ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



We regret to 



THE PLATYPUS. OR DUCK-BILL 



iv that owing to the food habits of this most remarkable animal, it is never seen 

 mtside of Australia. There is little ground to hope that a living Platypus 

 can be brought to New York and shown in captivity. 



makes them dive out of sight. The male meas- 

 ures about eighteen inches, tail six inches. The 

 spur on its heel is larger than that on the fe- 

 male. The latter animal is about fourteen inch- 

 es in length. 



The most astounding feature of this animal is 

 the fact that it reproduces by laying eggs, and 

 hatching them. The shell of the egg is of a 

 tough, leathery texture, and from two to four 

 eggs are laid at a time. As the mother has no 

 pouch, she practically makes one by rolling her- 

 self up in her nesting chamber. She has no 

 nipples, but the mammery glands which are in 

 two groups, are underlying the skin on the un- 

 derside, and the milk is pressed out by a con- 

 traction of the muscles and the young takes its 

 food by applying its Hat face and tongue to the 

 lacteal surface. 



thing like that of the kangaroo. They have a 

 fair-sized pouch which opens backwards and 

 usually bear from one to two young at a time. 

 These animals resemble in form some of the 

 short-legged wolves, but have short, close hair. 

 During the day they generally sleep in hollow 

 logs, holes, under rocks, etc., and hunt their 

 prey in the evening and at night. They are not 

 very fleet of foot but have a keen scent and 

 usually spring on their prey, which consists, be- 

 sides the stock of settlers, of wallabies, rat- 

 kangaroos and other ground game. They swim 

 well and readily cross rivers in pursuit of their 

 prey, one having been recently observed swim- 

 ming a river after a wallaby; quickly overtaking 

 it. They are now found only in Tasmania, but 

 their bones have been found in Australia. Why 

 they disappeared from the mainland, it is dif- 

 ficult to saw 



TASMANIAN WOLF 



The Marsupial Wolf. ( Th niacin us cynoce- 

 phalu.s). These rare animals probabh will be- 

 come extinct before very long, as the settlers 

 are prejudiced against them on account of their 

 destruction of sheep and other stock. The dark 

 marks across the back as so very striking and 

 distinctive that the animal is usually called lo- 

 cally the Tasmanian Tiger. They utter a pecu- 

 liar coughing bark, rapidly repeated and some- 



TASMANIAN DEVIL 



The Tasmanian Devil, (Sarcophiltis iirxiiiits) 

 is strictly terrestrial and is now found only in 

 Tasmania, although formerly it was plentiful in 

 the southern districts of Victoria, judging by 

 the remains found. But that animal was appar- 

 ently extinct before the arrival of Europeans. 

 It is a strong but sluggish beast, it has pow- 

 erful canine teeth, and is a match for any ordi- 

 narv dog. It is carnivorous and can bite se- 



