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MR.  G.  BENNETT  ON  THE  HISTORY  AND  HABITS  OF 
I  did  not  again  open  the  box  to  look  at  the  Ornithorhynchus  until  the  following  morn- 
ing, the  I7th,  at  Mittagong,  where  we  had  arrived  the  previous  night.  The  box  had 
been  placed  as  usual  in  my  bed-room,  but  not  hearing  the  usual  scratching  of  the  ani- 
mal, I  had  some  apprehensions  with  regard  to  its  safety,  and  on  the  morning  following 
I  found  them  correct,  for  the  box  was  empty.  There  was  every  reason  to  suppose  that 
its  struggles  had  raised  one  of  the  battens  which  had  not  been  fastened  with  sufficient 
firmness,  and  that  it  had  escaped  between  Bong  Bong  and  Mittagong.  Had  the  animal 
died  I  should  have  had  some  consolation  in  dissecting  it,  but  as  it  was,  all  my  hopes 
were  frustrated  by  its  escape. 
Having  thus  failed  in  bringing  the  living  female  specimen  to  Sidney,  I  determined 
again  to  devote  a  portion  of  time,  before  the  season  became  too  far  advanced,  to  the 
investigation  of  the  habits  and  economy  of  this  interesting  animal.  The  success  of  my 
first  journey  excited  me  to  fresh  attempts  with  increased  energy,  to  gain  as  much  in- 
formation as  possible  respecting  it. 
Knowing  that  I  could  ensure  the  kindness  of  the  gentlemen  who  had  before  interested 
themselves  in  my  investigation  of  this  subject,  I  left  Sidney  on  the  2nd,  and  Raby  on 
the  8th  of  November,  for  the  Yas,  Murrumbidgee,  and  Tumat  countries,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  continuing  my  observations  on  the  same  subject,  as  well  as  on  other  points  of  na- 
tural history  or  of  professional  interest  that  might  occur  in  my  way.  After  an  agreeable 
journey  by  way  of  Goulburn  Plains,  I  arrived  at  Mundoona  on  the  15th  of  November. 
The  summer  season  had  now  advanced  considerably  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
The  river  at  Yas  had  fallen  greatly,  and  the  banks  were  covered  by  an  increased 
luxuriance  of  high  grass,  towering  reeds,  and  bull-rushes.  The  "  ponds  "  of  the  river 
where  I  had  sought  for  and  procured  these  animals  were  still,  however,  of  sufficient 
depth  for  them.  They  were  covered  with  floating  aquatic  plants,  some  of  which  had 
displayed  their  snow-white  flowers,  which  floated  on  the  surface  of  the  water  :  the 
golden  blossoms  of  the  Acacia  had  faded  and  fallen,  and  had  given  place  to  the  less  gay 
but  still  pretty  flowers  of  smaller  and  less  conspicuous  shrubs  and  plants.  Yet  about 
those  spots  where  these  animals  had  before  been  seen  in  such  numbers,  I  paced  the 
bank  without  seeing  one.  I  felt  anxious  to  ascertain  in  what  state  the  females  were,  and 
how  far  advanced  in  the  production  of  their  young,  or  whether  they  had  already  brought 
them  forth ;  but  although  evening  after  evening  I  sought  their  usual  haunts,  I  was 
unable  to  procure,  or  even  to  be  gratified  with  the  sight  of,  a  solitary  specimen.  I 
remarked  that  the  situations  where  burrows  of  these  animals  were  known  to  exist,  had 
been  selected  by  their  instinct  where  the  ponds  of  the  river  contained  water  even  during 
the  dry  summer  season,  and  when  other  parts  of  the  river  were  nearly  dry  or  formed  at 
best  a  mere  small  trickling  rivulet.  Of  course  where  the  water  remained  the  river- 
weeds  flourished,  and  the  flowers  now  produced  by  them  probably  attracted  insects, 
which  would  furnish  these  animals  with  food,  in  addition  to  the  minute  shell-fish  which 
might  also  be  found  about  the  plants,  and  on  which  they  also  feed. 
