1 64 ANIMAL LIFE PAST AND PRESENT. 



From the appearance of this animal in the figure, 

 there would seem but little ground for classifying it in 

 the same group as the Duck-bill ; and it is mainly from 

 the evidence of the peculiar internal structure that the 

 two are put together in the zoological system. The 

 skull, in place of the expanded beak of the Duck-bill, 

 has a long slender cylindrical beak, covered with horn, 

 with the nostrils at the extremity. There are no 

 traces of teeth at any stage of existence ; and the 

 tongue is very long and slender, and capable of being 

 protruded for a considerable distance from the mouth, 

 to collect the ants on which the creature feeds. The 

 fur is more or less thickly intermingled with stout 

 spines, like those of a hedgehog ; the tale is rudimen- 

 tary; and the short limbs are furnished with stout 

 and extremely powerful claws, which may be either 

 three or five in number. 



In calling these animals Anteaters the reader will 

 bear in mind that they have nothing whatever to do 

 with the true Anteaters of South America, which 

 belong to the so-called Edentate order of Mammals ; 

 and that they are equally distinct from the Bandecl 

 Anteafer of Australia, which belongs to the Pouched 

 or Marsupial Mammals. In view of this similarity of 

 names it will perhaps be better if the Latin term 

 Echidna be taken as the popular as well as the 

 scientific name of the Spiny Anteaters. 



The Australian Echidna is characterised by having 

 five claws to each foot, and is subject to considerable 

 variation in size and colour, and also as to the relative 



