576 
NOTE ON THE PERIOD OF GESTATION IN ECHIDNA. 
By R. Broom, M.D., B.Sc. 
On 5 th September I had brought me an adult male and female 
Echidna, which had been found together. There was no egg or 
young one about the female, and little indication of even the 
pouch. Considering it probable that impregnation had taken 
place, I resolved to keep the specimens alive and await develop- 
ments. The two were placed together in a large box that their 
behaviour might be noted; but they appeared to have no interest 
in each other. The male was rather inactive, and unless dis- 
turbed, for the most part remained quietly in the bottom 
of the box. The female, on the other hand, was most per- 
sistent in its bids for liberty, and twice succeeded in escaping; 
on one occasion splitting a J-in board and wrenching out 
three nails. Fortunately, on both occasions, it was recaptured. 
The male, which absolutely refused to take either food or 
drink, died on the 18th of the month. The female continued 
to be apparently in the best of health. Occasionally it would 
take a little milk or water, but curiously enough refused 
ants; and when placed on an ant bed its only desire seemed to be 
burrow. In fact it was this unusually great desire to burrow that 
led to its capture on the two occasions it escaped. 
On the 2nd October, on taking the Echidna out of the box, I 
found that it had developed a well marked pouch, and that in it 
had been placed at its most posterior part an egg. Though well 
protected by the lateral folds of the pouch, the egg seemed chiefly 
secured by the long hairs plastered across it. Among the straw 
was found a second egg, apparently discarded. As there was no 
signs of any egg on 30th September, it is probable that one egg 
was laid on the 1st October and the other on the 2nd. After 
protecting the pouch egg safely for three days, the mother seems 
to have removed it, as the torn egg membrane or " shell " was 
found on the bottom of the box, the contents having been pre- 
sumably sucked. 
