hollow 

 which takes the place of the spur in the female may not 

 improbably serve for the reception of the spur of the other 

 sex. 



It is further conceivable that the fluid in the gland may at 

 this time of the year have some peculiarly acrid or irritant 

 property, and when injected into the human body may pro- 

 duce symptoms similar to those of a true poison. 



This is emphatically the season of love among the lower 

 animals. Dr. Bennett notes in his dissections of male Platypi, 

 that during September and October the testes resembled 

 pigeons eggs in size, whereas later in January and February 

 they were not larger than small peas. 



May not the season also account for the ease with which 

 the animal was originally captured, knowing as we do how 

 utterly reckless and blind to danger the lower animals often 

 become under this great excitement, and also for the ferocity 

 which it displayed after it was taken, so different to the stupid 

 demeanour which generally characterises it ? 



One more suggestion has been made in reference to the use 

 of the spur, which I will give in Baden Powell's words: — 

 " The blunt nature of the spur in older individuals, together 

 with the fact that the Platypus is especially fond of cleaning 

 itself with its hind legs, has led some to suppose that the 

 juice ejected from the spur is of use for the toilet. But then 

 why should the male have so great an advantage over the 

 female in the province of hair dressing ? Why should the 

 husband have the use of pomade, and possibly insect powder 

 combined, while the wife has to content herself with water 

 and vigorous brushing ? " I may add to this that that orni- 

 thorhyncbian hair oil must be of a singularly acrid and un- 

 pleasant nature to produce such effects, when applied inwardly, 

 as we have seen to occur in Mr. Simson's case. 



This is all I have been able to bring together anent Platypus 

 and his spur, and little enough it is. I dare say when Aus- 

 tralia is more settled, and Ornithorhynchus has been improved 

 off the face of the earth, biologists will have leisure and 

 thought to bestir themselves to enquire into the matter. Just 

 as now we are searching for Dodo's bones, and writing books 

 about them, and doing work which ought to have been done 

 two centuries ago. 



I have recommended Mr. Simson if he captures a second 



