THE ECHIDNAS 1459 



beak-like snout, covered with skin, at the extremity of which are situated the small 

 nostrils. There are no external conchs to the ears, but the eyes are of fair size. 

 The opening of the mouth is very small, and the extensile tongue has the elongated 

 cylindrical form characterizing ant-eaters of all kinds. The skull is devoid of all 

 traces of teeth, and remarkable for the slenderness of its lower jaw, and its generally 

 bird -like form. Although there is nothing corresponding to the horny plates of the 

 mouth of the duckbill, both the palate and the tongue are thickly beset with small 

 spines. The body of the echidnas is remarkably broad and depressed, with a sharp 

 line of division between the spine-covered area of the back and the hairy under 

 parts. The tail is a mere stump, and the short and sturdy limbs are armed with 

 enormously-powerful claws, varying in number from three to five on each foot. 

 Although the front-feet are applied to the ground in the usual way, the hind-feet, 

 in walking, have the claws turned outward and backward. The males resemble 

 those of the duckbill in having a hollow spur at the back of the hind-foot, which is 

 probably employed as a weapon in the contests between rival males during the breed- 

 ing season. The brain of the echidnas differs from that of the duckbill in that the 

 surface is extensively convoluted. 



SKELETON OF ECHIDNA. 



The common echidna {Echidna aculeata), is a variable species, found in 

 Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, and characterized by having five toes on 

 each foot, all provided with claws; those on the fore- feet being broad, while the 

 others are narrow and more curved. In length the beak is about equal to that of 

 the remainder of the head, and it is either straight or slightly turned upward. The 

 smallest variety inhabits Port Moresby, in New Guinea, and attains a length of 

 about fourteen inches; its distinctive feature being the shortness of the spines on 

 the back. The variety from the Australian mainland is larger, and the spines are 

 of great length. Larger than either is the Tasmanian variety, in which the length 

 may be nineteen inches; the very short spines on the back being partially or com- 

 pletely hidden by the fur, the dark brown hue of which is frequently relieved by a 

 white spot on the chest; while the beak is unusually short. 



The three- toed echidna, (Proechidna brmjnii), of the northwestern part of New 

 Guinea, is larger than any of these. Usually it has but three claws to each foot, 

 but there is considerable variation in this respect, one specimen having five claws 

 on the front, and four on the hind-feet. The beak is bent downward and attains a 

 length equal to about double that of the. rest of the head. The short spines are 



