ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 
105 
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE PLATYPUS IN CAPTIVITY 
By Ellis S. Joseph, 
Illustrations from photographs by Biwin It, Sanborn. 
I N 1913 Mr. H. Burrell, of LaMaseot, Ken¬ 
sington, Sydney, K.S.W., told me that he 
had tried to keep a platypus in captivity, and 
in spite of the fact that he did keep one for 
about three months, it was considered by in¬ 
terested parties that it was impossible to keep 
them alive in captivity. When the question 
was asked “Can you keep a platypus ?” the 
answer was “No.” 
me to say that my several years of labor and ex¬ 
penditure did not go for naught. 
Mr. Burrell told me that he had secured 
five platypus from the Namoy River in Manila, 
N.S.W., where he was living at the time. He 
gave them what he considered sufficient food 
but in the course of a few days one died. He 
continued to give them the same quantity of 
food and a few days later a second one died. 
The Platypus, pa ratio aus. 
This drawing is. nearly twice the sim of the 
_ , living specimen. 
The Lu’niff Specimen was collected March 1,1922 
in the Namoy Hirer, New England District, 
Hew South Wales f Australia 
ee’d, July14,1922. 
: 
These were the words of Mr. Bur¬ 
rell to me, with the tears almost in 
his eyes because of the way he was 
ridiculed and discouraged. 
His efforts certainly needed sym¬ 
pathy, at least from me, and there 
and then I made up my mind to try 
to keep the animals in captivity. I 
told Mr. Burrell that nothing would 
give me more pleasure than to do 
something that the other fellow said 
could not be done. From then on I 
made up my mind never to rest until 
I had accomplished the result, and I 
am glad now that it is possible for 
He still gave the remaining three the 
same quantity of food as he did the 
five and again he lost another one. 
The remaining two got as much food 
as the original five, and it was con¬ 
sumed, but unfortunately the fourth 
died also. He gave the remaining 
one the original amount of food, and 
to his utter surprise he discovered 
that the one specimen was getting 
away with the food. He kept the 
platypus for about three months, but 
owing to the scarcity of food suitable 
for it he was obliged to turn the 
specimen over to the authorities of 
