of the Ornithorhynchus paradoxus. . 6g 
The hair is made up of two kinds ; a very fine thick fur, of 
an inch long, and a very uncommon kind of hair, \ of an 
inch long ; the portion next the root has the common appear- 
ance of hair, but, for \ of an inch towards the point, it be- 
comes flat, giving it some faint resemblance to very fine 
feathers : this portion has a gloss upon it ; and, when the hair 
is dry, the different reflections from the edges and surfaces of 
these longer hairs, give the whole a very uncommon appear- 
ance. The fur and hair upon the belly, is longer than that upon 
the back. 
Externally there is no appearance of the organs of generation, 
in either sex ; the orifice of the anus being a common opening 
to the rectum and prepuce in the male, and to the rectum and 
Vagina in the female. 
There is no appearance, that could be detected, of nipples ; 
although the skin on the belly of the female was examined with 
the utmost accuracy for that purpose. 
The head is rather compressed. The bill, which projects be- 
yond the mouth, in its appearance resembles that of the duck ; 
but is in its structure more like that of the spoonbill, the middle 
part being composed of bone, as in that bird; it has a very 
strong cuticular covering. 
In the upper portion of the bill, the lip extends for half an 
inch anteriorly, and laterally, beyond the bony part, and is thick 
and fleshy. The upper surface of the bill is uniformly smooth, 
and does not terminate where 'the hair begins, but is continued 
on for ~ of an inch, forming a cuticular flap, which lies loose 
upon the hair. In the dried specimens that have been brought 
to Europe, the flap has been contracted in drying, and stands. 
