THE DUCKBILL. 71 



of the burrow, and well supplied with dry weeds and grasses, upon 

 which the young may rest. They appear to remain in these bur- 

 rows until they have attained half their full growth, for Dr. Ben- 

 nett captured .a pair of young Duckbills, ten inches in length, 

 which seemed not to have left the burrow. Sometimes there are 

 four young in one nest, and sometimes there is only one, but the 

 usual number is two. 



The Duckbill is a far more active animal than could be con- 

 ceived merely by looking at its form. It is very powerful in pro- 

 portion to its size, so strong, indeed, that it can not be held in the 

 hands without great difficulty, slipping through the grasp almost 

 as if it were oiled. The loosely-hanging integuments aid it in 

 this method of escape, and under them may be felt the powerful 

 subcutaneous muscles working with vast energy. It is an admi- 

 rable climber, not only in its wild state, but among civilized ob- 

 jects. Dr. Bennett found that a pair of tame Duckbills, which 

 he kept for some time, were in the habit of clambering to the tops 

 of bookshelves and other articles of furniture, achieving this feat 

 by a process similar to that which is employed by chimney-sweep- 

 ers, and those whose business calls upon them to ascend narrow 

 perpendicular passages — namely, by placing their backs against 

 the wall and their feet against the bookcase, and so working their 

 way upward, in a strictly vermicular fashion. 



I remember that during my childhood I was frequently found 

 upon the roof of a stable by my parents,-who could not conceive 

 the method by which so small a boy could have reached so great 

 an altitude. The fact was, that a summer-house had been built 

 within a foot or two of the stable-wall, so that by means of placing 

 my feet against one wall and my back against the other, I was 

 soon deposited on the roof of the summer-house. A jump and a 

 clutch then transferred me to the stable-roof, where the grapes grew ; 

 whereby was manifested the practical advantage of watching the 

 climbing boys ascend the chimney. 



This mode of climbing may probably be called into operation 

 while the animal is engaged in ascending the almost perpendicu- 

 lar part of the burrow, just above the water's edge. 



The whole life of this animal is very similar to that of the 

 musk-rat, already mentioned, and is an alternation between the 

 water and the burrow. While swimming, the animal hardly 

 looks like a living and breathing creature, but bears a great re- 

 semblance to the loose bundles of weeds that float vagrielv in the 



