1204 TEMPERATURE OF BODY OF OEKITHORHYNCHUS PARADOXUS, 



ON THE TEMPERATURE OF THE BODY 

 OF ORNITHORHYNCHUS PARADOXUS. Bluinenb. 



By N. de jMiklouho-Maclay. 



The low temperature of the body of Echidna hystrix (28° C. or 

 82°, 4 F.), (1) as compared with that of other mammals made me 

 desii'ous of ascertaining also the temperature of Ornithorhynchus 

 paradoxus. Through the kindness of Mr. Wm. Macleay, to whom 

 a specimen of this animal has been sent alive, from Penrith, I had 

 the opportunity a few days ago of making the desired observation. 



The elongated narrow bulb of a sensitive thermometer (2) having 

 been inti-oduced into the cloaca of the animal (a young $) the 

 mercury gradually rose to 24'^, 4 0. (or 75°, 9 F.), and remained 

 stationary. The water in the tub in which the animal was kept, 

 had a temperature under 23° C. (73"^, 6 F,), and the temperature 

 of the air in the room (observed with another thermometer) was 

 20°, C. Cor 68° F.) 



The thermometer having remained in the cloaca not more than 

 two minutes, it appeared to me that a slight possibility of a higher 

 temperature of the body of the Ornithorhynchus was not quite 

 excluded. I was therefore very glad to have a chance of trying 

 the same experiment again on the same animal two days later. 



This time I let the thermometer remain in the cloaca, over 

 5 min. and obtained the tempei-ature of 25° 2 C. (or 77° 3 F.), the 

 temperature of the air being that afternoon 23° O. (73°, 6 F.), and 

 of the water of the tub. 24° 3 C. (75° 8 F.) 



(1.) My paper on the temperature of the body of Echidna hystrix. Cuv. 

 Proceed. Linn. Soc. of N.S.W. Vol. 8, p. 425. 



(2. ) The scale of the thermometer used (of Patz and Foehr in Berlui), was 

 divided into degrees (centigrade) fi'om 24° to 46° C. The tenths of a degree 

 were carefully and distinctly marked on the scale. 



