MONOTKEMES. 



71 



legs and tail being very long and powerful, and the fore 

 legs very short, weak, and but little used in locomotion, 

 which is accomplished by leaps of enormous extent. 

 They live in troops, feed upon vegetation, and are harm- 

 less and easily tamed. They vary in size from that of 

 a Rabbit to that of a Deer. 



Wombat. 



Fig. 100. - 



■Skull ofWombat. 



The Wombat is a curious Australian animal, three feet 

 long. Its habits are not unlike those of the Wood- 

 chuck : it feeds upon grass, and burrows in the ground. 



MONOTREMES. 



These are animals which vary much from all other 

 Mammals, having their organic structure in some re- 

 spects much like that of Birds. They belong to Aus- 

 tralia and adjacent islands. One of the most interesting 



Fig loi — DutkbiU, or Platjpus. 



kinds is called the Duckbill, or sometimes Platypus. 

 Its muzzle is flat and appears very much like that of a 

 Duck, its legs are short, its feet webbed, and its body is 



