WHITE-BELLIED SEA EAGLE. 35 
seem to keep to one particular bay or inlet to the exclusion of others 
of their species, while their nest is revisited at the period of incuba- 
tion and regularly repaired. On islands where trees are scarce, it 
is generally placed on the flat surface of a rock, and composed of 
small bushy branches and sticks. ‘The sea eagle nests from June to 
November, and the eggs, two in number, are of a dull white, stained 
with reddish brown, and measure 2#in. long by 2}in. broad. 
In 1877, Mr. Goldie was fortunate enough to obtain the eggs of this 
fine sea-eagle from an immense nest composed of about a cartload 
of sticks,and placed on a rocky islet near the coast of New Guinéa. 
Food.—Its food consists chiefly of dead cetacea, fish, marine 
animals, &c,, principally those which have been washed upon the 
shore. At times it will dart down and snatch up some fish, which 
has ventured too near the surface of the water, with its claws and 
talons, and not its beak, as is often asserted, but it rarely dives 
beneath the water. When found frequenting the larger streams of 
the interior it does not refuse at times to make a meal off a duck, 
crane, or other waterfowl, Young pigs, lambs, and poultry are not 
Bh fre nenely; carried off by it. 
Where found.—It is found frequenting the whole of the 
Australian coast, and takes the place in the bays and inlets and 
larger streams that the wedge-tailed species does inland. It is also 
found inhabiting the sea shores of New Guinea, the Malay 
Archipelago, and India. It is a fairly common resident of the 
Queensland coast. Itis met with at Lord Howe Island, Tuggerah 
Lake; also on Houtman’s Abrolhos. Hyries are established on 
Wallaby (Pigeon) island and Pelsart groups. 

Spiny Ecumna—Wchidna hystrix. 
Introduction.—Among the extraordinary animals furnished to 
the naturalist in Australia is the echidna, or native porcupine. In 
1803 M. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire proposed the name ‘‘ monotremata ” 
for the echidna and the platypus, which Shaw had classed with the 
edentata. In 1817 Cuvier and Cken still kept these animals among 
the edentata, but used Geoffroy’s term—monotremata. In 1823 
Meckel discovered mammary glands in these animals, and pointed 
out that there was little difference between viviparity and oviparity. 
Geoffroy became convinced that these animals were oviparous. Sir 
R. Owen wrote in 1834 the marsupialia and monotremata ‘‘ may be 
regarded as an aberrant group of mammalia, characterised by an 
ovo-viviparous generation.” 
Description.—In size the echidna may be compared with the 
hedgehog. It is about 14 inches long and of proportionate circum- 
ference. The muzzle is covered with a naked purplish-black skin, 
It has a long snout, with a small opening for the mouth, anda 
round slender sticky tongue, with which it secures its food, The 
eyes are small and black. The rather short and stout body is 
covered with a thick skin, particularly on the back, where it has to 
support the strong spines. These are of a dirty-white colour, more - 
