ECHIDNAS. 



287 



has the elongated cylindrical form characterising anteaters of all kinds. The skull 

 is devoid of all traces of teeth, and remarkable for the slenderness of its 

 lower jaw, and its generally bird-like form. Although there is nothing corre- 

 sponding to the horn}' plates of the mouth of the duckbill, both the palate and the 

 tongue are thickly beset with small spines. The body of the echidnas is remark- 

 ably broad and depressed, with a sharp line of division between the spine-covered 

 area of the back and the hairy under-parts. The tail is a mere stump ; and the 

 short and sturdy limbs are armed with enormously powerful claws, varying in 

 number from three to live on each foot. Although the front-feet are applied to 

 the ground in the usual way, the hind-feet, in walking, have the claws turned 

 outwards and backwards. The males resemble those of the duckbill in having a 

 hollow spur at the back of the hind-foot, which is probably employed as a weapon 

 in the contests between rival males during the breeding-season. The brain of 

 the echidnas differs from that of the duckbill in that the surface is extensively 

 convoluted. 



The common echidna {Echidna aculeata), is a variable species, found in 

 Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea ; and characterised by having five toes 



SKELETON OF ECHIDNA. 



on each foot, all provided with claws ; those on the fore-feet being broad, while 

 the others are narrow and more curved. In length the beak is about equal to 

 that of the remainder of the head; and it is either straight or slightly turned 

 upwards. The smallest variety inhabits Port Moresby, in New Guinea, and 

 attains a length of about 14 inches; its distinctive feature being the shortness 

 of the spines on the back. The variety from the Australian mainland is 

 larger, and the spines are of great length. Larger than either is the Tasmanian 

 variety, in which the length may be 19 inches ; the very short spines on the back 

 being partially or completely hidden by the fur, the dark brown hue of which 

 is frequently relieved by a white spot on the chest ; while the beak is unusually 

 short. 



The three-toed Echidna (Proechidna brmjnii), of North- Western New 

 Guinea, is larger than any of these. Usually it has but three claws to each foot, 

 but there is considerable variation in this respect, one specimen having five 

 claws on the front, and four on the hind-feet. The beak is bent downwards, 

 and attains a length equal to about double that of the rest of the head. The 

 short spines are generally white, and the colour of the fur is dark brown or black, 

 although the head may be almost white. 



Echidnas are fossorial and mainly nocturnal animals frequenting rocky 



