77 6 THE ECHIDNA. 



iweep ascends the chimney. Its pace is not very swift, but it gets over the ground with 

 ease. The burrow in which the Mullingong lives is generally from twenty to forty feet 

 in length, and always bends upwards, towards a sort of chamber in which the nest is 

 made. This nest is of the rudest description, consisting of a bundle of dried weeds 

 thrown carelessly together. The burrow has a very evil odor, which is unpleasantly 

 adherent to the hand that has been placed within it. 



Owing to the extremely loose skin of the Mullingong, it can push its way through a 

 very small aperture, and is not easily retained in the grasp, wriggling without much 

 difficulty from the grip of the fingers. The loose skin and thick fur are also preventives 

 against injury, as the discharge of a gun which would blow any other animal nearly to 

 pieces, seems to take but little external effect upon the Duck-bill. The animal is, more- 

 over, so tenacious of life, that one of these creatures which had received the two charges 

 of a double-barreled gun, was able, after it had recovered from the shock, to run about 

 for twenty minutes after it had been wounded. 



The food of the Mullingong consists of worms, water insects, and little molluscs, which 

 it gathers in its cheek-pouches as long as it is engaged in its search for food, and then 

 eats quietly when it rests from its labors. The teeth, if teeth they may be called, of 

 this animal are very peculiar, consisting of four horny, channeled plates, two in each 

 jaw, which serve to crush the fragile shells and coverings of the animals on which it feeds. 

 It seems seldom to feed during the day, or in the depth of night, preferring for that 

 purpose the first dusk of evening or the dawn of morning. During the rest of the day 

 it is generally asleep. While sleeping, it curls itself into a round ball, the tail shutting 

 down over the head and serving to protect it. 



The young Mullingongs are curious little creatures, with soft, short flexible beaks, 

 naked skins, and almost unrecognizable as the children of their long-nosed parents. When 

 they attain to the honor of their first coat, they are most playful little things, knocking 

 each other about like kittens, and rolling on the ground in the exuberance of their 

 mirth. Their little twinkling eyes are not well adapted for daylight, nor from their 

 position can they see spots directly in their front, so that a pair of these little creatures 

 that were kept by Dr. Bennett used to bump themselves against the chairs, tables, or 

 any other object that might be in their way. They bear a farther similitude to the 

 cat in their scrupulous cleanliness, and the continual washing and pecking of their 

 fur. 



At the present time May, 1860 Dr. Bennett is endeavoring to accustom some 

 Duck-bills to a life of confinement, with a view to their transportation to England. A 

 very ingenious home has been constructed for them, precisely after the fashion of their 

 own burrow. The chief difficulty lies in feeding them, for the Mullingong requires its 

 food to be given at very frequent intervals, and soon perishes if not watched with the 

 utmost care. The precise range of the animal is not satisfactorily ascertained, but it 

 has never yet been seen in Southern Australia. 



The ECHIDNA is found in several parts of Australia, where it is popularly called 

 the hedgehog, on account of the hedgehog-like spines with which the baby is so thickly 

 covered, and its custom of rolling itself up when alarmed. A number of coarse 

 hairs are intermingled with the spines, and the head is devoid of these weapons. The 

 head is. strangely lengthened, in a manner somewhat similar to that of the ant-eater, 

 and there are no teeth of any kind in the jaws. 



The food of the Echidna consists of ants and other insects, which it gathers into its 

 mouth by means of the long extensile tongue. It is a burrowing animal, and is therefore 

 furnished with limbs and claws of proportionate strength. Indeed, Lieutenant Breton, 

 who kept one of these animals for some time, considers it as the strongest quadruped in 

 existence in proportion to its size. On moderately soft ground it can hardly be captured, 

 for it gathers all its legs under its body, and employs its digging claws with such 

 extraordinary vigor that it sinks into the ground as if by magic. The hind-feet are 

 employed by the animal for two purposes, i. e. locomotion and the offices of the toilet. 

 There is a spur on the hind part of the male similar to that of the duck-bill. The flesh 

 of the Echidna is very good, and it is said to resemble that of the sucking-pig. There is 



