
SPINY ECHIDNA. 37 
Species.—The animals belonging to this genus have been divided - 
into several species, but a careful consideration of their characters 
shows that, aEDHaH the range of variation is very large, yet all 
the intermediate stages appear to exist between the most widely 
separated forms, ‘Three geographical races, however, seem to 
deserve recognition by name—a northern, central and southern ; but 
their distinguishing characters are too slight and too inconstant to 
justify their specific distinction. The northern is the Port Moresby 
echidna, its habitat is South East New Guinea, and as yet it is only 
known from Port Moresby. The central is the common echidna, 
found in the whole of Australia. In the British museum there are 
specimens from Queensland ; Liverpool Range, Port Stephens, in 
New South Wales, South Australia and York, in West Australia. 
The southern is the hairy echidna (Zchidna setosa), which is found in 
Tasmania. In the museumin Melbourne, there are exhibits from 
Queenscliff, King’s Island, Tasmania and Portland. By some 
naturalists two genera have been accepted, viz., echidna and 
proechidna. Proechidna is only doubtfully distinguishable from 
echidna, agreeing with it in nearly every essential respect. It has 
one species, the three-toed echidna, which is found in north-west 
New Guinea. In the Zoological Record of 1888, in reference to 
echidna and proechidna, the following occurs, one species of these 
genera is admitted, the last named genus being only adopted with 
hesitation. 
Oviparity.—Mr. W. H. Caldwell, M.A , Balfour student of the 
University of Cambridge, sojourned in Australia in 1883-5, partly 
for the purpose of investigating the mode of reproduction of the 
echidna. The Committee of the Royal Society appointed to ad- 
minister the Government grant for the endowment of research had 
given £400 for equipment, and a sub-committee £100, which they 
held for a similar object. He was honoured with letters of introduc- 
tion to the colonial secretaries of New South Wales, Queensland, 
and South Australia, also to the admiral on the Australian station. 
Mr, Caldwell proceeded to the Burnett River, in Queensland, where 
he found echidna to be very numerous. He employed blacks to 
assist him ; echidna being their favourite food, their skill in finding 
them was very remarkable. In July, 1884, they began collecting 
echidna, but, although he had as many as fifty blacks in his service, 
he was not so successful as he expected. A skilful black when he 
was hungry generally brought in one female echidna, together with 
several males every day. The former seemed much more difficult 
to find than the latter at this season. Mr. Caldwell, therefore, 
postponed his researches till the following breeding season, when he 
employed over 150 natives during July and August, 1885. He paid 
the blacks half-a-crown for every female, but the price of flour, tea 
and sugar which he sold them rose with the supply of echidna. The 
half-crowns were, therefore, just sufficient to buy food enough to 
keep the lazy blacks hungry. They caught between 1300 and 1400 
echidnz of both sexes, from which a fairly complete series of stages 
of parturition was obtained, In his first expedition he had obtained 
