ECHIDNA HYSTRIX. 803 



given, and accordingly he founded upon it a genus 

 which he calls Amhlotis.^ 



THE ECHIDNA. 



Echidna Hystrix. 



Plate XXXIII. 



Echidna Hystrix of Authors. 



Myrmecophaga aculeata, Shaw. Naturalist's Miscellany, Vol. 



iii., p. 109. General Zoology, Vol. i. part 1, p. 175 ; the 



Porcupine Anteater of the first of these works, and Aculeated 



Anteater of the second. 

 Ornithorhynchus Hystrix, Home. Anat. of the 0. Hi/stria; in 



Phil. Trans. 1802, p. 348. 

 Tachyglossus aculeatus, Illiger. 



This curious animal is ahout the size of the Hedge- 

 hog, which it also resembles in being covered with 

 spines ; the spines, however, are much stouter than 

 in that animal, and the long snout of the Echidna 

 would prevent it being mistaken even by a superficial 

 observer for the animal with which I have compared it. 



The head of the Echidna is elongated, and its eyes 

 are small; immediately in front of the eye, the muzzle, 

 which is rather depressed, is somewhat suddenly con- 

 tracted, thence it gradually diminishes in width to 

 the tip. In an adult specimen before me the width 



* Mr. J. Gray, during the time that the British Association 

 held its meeting at Newcastle, referred to this animal, and 

 pointed out this error to the Members of the Natural History 

 Section — See Report, Vol. vii., p. Ill, of the "Transactions 

 of the Sections." 



