HARRISON. 137 



"The Ornithorhynchus is only found in the fresh-water lakes, of which there 

 are many in the interior parts of the country, some three-quarters of a mile 

 long, and several hundred yards broad. This animal does not swim upon the 

 surface of the water, but comes up occasionally to breathe, which it does in the 

 same manner as the turtle. The natives sit upon the banks, with small wooden 

 spears, anil watch them every time they come to the surface, till they get a 

 proper opportunity of striking them. This they do with much dexterity; and 

 frequently succeed in catching them in this way. 



"Governor Hunter saw a native watch one for above an hour before he 

 attempted to spear it, which lie did through the neck and fore leg; when on shore, 

 u used its claws with so much force, that they were obliged to confine it between 

 two pieces of board, while they were cutting off the barbs of the spear, to dis- 

 engage it. When let loose, it ran upon the around with as much activity as a 

 land tortoise; which is faster than the structure of its fore feet would have led 

 ns to believe. It inhabits the hanks of the lakes, and is supposed to feed in the 

 muddy places which surround them: but the particular kind of food on which it 

 subsist-, is not known." 



As Collins' Xetc South Wales was not published until 1802, by which time 

 Home's paper hail appeared, and a copy had been sent by the author to Collins, 

 the latter was able to include a further account of the Platypus, abstracted from 

 Home (18(12, pp. 321-328). There was also included an engraving of the animal 

 "from a drawing made on the spot by Governor Hunter," which appears on 

 p. 63, with the following legend: — 



"An Amphibious Animal of the Mole Kind which inhabits the Banks of fresh 

 water Lagoons in Xew South Wales its fore feet are evidently their principal 

 assistance in Swimming their hind feet having Claws extending beyond the 

 Web'd part are useful in burrowing." 



The first drawing of the Platypus was thus made by Governor Hunter. What 

 was probably the earliest drawing of the Echidna was, curiously enough, made 

 by Captain, afterwards Governor. Bligh. Home, who first realised the close re- 

 lationship between these two monotreme species, included the Echidna in the 

 genus Omithcrhynchus in a paper on its anatomy in the Philosophical Trans- 

 actions for 1802. On page 357 of this paper we read: — "Another species of 

 Ornithorhynchus, of the same size as the Hystrix, was shot at Adventure Bay, 

 Van Diemen's Land, by Lieutenant Guthrie, in the year 1790, a drawing of which 

 was made by Captain Bligh, and sent to Sir Joseph Banks, who has allowed 

 me to annex a copy of it to this paper." The "copy" duly appears on Plate 

 xiii., and it is to be hoped that it has not done justice to the original. 



This action of Home in transferring the Echidna to the genus Ornithorhyn- 

 chus has been the cause of a misunderstanding which may as well be cleared up 

 here. Ida Lee, in Captain Bligh's Second Voyage, London, 1920, says on p. 

 20: — "The platypus, however, was quite new to the discoverers, and we are told 

 Lieutenant Guthrie killed 'an animal of a very odd form.' " Mr. Hugh Wright 

 informs me that the correct date is 1792. He has looked up the reference in 

 Bligh's original M.S. copy of his journal, and the animal is undoubtedly the 

 Echidna figured by Home, and not a Platypus. 



Hunter's account forms the basis of most statements concerning the economy 

 of the animal which appear in European works on natural history during the 

 next three decades. Since the first discovery was made "on the banks of a lake 

 near the Hawkesbury," the Platypus is invariably given as a dweller on the 

 banks of lakes, and its more customary habitat in rivers is not mentioned. Mr. 

 Henry Selkirk, a Hawkesbury native of whom I sought information, thinks it 

 probable that the lake mentioned as the site of the first discovery is one of 



