258 MR. G. BENNETT ON THE ORNITHORHYNCHUS PARADOXUS. 
meagre ; their coats lost the sleek and beautiful appearance which had before called 
forth so much admiration ; they ate little; yet they ran about the room as before and 
appeared lively. But these external symptoms argued strongly against their being in 
a state of health. When wet, their fur became matted, never appearing to dry so rea- 
dily as before ; and the mandibles, and indeed every part of the animal, indicated any- 
thing but a healthy condition. How different was their appearance now from the time 
when I removed them from the burrow : then their plump and sleek appearance roused 
even the apathetic blacks ; now the poor creatures could only excite commiseration for 
their reduced condition. The young female died on the 29th of January 1833, and the 
male on the 2nd of February, having been kept alive during the space of nearly five 
weeks, and thus my expectations of conveying them to England in a living state were 
frustrated. 
PLATE XXXIV. 
ORNITHORHYNCHUS PARADOXUS 
sketched in postures which it assumes while sleeping, partially awakened, combing 
itself, and feeding. 
