MONOTREMATA. 141 



and eager to escape. The little ones were as frolic- 

 some as puppies, and apparently as fond of play ; 

 and many of their actions were not a little ludicrous. 

 During the day they seemed to prefer a dark corner 

 for repose, and generally resorted to the spot to 

 which they had been accustomed, although they 

 would change it on a sudden, apparently from mere 

 caprice. They did not appear to like deep water, 

 but enjoyed exceedingly a bathe in shallow water, 

 with a turf of grass placed in one corner of the pan : 

 they seldom remained longer than ten or fifteen 

 minutes in the water at one time. Though appa- 

 rently nocturnal, or at least preferring the cool and 

 dusky evening to the glare and heat of noon, their 

 movements in this respect were so irregular as to 

 furnish no grounds for a definite conclusion. They 

 slept much, and it frequently happened that one 

 slept while the other was running about, and this 

 occurred at almost all periods of the day. They 

 climbed with great readiness to the summit of a 

 book-case, placing their backs against the wall, and 

 their feet against the book-case ; and thus, by means 

 of their strong cutaneous muscles, and of their claws, 

 mounting with much expedition to the top. Their 

 food consisted of bread soaked in water, chopped 

 egg, and meat minced very small ; and they did not 

 seem to prefer milk to water. One of the young 

 ones died on the 29th January, 1833, and the other 

 on the 2nd February, having been kept alive in 

 captivity for nearly five weeks." 



