MONOTUKMATA. 
33 
lanceolate, and are very glossy, and bent at an angle with the 
slender basal portions of the liairs. In this character of fur wo 
can perceive a beautiful adaptation both to the burrowing and 
aquatic habits of the animal; for, when burrowing, were the 
longer hairs equally stout from the base to the point, and directed 
towards the tail, as usual, they would incommode the animal 
when moving backwards in its burrow; but being slender at the 
base, and expanded externally, the points readily accommo¬ 
date themselves to any surface with which they may come in 
contact, and laying flat on each other, serve either to keep 
the water or the soil from penetrating to the under fur. The 
general colour of the fur is deep brown, but on the under 
parts of the body it is somewhat paler: in the young animal the 
fur is of a brighter brown tint, and the under ports of the 
body are whitish. The tail is short, depressed, and very 
broad, and covered with coarse hairs; these, however, are 
generally worn off on the under side of the tail in adult or 
aged individuals, probably by the friction of the ground, since 
the animal's legs are too short to elevate the body. The toes 
of the fore feet are naked ; those of the hind are clothed, 
very nearly to the extremity, with short, adpressed, glossy 
brown hair, and there is a fringe of stiff pale-coloured hairs 
on the outer side of the foot. The three middle toes of the 
hind foot are so united by the skin as to be capable of very 
little lateral separation; the membrane which joins the litilo 
toe to the others is more ample, and so is that which joins 
the thumb to the second too; and here, instead of merely 
filling up tlio interspace between tho toes, there is a fleshy 
lobe (PI. 2, fig. 3, c.) of full half an inch in length, continued 
from the end of the thumb beneath, and to the end of which 
the membrane is extended. 
We have quoted Mr. Bennett in some of our preceding 
pages. This gentleman is the author of a very interesting 
VOL. I. 
D 
