

THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



MONOTBEMATA. 



THE Monotremata form an order which seems to connect 

 the true Mammalia with animals whose young are 

 produced from eggs. This group is almost entirely 

 limited, in geographical position, to Australia ; and at 

 present only two genera of this singular class is known : 

 namely, the Echidna (Fig. 5) or Porcupine Ant-eater, 

 and the Ornithorhyncus or Duck-billed Platypus. 



The Echidna is a little animal which is spread over 

 the sandy portions of Australia, but is seldom found in 

 the more northern parts. It feeds on ants and other 

 insects, for which it burrows with its strong claws and 

 beak-like nose ; and it gathers its prey into its mouth 

 by means of a very long tongue, somewhat like the Ant- 

 eater, of which a description is given on page 64. The 

 body is covered with stiff spines, like our Hedge-hog ; 

 in fact, the Australians generally call it by that name; and 

 it has the same habit which our little blackbeetle-eating 

 friend has of rolling itself up when alarmed. But it has 

 other means of protecting itself, for on soft soil it can dig 

 with such rapidity that it seems to sink into the ground as 

 if by magic. 



The Ornithorhyncus* or Duck-billed Platypusf (Fig. 6), 

 is such a strange creature, that it is said, when the first 

 one arrived in Europe, naturalists suspected that the 

 bill of a bird had been affixed to the head of the four- 

 footed animal by some artificial means ; but, however 

 curious it may appear, the union is a natural one ; in fact, 

 the whole structure of the animal is such that it has been 

 named " Ornithorhyncus paradoxus" It is called by the 

 natives of Australia the 'water mole, as it lives on the 



* From Oruis, Ornithos, a bird ; and rhynchos, a beak (Greek). 

 t From Flatus, flat ; and/owj, a foot (Greek). 



