PLATYPUS. 
317 
about an eighth. The tail is flat, furry like the body, 
rather short, and obtuse, with an almost bifid ter- 
mination : it is broader at the base, and gradually 
lessens to the tip, and is about three inches in length ; 
its colour is similar to that of the body. The length 
of the whole animal from the tip of the beak to that 
of the tail is thirteen inches ; of the beak, an inch 
and half. The legs are very short, terminating in a 
broad web, which on the fore-feet extends to a con- 
siderable distance beyond the claws ; but on the hind- 
feet reaches no further than the roots of the claws. 
On the fore-feet are five claws, straight, strong, and 
sharp-pointed ; the two exterior ones somewhat 
shorter than the three middle ones. On the hind- 
feet are six claws, longer, and more inclining to a 
curved form, than those on the fore-feet: the exterior 
toe and claw are considerably shorter than the four 
middle ones : the interior or sixth is seated much 
higher up than the rest, and resembles a strong sharp 
spur. All the legs are hairy above : the fore-feet 
are naked both above and below. The internal edges 
of the under mandible (which is narrower than 
the upper) are serrated or channeled with numerous 
striae, as in a duck’s bill. The nostrils are small 
and round, situated about a quarter of an inch 
from the tip of the bill, and about the eighth 
of an inch distant from each other. There is no 
appearance of teeth : the palate is removed, but 
seems to have resembled that of a duck : the tongue 
also is wanting in the specimen. The ears, or audi- 
tory foramina, are placed about an inch beyond the 
