The Living Animals of the World, Volume I: Mammals

Photo ly D. Le Souef} [Melbourne. ftnd with their their ^ ' ^^ ^ ECHIDNA, OE ANT-EATING PORCUPINE. V, "K f +V, ^f fli V V The female echidna can carry two eggs in her pouch, which in due course are hatched by the heat of her body. case. The sleeping and waking hours

Marsupials and Monotremes 383

TASMANIAN ECHIDNA, OR PORCUPINE ANT-EATER.

This is the largest variety of the five-toed species; it grows to a length of 20 inches, and has the fur so long as almost to conceal the spines.

that both these and other examples kept were observed to be very irregular; for while usually most lively and disposed to ramble after it grew dusk, they would at other times come out of their own accord in the daytime, or perhaps one would ramble about while the other slept. in a perfect ball, the head, tail, and limbsWhen going to sleep, they would roll themselves up being closely folded over the abdomen.

The food question appears to have presented almost insurmountable difficulties so far against the permanent acclimatisation of these interesting animals in any of our European zoological gardens. At the Melbourne Zoo some considerable success was obtained by fencing off a small pond abounding with insects and well-established water-plants for their reception, and in this instance they had also the advantage of being brought speedily and within a few hours of their capture to their new home. For their long voyage to Europe the provision of an adequate quantity of living insects or other aquatic organisms is a by no means easy task. They have, however, been known to thrive on broken-up river-mussels for the space of two or three weeks, and would probably have done so for a longer period. This material might easily be stored for their use on board ship. fell within the writer's An incident concerning the natural predilections of the platypus that observation in Tasmania might also be utilised in their experimental transportation. At the trout- and salmon -rearing establishment on the river Plenty of which the writer was at the time superintendent the platypuses proved to be most destructive to the spawn both deposited in the hatching-boxes and upon the natural spawning-beds, or " redds," and they had in consequence to be systematically destroyed. This being the case, it is probable that they would be found to thrive well on a diet consisting to a large extent of the preserved roes or spawn of any easily procurable fish such as the Murray perch and cod and of which adequate supplies might with facility be stored aboard ship. The admixture in all cases of a certain amount of sand or mud with their provided pabulum would appear to be essential for digestive purposes, such material being always found in considerable quantities in their stomachs when dissected.

is A distinguishing feature which the male platypus shares in common with the echnida the peculiar spur developed on its hind foot. It is in this case, however, much larger and sharper, and has been accredited with aggressive functions and poisonous properties. There can be little doubt, however, that they are normally used by the animal only as clasping or retaining instruments during intercourse with the female at the breeding-season. At the same time, undoubted cases of persons receiving severe wounds from these animals' spurs have been placed on record. One such that fell within the writer's cognisance happened on the Murray Kiver, his nets, on the Victorian and New South Wales boundary. A young fisher-lad, on taking up found a half-drowned platypus entangled in them, and, whilst disengaging it, it convulsively

• t

I'hotoby W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S _Miljord-on-Sea.

DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS.

This curious egg-laying mammal, the only representative of its family, is mainly nocturnal in habits.

gripped his hand between the two spurs, the points penetrating deeply into the flesh on either side. The result was a festering wound that refused to heal for many months, and for such time entirely deprived the lad of his use of that hand.

The fur of the platypus, dressed so as to remove the outer and longer series of hairs, nearly resembles that of the fur-seal in both colour and texture, and as a rare local product is highly prized for the manufacture of carriage-rugs and other articles.

WITH the egg-laying Echidna and Platypus we terminate the Mammalian Series, and they pave the way to the typical egg-laying animals which follow.

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