MONOTREMATA. 
35 
about one foot from the water s edge, and concealed among 
the long grass and other plants. " This burrow ran up the 
bank iu a serpentine course, approaching nearer to the surface 
of the earth towards its termination, at which part the nest is 
situated ♦ ♦ *. No nest had yet been made in the termina¬ 
tion of the burrow, for that appears to be formed about the 
time of bringing forth tho young, and consists merely of 
dried grass, weeds, &o. strewed over tho floor of this part of 
the habitation.” The expanded termination measured one 
foot in length and six inches in breadth, and the whole 
length of the burrow was twenty feet- Besides the entrance 
before alluded to, it appears there is usually a second opening 
into the burrows below the surface of the water, communi¬ 
cating with the interior just within the upper aperture. A 
burrow subsequently examined by Mr. Bennett terminated at 
a distance of thirty-five feet from the entrance; and that gen¬ 
tleman assures us that they have been found fifty feet in 
length. 
From the burrow first opened by Mr. Bennett, a living 
female was taken, and placed in a cask, with grass, mud, 
water, &c., and in tins situation it soon became tranquil, and 
apparently reconciled to its confinement. On liis return 
home to Sydney, Mr. Bennett determined to indulge it with a 
bathe; and with this view, when he arrived in the vicinity of 
some ponds, he tied a long cord to its leg. “ Wien placed 
on the hank it soon found its way into the water, and tra¬ 
velled up tho stream apparently delighting in those places 
which most abounded in aquatic weeds. When diring in 
deep and clear water, its motions were distinctly seen : it sank 
speedily to the bottom, swam there for a short distance, and 
then rose again to the surface. It appeared, however, to prefer 
keeping close to the hank, occasionally thrusting its beak 
into the mud, from whence it evidently procured food, as, on 
raising the head after withdrawing the beak, the mandibles 
