﻿236 Allen's naturalist's library. 



the long grass, displayed the entrance of the burrow, distant 

 rather more than a foot from the water's edge. In digging up 

 this retreat, the natives had not laid it entirely open, but had 

 delved holes at certain distances, always introducing a stick 

 for the purpose of ascertaining the direction in which the bur- 

 row ran, previously to again digging down upon it. By this 

 method they were able to explore its whole extent with less 

 labour than if it had been entirely laid open. The termination 

 of the burrow was broader than any other part, nearly oval in 

 form ; and the bottom was strewn with dry river-weeds, &c., a 

 quantity of which still remained. From this place my sable 

 friend said he had taken last season three young ones, which 

 were about six or eight inches long, and covered with hair. 

 The whole of the burrow was smooth, extending about twenty 

 feet in a serpentine direction up the bank. . . . The bur- 

 rows have two entrances — one usually at about the distance of 

 a foot from the water's edge, and another under the water. It 

 is, no doubt, by the entrance under the water that the animal 

 seeks refuge within its burrow, when it is seen to dive and not 

 to rise again ; and when the poor hunted quadruped is unable 

 to enter or escape from the burrow by the upper aperture, it 

 has recourse to the river-entrance." 



As a rule, the burrows of the Duck-bills are situated above 

 the usual level of the river, but do not appear to be out of the 

 reach of the floods which are so common during the winter. 

 At the breeding season the terminal chamber of the burrow is 

 Hned with a layer of dried grass and weeds, upon which the 

 white eggs, usually two in number, are deposited. Here the 

 eggs are hatched out by the female pirent brooding upon them 

 after the manner of a bird ; the pouch on the under surface of 

 her body being never sufficiently large to contain the eggs. 

 After their emergence from the shell the naked and helpless 

 young are nourished by their parent in the manner already 



