MON OTHE MATA. 
17 
licked up by a rapid protrusion and retraction of the long 
cylindrical tongue. When seized, it offered but little resist¬ 
ance, and made no demonstration of defending itself by 
striking with its spur; its only action when irritated was to 
roll itself up into a ball, in which position the sharp points of 
tho spines presented themselves in all directions. When 
asleep it likewise rolled itself up. Its temperature was 85° 
Folir., being nearly 10° lower than that of a rabbit. Tho 
blood-discs, like thoso of the Ornithorhynchus y were flat and 
circular, and in fact resembled those of other mammalia in 
form, proportions, and colour : they were found to be rather 
larger than in the human species and the Apes. 
ECHIDNA SETOSA. Short-spined Echidna. 
Echidna tetosa. Ccvikr, Rcgne Animal (lit edit. 1817), vol. L. 
p. 226 ; NouTelle edit. i. p. 235. 
Echidna breviaculeata . Tjf.dkmann, Zoologie, i. p. 592. 
Fur harsh, long, and almost hiding the spines; head without 
spines; general colour, brown; head, and under parts of 
body, pale brown; eye encircled with dark brown. Total 
length, from 14 to 17 inches. 
Inhabits Van Diemen’s Land. 
In the Echidna hystrix the spines are long, and the fur 
short and scanty, and on the back of the animal the hair is 
not visible, wliilst in the Echidna setosa the fur is so long as 
in a great measure to hide the spines. 
The largest specimen of E. setosa , which has come under 
my notice,- is contained in the Museum of tho Zoological 
Society, having been presented by Lieut. Breton. This spe¬ 
cimen, like all others having the short spines, is from Van 
Diemen's Laud, and measures 17£ inches in total length; 
