382 



The Living Animals of the World 



particularly, with long, coarse, bristle-like hairs that intercross one another in all directions. 

 Neither is this tail used, as with the beaver, as a mason's trowel, it being simply subservient 

 as a steer-oar. The feet are all four distinctly webbed, the membranes of the front feet in 

 particular projecting to some distance beyond the extremities of the claws, and so com- 

 municating to these members a singular resemblance to the feet of a duck. The head of the 

 platypus tapers off from the body without any conspicuous neck, and terminates in a most 

 remarkable duck-like beak, having at its base a supplementary membranous ferrule-like structure 

 which would seem to serve the purpose of limiting the distance into which the beak of the 

 animal is thrust into the mud during the quest for its accustomed food, and at the same 

 time protecting the creature's eyes. The mouth of the adult platypus contains no teeth, 

 simply a few horny plates; but, singularly to relate, rudimentary teeth exist temporarily in the 

 young animals. These provisional teeth, moreover, correspond in a marked manner with those 

 of some ancient types of mammals which occur as fossils in the tertiary deposits of North 

 America. The platypus, with relation to the obliteration of its teeth in the adult state, 

 is regarded as a very exceptionally modified form and not as the immediate prototype of the 

 ordinary mammals. 



The platypus is found in Tasmania and in the south and eastern districts of Australia 

 only, being altogether unknown in the west and north. Being especially shy and retiring, 

 and to a large extent nocturnal in its habits, it is not frequently seen even in districts where 

 it may be rather abundant. The animal excavates burrows of so great a length as from thirty 

 to fifty feet in the river-banks that it frequents, and at the extreme end of these burrows it 

 constructs a loose nest of weeds and root-fibres, which it uses as its retreat, and also for the 

 production of its eggs and young. There are invariably two entrances to these burrows, the 

 one being under water, and the other usually opening into a tangle of brushwood at some 

 little distance from the water's edge. As many as from one to four eggs and young may be 

 produced at a time, but two is the more general number. From the first it would appear 

 that the eggs and young are deposited and nursed in the nest, not being retained or carried 

 about in a pouch, as observed of the echidna. 



The late Dr. George Bennett, of Sydney, New South Wales, has probably placed on record 

 the most detailed account of the ways and life-habits of these remarkable animals, though it did 

 not fall to him to solve the much-vexed question as to whether or not they were oviparous. 

 This discovery, as applied also to the like phenomenon in the case of the echidna, was the 

 outcome within quite recent years of the researches of Mr. Caldwell. After much indefatigable 



exploration, in which he was ably 

 assisted by the natives, Dr. Bennett 

 obtained from the extremity of an ex- 

 ceptionally long burrow a mother and 

 pair of half-grown young. The young 

 ones survived several weeks, and 

 proved most droll and interesting pets. 

 In playful habits they much resembled 

 puppies, chasing and rolling one 

 another over, and pretending to bite 

 with their toothless bills. They were 

 also much addicted to climbing every 

 scalable article of furniture, including 

 even a tall book-case, which they 

 would negotiate by "swarming" up 

 behind it as a sweep climbs a chimney, 



Photo ly D. Le Sou e f } [Melbourne. with their ^^ ^ ^ ^ ftnd their 



ECHIDNA, OE ANT-EATING PORCUPINE. ' f +V, V, V f fli "K V 



The female echidna can carry two eggs in her pouch, which in due course are hatched 



by the heat of her body. case. The sleeping and waking hours 



