ON THE YARA RIVER 107 



stay on the Upper Yara River. It was a walk of ten 

 or twelve miles, but the scenery was so fine we did 

 not consider the distance. 



The Yara, where we struck it, is a very crooked 

 river, flowing through a lovely green valley, its banks 

 fringed with gum and wattle trees. 



We saw many ducks on the shallow lagoons near the 

 river, and several of that strange mammal, the duck- 

 bill Platypus or Ornithorhynchus. 



They have webbed feet, and a bill very like a duck's, 

 but are covered with a soft, fine fur, and look, when in 

 the water, something like a muskrat. They live in 

 holes in the bank, the entrance being under water. 

 They are expert swimmers, and at the flash of a gun 

 dive like the loon; and although we had some very 

 good shots, we did not bag a specimen. I much 

 regretted this, as they are genuine curiosities. 



I shot one of the singular little emu wrens (Stipi- 

 turus malachurus') which are so rare and difficult to 

 find. He was not much larger than a humming-bird, 

 and was mottled-brown in color, with long, soft feath- 

 ers like fur, and a tail very like a sprig of dry grass. 



After wandering about the river until we were well 

 tired out, we applied at a neighboring farmhouse for 

 a night's lodging. A Fury, personified, with a lower 

 lip like the trap-door of a tarantula's nest, informed us 

 that it was the Lord's Day a fact that had not oc- 

 curred to us before ; further adding that she would 



