ORNITHORYNCHUS PARADOXUS. 27 



bling bristles, and more distinctly clavate at its extremity. The 

 head is flattisli and rather small ; but what distinguishes the Orni- 

 thorynchus from all other quadrupeds is the anomalous form of its 

 jaws, which resemble the broad flat bill of a duck, and are covered 

 in the same way with a soft membrane, plentifully supplied with 

 nerves for the purpose of tasting, and also like it, serrated at their 

 lateral edges; round the base is abroad, flat, irregular membrane 

 or flap, somewhat deeper or wider below than above. The length 

 of the upper mandible, including the flap, is about three inches ; 

 that of the lower bill and flap, only two. The nostrils are small, 

 elliptical, and situated about a quarter of an inch from the tip of 

 the bill, and are about the eighth of an inch distant from each 

 other. The teeth are placed towards the lower part of the mouth, 

 and consist of simple cartilaginous fibres, flat at the crown, not 

 planted in alveoli, but simply attached to the gum ; the tongue is 

 short, and furnished with papillae, and two aculcated horny points. 

 The length of the whole animal from the tip of the bill to the extremity 

 of the tail is nearly two feet. The tail is broad, flat, tapering, obtuse, 

 about six inches in length, and is colored similar to that of the body. 

 The eyes are situated in the upper and anterior part of the head, 

 close to the flap; the eye-balls are small, and placed deep in the orbits. 

 There is no external car, but the auditory foramina are placed imme- 

 diately behind the eyes, and are covered with short hairs. The legs 

 are very short, terminated by a broad web, which in the fore feet 

 extends beyond the claws, and can by that means be folded up like 

 a fan. Both feet are furnished with five strong horny claws ; on 

 the hinder ones longer, curved, acute, and projecting beyond the 

 palmate membrane. m The organs of generation arc not visible exter- 

 nally, and in common with the rest of the tribe the animal has but 

 one opening. 



"On the heel of the hinder feet," says Dr. Knox, "there 

 appears externally a spur, much resembling that found in the 

 common dunghill cock. It is strong, semitransparent, and 

 pointed ; and there is evidently an aperture at the point, or rather 

 on its convex surface, and sloped as if a small piece had been cut 

 out of it, without shortening the spur. Through this a delicate 



