89 
ECHIDNA. 
Ecuipna, Duméril. 
OrnitHoRHYNcHUS, Home. 
Myrmecopuaca, Shaw. 
CHARACTER GENERICUS. 
Corpus spinis, pilisque tectum, antice rostro subdepresso 
angusto terminatum ; pedes quatuor ; antici digitis quin- 
que ; postici quatuor calceque instructi. 
Os molaribus simplicibus instructum. 
Ozs. Mamme nulle. Labia carnosa nulla. Palatum cor- 
neum. Meatus auditorius externus nullus. 
ECHIDNA. 
GENERIC CHARACTER. 
Body covered with spines and hair, anteriorly terminated 
by a narrow subdepressed beak ; /egs four; anterior with 
five, posterior with four toes and a heel. 
Mouth furnished with simple grinding teeth. 
Ozs. No mammez. No fleshy lip. Palate horny. No exter- 
nal ear. 
The male of this genus, like the Ornithorhynchus, has a 
spur on each of its ninder legs, close to the heel. 
The situation of the genera Ornithorhyncus and Echidna 
in the system of nature, has perplexed naturalists, the 
greater portion of whom refer them to the class Mamma- 
lia. Sir Everard Home is the only author who has decid- 
edly given it as his opinion, that they should constitute a 
N 
