230 . DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS. 



might be mistaken for such : round the base is 

 a flat, circular membrane, somewhat deeper or 

 wider below than above, viz. below near the fifth 

 of an inch, and above about an eighth. The tail 

 is flat, furry like the body, rather short, and ob- 

 tuse, with an almost bifid termination : it is broader 

 at the base, and gradually lessens to the tip, and 

 is about three inches in length : its colour is simi- 

 lar to that of the body. The length of the whole 

 animal from the tip of the beak to that of the tail 

 is thirteen inches : of the beak an inch and half. 

 The legs are very short, terminating in a broad 

 web, which on the fore feet extends to a consider- 

 able distance beyond the claws ; but on the hind 

 feet reaches no farther than the roots of the claws. 

 On the fore feet are five claws, strait, strong, and 

 sharp-pointed: the two exterior ones somewhat 

 shorter than the three middle ones. On the hind 

 feet are six claws, longer and more inclining to a 

 curved form than those on the fore feet: the ex- 

 terior toe and claw are considerably shorter than 

 the four middle ones : the interior or sixth is seat- 

 ed much higher up than the rest, and resembles 

 a strong, sharp spur. All the legs are hairy 

 above : the fore feet are naked both above and 

 below; but the hind feet are hairy above, and 

 naked below. The internal edges of the under 

 mandible (which is narrower than the upper) are 

 serrated or channeled with numerous stria?, as in 

 a duck's bill. The nostrils are small and round, 

 and are situated about a quarter of an inch from 

 the tip of the bill, and are about the eighth of an 



