THE ORNITHORYNCHUS PARADOXtTS. 29 
The palmated feet, and membrane extending beyond the 
toes of the anterior extremity ; the remarkable peculiarity 
of the bill, resembling so closely that of the duck, and to 
which an almost incredible number of nerves are distri- 
buted by all the great divisions of the fifth pair of cerebral 
nerves ; the peculiarity of the hair, which is of two sortSj 
one sort fine and jointed, found on most parts of the body, 
but chiefly on the sides and abdomen^— the other bristly, 
flat, and shaped like the head of a spear, and which is 
found chiefly on the back and tail ; all these facts, I be- 
lieve, have been already noticed. The beaver-like tail of 
the animal is covered with short hairs of the spear-pointed 
form ; these more resemble bristles than hairs. The skin 
is thick and compact ; and a powerful panniculus carnosus 
extends over the whole body, the feet, tail, and bill, being 
of course excepted. Some very distinct muscular slips 
arise from the panniculus carnosus ; the most remarkable 
are, 1^^, The platysma mi/oides, or dermo-claviculary ari- 
sing near the angle of the jaw, and proceeding downwards 
to be inserted into the aponeurosis covering the horizontal 
branch of the clavicle ; ^d, The dermo-humeral, a strong 
muscular slip, arising from the panniculus carnosus, lying 
over the lower ribs, and following the course of the pec- 
tOTal muscles, is inserted into the os humeri, tendinous in 
common with the above muscles; 3c?, The dermo-tibial, a 
strong slip, which joins the caudo-tibial, and has a common 
insertion with it ; lastly^ Two very strong muscular expan- 
sions, arising from the skin of the back, and loins, and con- 
verging like the radii of a circle towards its centre, are in- 
serted into the root and sides of the tail, and into the 
transverse processes of several caudal vertebrae : these are 
elevators of the tail, and may be called dermo-caudal. 
The action of the others does not require any particular 
notice. These are the chief pecularitles {)f the pamitcvlns 
