ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 
101 
no less than twenty-two in one night. In the 
winter months shrimps are hard to get in 
Sydney, and on several occasions I put cooked 
shrimps in their tanks and they ate but spar¬ 
ingly. Only on one occasion did the animal 
last mentioned eat a small fish. The largest 
quantity of food he consumed in one night was 
one pound and a quarter of raw or green 
shrimps and one measure of a condensed milk 
can full of earth worms. These shrimps were 
headed so that the quantity mentioned was 
actual net weight.” 
Really, it seems incredible - that an animal so 
small could chamber a food supply so large. I 
know of nothing equal to it among other mam¬ 
mals. 
Contrary to my expectations, our platypus 
proved to be an animal of nervous tempera¬ 
ment, and much more lively and active than 
we had anticipated. It swam in lively fashion, 
paddling rapidly, and independently, witli its 
outspread feet. To keep it' from acquiring 
momentum which would carry it against the 
walls of its main tank, and injure its bill, Mr. 
Joseph placed in the center of its tank a cylin¬ 
drical sheet-metal tower with a flat top. Round 
and round this the animal swam, while feeding- 
on the bottom or exercising, and when tired 
of the water it would scramble up and perch 
for a time on the top of the metal tower. 
When on exhibition with the wire-netting 
cover off the tank the little beast would quick¬ 
ly climb up the sides of its tank and attempt to 
climb out. When arrested by Head-Keeper 
Toomev it made no decided resistance to being- 
handled. 
When tired of feeding and showing off, it 
would go up the water tunnel to its imitation 
bank, wriggle through the holes of its maze one 
by one, scraping off the water on the rubber 
gaskets each time it went through a hole. 
Finally, on reaching its nesting-place in the 
farthest corner it would curl up in its bed of 
fine dry hay, and rest. 
The original home of our platypus was in 
the Namov River, New England District, New 
South Wales, w-here it was captured about 
March 1, 1922. It left Sydney, on May 12, 
reached San Francisco on June 30, and arrived 
in New York on July 14,—very tired and thin 
in flesh, but full of spirit. It died on August 
30, suddenly and unexpectedly, and because of 
the demands of science Dr. Blair refrained 
from making an autopsy to ascertain the cause 
of death. The remains were quickly turned 
over to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, 
PLATYPUS POSES 
A restless mite of activity. 
