THE ORNITHORHYNCHUS PARADOXUS. 243 
the whole art of capturing them, the distinct marks of the hind and fore feet of one 
of these animals on the moist clay near the river ; and afterwards inserting his hand up 
the burrow, brought from thence some lumps of clay taken from the under surface. 
These he regarded closely, and placing them in my hands pointed out recent impres- 
sions of the fore feet of one of the Mallangong tribe, which were certainly distinctly 
visible. He then removed some other pieces from the interior of the burrow, on which 
there were further proof impressions of the animal’s recent presence, and it was there- 
fore declared to be an inhabited one. I was anxious to explore it, but as Daraga said 
that no ‘‘pickaninnies”’ (eggs were not mentioned by him) would be found therein, 
nor “‘old women” either, I was overruled: indeed as respected the first, I was aware 
by the recent dissection of specimens that no young would be found at this early pe- 
riod of the season, and I depended on native accuracy for the living one not being in 
the burrow. This I afterwards regretted, for I subsequently procured a living female 
specimen by not relying on similar information given by the same native; and some 
time after, on exploring this burrow, I found it forsaken, the old one either having been 
killed or having deserted her habitation. 
Returning early in the evening from Mr. Manton’s, there was time to visit the banks 
of the Yas River at Mundoona ; and at 6 p.m. a female was seen and fired at, which 
laid it tranquil as if dead on the surface of the water. When brought out, however, it 
was found not to be quite dead ; and in a few minutes afterwards it revived, although 
severely wounded. By the time we had reached the house, the animal had become 
more recovered, ran rapidly (with a sidelong motion, on account of its wounded side,) 
about the room, and dashing in its passage through the burning wood fire, got much 
singed, but was not otherwise injured. It was extremely restless, and ran round and 
round the room, seeking some crevice from which it might escape: from the power 
which the animal possesses, by means of strong cutaneous muscles, to contract its loose 
integuments as well as its body, it can pass out of an aperture which, to a person igno- 
rant of these circumstances, it would appear impossible for it to force itself through. 
When I took it into my hand, it made strenuous efforts to escape from my grasp ; 
and from the flaccid nature of its skin, I found some difficulty in retaining it; but it 
made no attempt to bite or otherwise inflict injury : indeed, its weak mandibles would 
be useless for such a purpose. As the animal was so very restless, I tied it up by a 
string attached to the hind-leg ; but it still renewed the efforts to escape from its place 
of confinement, scratching very violently until it became exhausted, expelling air from 
the nostrils, and uttering also a faint moaning noise, which excited our pity. When 
I placed it in a bucket of water, it sank, but immediately afterwards came to the sur- 
face, expelling air from the nostrils: it appeared evident, that in its wounded condition 
it was unable to support itself in the water ; and in about two minutes, on taking it 
out, it was quite exhausted, and did not again move for several minutes. It died in the 
course of the night. 
VOL. I. 2k 
