THE ECHIDNAS. 



219 



examined without evincing any signs of annoyance. 

 One evening botl* the little pets came out about 

 dusk, went as usual and ate food from a saucer, and 

 then commenced playing like two puppies, attacking 

 each other with their mandibles, raising their fore- 

 paws, and tumbling one over the other. . . . 

 In the struggle one would get thrust down; and at 

 the moment when the spectator would expect it to 

 rise again and renew the combat, it would com- 

 mence scratching itself, its antagonist looking on 

 and waiting for 

 the sport to 

 be renewed. 

 When running 

 they were ex- 

 ceedingly ani- 

 mated, their 

 little eyes glis- 

 tened, and the 

 orifices of their 

 ears contracted 

 and dilated 

 with rapidity. 

 Their 

 eyes being 

 placed so high 

 on the head, 

 they do not see 

 objects well in 

 a straight line, 



and consequently run against everything in the 

 room during their perambulations, spreading con- 

 fusion among all the light and easily overturnable 

 articles. . . . 



"At first I was inclined to consider them as noc- 

 turnal animals, but I afterwards found that their 

 time of leaving their resting-place was exceedingly 

 irregular, both during the day and night. They 

 seemed, however, more lively and more disposed to 

 ramble about the room after dark, generally com- 

 mencing about dusk; but all their movements in 

 this respect were so very capricious that no just 

 conclusion could be drawn, further than that they 

 were both night and day animals, preferring the cool 

 and dusky evening to the heat and glare of noon. 

 . . . I have often found one asleep and the 

 other running about at the same period of the day, 

 the male alone first leaving the nest, and the female 

 remaining asleep: he would, after feeding and run- 

 ning about for a short time, return, curl himself up 

 and sleep, and then the female would leave in her 

 turn. Although, however, they thus frequently left 



Fig. 265. — The Long-spined Echidna or Porcupine Ant-eater [Echidna hystrix) 



the nest alternately, at other times they would sud- 

 denly go out together. . . . 



" It was very curious to see the uncouth little 

 creatures open their mandible-like lips and yawn, 

 stretching out the fore-paws and extending the webs 

 of the fore-feet to their utmost expansion. Although 

 this was natural, yet, not being in the habit of see- 

 ing a duck yawn, it had the semblance of being 

 perfectly ridiculous. It often surprised me how 

 they contrived to reach the summit of a book-case, 



or any other 

 elevated piece 

 of furniture. 

 This was at last 

 discovered to 

 be effected by 

 the animal sup- 

 porting its back 

 against the 

 wall, placing its 

 feet against the 

 book-case, and 

 thus, by means 

 of the strong 

 cutaneous mus- 

 cles of the back 

 and the claws 

 of the feet con- 

 triving to reach 

 the top very ex- 

 peditiously. They often performed this mode of 

 climbing, so that I had frequent opportunities of 

 witnessing the manner in which it was done. The 

 food I gave them was bread soaked in water, 

 chopped egg, and meat minced very small. Although, 

 at first I presented them with milk, they did not 

 seem to prefer it to water." — Bennett, Wanderings 

 of a Naturalist in Australasia.} 



The Echidnas. 



Of the genus Echidna several species are 

 known. That shown in fig. 265, the Long- 

 spined Echidna or Porcupine Ant-eater (Echid- 

 na, hystrix (acu/eata)), inhabits the mountains 

 of South Australia, and is distinguished from 

 the Short-spined Echidna (i?. setosd) of Tas- 

 mania by the possession of black-pointed 

 spines which taper uniformly to their extrem- 

 ities, while those of the latter species are 

 thickened in the middle and have white 



