6918 Quadrupeds. 



upon the banks. On retiring to their burrows to repose, they roll 

 themselves up like furred balls. 



January 2nd. The female appeared quite exhausted this evening. 

 On being placed in the water, it paddled feebly about, and then, 

 dropping its head, sank. On removing it I found it was dead. It 

 appeared, on examination, to be in poor condition. 



January 3rd. The male does not appear to be thriving, but I have 

 now a large tub prepared for his reception, in which I have made the 

 following arrangements. The tub is 3 feet 6 inches in length by 1 foot 

 9 inches broad, and 2 feet deep. At one end I have had a wooden 

 enclosure made, which was partially filled with earth and a sprinkling 

 of straw ; this attempt to imitate the burrow was 12 inches deep and 

 15 inches in length. I then placed sand from a pond a few inches 

 deep in the tub, in which I planted some fresh plants of Damasonium 

 ovatum and other river plants from a pond in the Botanic Gardens. 

 The tub was filled with water up to an inclined plane, which was turfed 

 like a bank ; a level space was also left, on which turf was placed, so 

 that the animal might repose and clean himself on emerging from the 

 water. On placing the male into it he dived down and seemed to 

 enjoy himself very much. He was still lively, lying upon the surface 

 of the water, and scratching himself, and again diving and swimming 

 among the weeds ; he then went upon the level bank and again plunged 

 into the water : after remaining there for nearly an hour, sometimes 

 upon the surface, and often for a long time under water, he found his 

 way into the burrow, where he remained. I covered the whole of the 

 cage with zinc wire, by which means he had light and air, and we 

 could observe all his actions. This was to prevent his escape, as he 

 could readily have climbed up the surface of the tub. There are 

 openings at each end of the cask, by which means we could draw off 

 all the dirty stagnant water and replace it with clean as often as was 

 required. I fed the animal on meat minced very small, and then thrown 

 into the water. 



Both of these animals were captured in a net. The man who took 

 them stated he had kept two alive for fourteen days, feeding them upon 

 river-mussels, which he broke and gave them in the water ; that they 

 seemed to thrive very well ; and that he supposed that they fed upon 

 these mussels, as they had been in good health, their death having been 

 occasioned by accident. 



It surprises many why these animals, when captured in a net and 

 left all night, are found drowned in the morning. It is my opinion 

 that when one of these animals is captured in a net (as was the case 



