62 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



Tliis mode of climbing may probably be called into opera- 

 tion while the animal is engaged in ascending the almost 

 perpendicular part of the burrow, just above the water's edge. 



The whole life of this animal is very similar to that of the 

 musk-rat already mentioned, and is an alternation between the 

 water and the burrow. "While swimming, the animal hardly 

 looks like a living and breathing creature, but bears a great 

 resemblance to the loose bimdles of weeds that float vaguely on 

 the surface. Though decidedly aquatic in its habits, the Duck- 

 bill cannot withstand a very long immersion in the water ; and 

 Dr. Bennett found that few of them could endure an immersion 

 of fifteen, or at the most twenty minutes, without being much 

 fatigued by the exertions which they made iu order to keep 

 themselves afloat. Several persons who have procured living 

 specimens have drowned them by placing them in water from 

 which there was no mode of escape. 



TuKRE is another strange Australian animal, also remarkable 

 for its power of burrowing. This is the creature which is known 

 as the Porcupine Ant-eatee {Echidna hystrix), and is called by 

 the very erroneous names of Porcupine, or Hedgehog. The 

 natives have several names for it, some calling it Nicobejan, 

 others Jannocumbine, and others Cojera. 



Here I may mention the curious circumstance that in three 

 orders of animals, widely separated from each other in structure, 

 liabits, and locality, the hairs of the back are greatly enlarged, 

 and developed into stout and sharp spines. There are several 

 species of hedgehog, natives of Europe, and the Tanrecs of 

 Madagascar, all insectivorous animals; there are the various 

 porcupines which inhabit Africa, Asia, Southern Europe, and 

 America, and belong to the rodent group; and there is the 

 Echidna, one of the monotrematous animals, which is found only 

 in Australia. 



The Echidna is a wonderful burrower, and, in spite of its small 

 size, can make its way through very hard ground. It can pull up 

 stones of great size if it can only contrive to insert its paws and 

 find a convenient cievice for them, and is so quick at this task 

 that to confine the animal is by no means an easy matter, even a 

 paved yard affording but a poor safeguai'd against its escape. 

 In the open country it digs with such extreme rapidity that it 



