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MR.  G.  BENNETT  ON  THE  HISTORY  AND  HABITS  OF 
animals.  Spades  were  consequently  sent  for ;  but  when  our  sable  friend  Daraga  heard 
the  word  "digging"  pronounced,  his  countenance  exhibited  anything  but  a  gleam  of 
satisfaction,  for  he  had  evidently  a  strong  aversion  to  work  of  that  kind  ;  and  think- 
ing that  in  the  natural  course  of  events,  being  black,  a  greater  share  of  the  labour 
would  fall  upon  him  than  upon  us  who  were  "  white  fellers,"  he  endeavoured  to  creep 
out  of  the  scrape  by  declaring  the  burrow  an  old  one  and  not  worth  examining. 
Being  now,  however,  perfectly  satisfied  that  it  was  an  inhabited  burrow,  in  a  place  to 
be  dug  up  with  more  facility  than  any  I  had  yet  seen,  I  was  not  to  be  deterred  from 
my  purpose.  Seeing  that  my  resolution  was  not  to  be  set  aside  by  the  force  of  his 
eloquence,  Daraga  sat  down  at  a  short  distance  from  the  scene  of  operation,  con- 
soling himself  with  a  pipe  of  tobacco.  When,  however,  he  found  that  the  operation  of 
digging  was  not  to  be  confined  to  himself,  he  came  and  assisted  in  the  exploration  by 
passing  a  stick  up  the  burrow,  in  order  to  ascertain  its  direction.  The  entrance  of  the 
burrow  was  large,  particularly  when  compared  with  the  width  of  the  passage  continued 
from  it,  measuring  one  foot  three  inches  in  depth,  and  one  foot  one  inch  in  breadth. 
Instead  of  laying  the  burrow  entirely  open  from  the  entrance  to  the  termination,  which 
would  have  been  a  laborious  undertaking,  holes  were  opened  at  certain  distances  in  the 
direction  of  the  burrow,  according  to  the  method  adopted  by  the  aborigines.  The  na- 
tive Daraga  assisted  us  by  digging  also  with  a  sharp-pointed  stick,  and  he  was  able  to 
effect  his  object  with  much  greater  rapidity  by  it  than  we  with  our  spades. 
The  burrow  became  narrower  as  it  receded  from  the  entrance,  being  about  the  usual 
breadth  of  the  animal  when  uncontracted.  After  having  traced  it  for  the  distance  of 
ten  feet  four  inches,  and  having  just  delved  down  upon  it  so  as  to  perceive  it  still  con- 
tinuing its  course  up  the  bank,  the  beak  and  head  of  a  Water-Mole  were  seen  pro- 
truding for  an  instant  from  the  upper  part,  as  if  it  had  been  disturbed  from  its  repose, 
and  had  come  down  to  see  what  we  were  about  with  its  habitation.  It  only  remained 
for  an  instant ;  for  as  soon  as  it  beheld  us,  imagining  no  doubt  that  we  could  be  there 
making  such  a  noise  for  no  very  benevolent  purpose,  it  immediately  turned  up  to 
take  refuge  in  that  part  of  the  burrow  which  yet  remained  unexplored.  In  turning 
round,  however,  it  was  seized  by  the  hind  leg  and  dragged  out.  The  animal  appeared 
very  much  alarmed  when  it  was  hauled  out  of  its  subterraneous  dwelling :  it  discharged 
its  urine  (which  had  rather  a  strong  odour)  and  its  faces  when  first  caught,  which  I 
attribute  to  fear,  for  this  is  not  usual  with  other  living  specimens  that  I  have  since  seen. 
It  uttered  no  sound,  nor  did  it  attempt  to  bite  ;  and  proved  to  be  a  full-grown  female. 
When  I  held  the  unfortunate  Platypus  in  my  hands,  its  bright  little  eyes  glistened,  and 
the  orifices  of  the  ears  were  expanded  and  contracted  alternately,  as  if  eager  to  catch 
the  slightest  sound,  while  its  heart  palpitated  violently  with  fear  and  anxiety.  After  it 
had  been  retained  in  the  hands  for  some  time  and  had  lost  its  first  fear,  although 
it  occasionally  struggled  to  escape,  it  seemed  to  become  more  reconciled  to  its  situa- 
tion. 
