4 seal oportionate breadth is plainly indicative of the importance of the its dispr é ey eee a and swallowing its food; the thin fold of integument also, the angle of the mouth from the base of the lower mandibles ; and FO animal, both m receiving , and extends end of the lower » the young organ t which surrounds the qual the breadth ¢ base of the mandibles C | oO Gy =. belly with the fore feet, and occasionally with the hinder ones, rs belly must increase the facility for receiving the milk jaw to e the mammary triturate the mothe ay 7 DO c \ the d of { { een to twen y da Ss the new I rm L M €FEGc X als o des tl | whi h the Ol oO ae and young at my disposition, I saw the latter eC oma their mothers, with Mee cy sade too far from the bank to take their nourishment. I observed , wished to procure t ne profited by the moment when oe mother was amongst the ae i here there is no current. The female having her back exposed, by the ine mri floats to a little distance, and the young: may suck it up with vee sout so as to lose as little as possible. I cannot, perhaps, better compare under these circumstances, than to the iridescent colours produced by 1 have witnessed this fact repeatedly, both daily and nightly. I have d, climbed upon the back of the mother, who brought it to land, ejected from continually rub or re covered with a silky hair, and are able to swim.” considerable numbe 1 r whe a which they played, especially when the aquatic plants near exercise of a strong facility ; and thus they do, turning ak the appearance of the greasy milk, the solar rays upon stagnant water. _ also remarked that the young, when fatigue where it caressed her. «The body of this singular animal is covere the two distinct kinds of fur found in the Sea/ and Otter ; on the abdomen, d with a fine, long and thick hair, underneath which is a finer, short, very soft fur, resembling =r ‘arson breast oat throat, the fur and hair are of a much finer quality and ol a more a ky nature a on the other parts of the body ; while on the upper surface of the tail the a ee an en on colour of the upper surface is a light black; the under short fur 1s greyish); the whole ° the under surface is ferruginous; immediately below the inner angle of the eye 1s 2 small spot of a light or pale yellow; the legs are short, pentadactyle and webbed; on the Hone ec (which seem to have the greatest muscular power, and are in principal use for burrowing and swimming) the webs extend a short distance beyond the claws, are loose, and fall back when the animal burrows; the claws are strong, blunt, and well adapted for burrowing; the hind feet are short, narrow, turned backwards, and when the animal is at rest, have, like those of the Sea/, some resemblance to a fin; their action is backwards and outwards; the nails are all curved backwards, and are longer and sharper than those of the fore feet; the web does not extend further than the base of the claws. The head is rather flat, from which project two flat lips or mandibles, resembling the beak of a Shoveller Duck, the lower of which is shorter and narrower than the upper, and has its internal edges channeled with numerous sér7@, resembling in some degree those seen in the bill of a Duck. The colour of the superior mandible is of a dull dirty greyish- black, covered with innumerable minute dots; the under part of the upper mandible is of a pale pink or flesh-colour, as is the internal or upper surface of the lower mandible, the under surface of which is either perfectly white or mottled,—in young specimens usually the former, in old ones the latter ; at the base of both mandibles is a transverse loose fold or flap of integument, always similar in colour to the skin covering the mandibles, that is, dull greyish-black above, and white or mottled below. In the upper mandible this is continued to the eyes, and may perhaps afford protection to those organs when the animal is burrowing or seeking food in the mud; the upper fold or flap is continuous with another portion arising from the lower mandible also at its base; the eyes are very small, but brilliant, and of a light brown. “In young specimens, the under surface of the tail, as well as the hind and fore legs near the feet, are covered by fine hair of a beautiful silvery-white appearance ; this is lost, however, in the adult, in which the under surface of the tail is almost entirely destitute of hair. Whether this proceeds from its trailing along the ground, I know not; but the prevailing opinion among the colonists, for which, however, I could not discover any foundation, is that it is occasioned by the animal using the tail as a trowel in the construction of its dwelling. “The only external difference in the sexes is the presence in the male of part of the leg, some distance above the claws inwards, was consid a spur, situated on the internal ; this spur, which is moveable and turned backwards and ons ered to be poisonous, but some experiments ” (instituted by Mr. Bennett) ‘ prove that it it is entirely wanting in the females. “The size of the Oruithorhynchus varies is Innocuous : | , but the males are usually found to be slightly larger than the opposite sex; the average length is from 18 to 20 inches.” “Wil In conclusion, I must not omit to call attention to iven by Professor Owen and Mr. above referred to. There will also be particulars respecting the the very valuable details respecting the anatomy of » > = r . . : ” Bennett, in the “Transactions of the Zoological Society found j Cea . : ; 1 in the “Revue Zoologique” for 1848 some very interesting reproduction ; other points i i | ction and other points in the economy of this animal, by M. Jules rsonal observation in Van Diemen’s Land published in the « Annals and M consulted with advantage. The Plate repre this animal, ¢ Verreaux, acquired by pe Professor Owen’s remarks on M. Verreaux S obs Vatl S on f ti | H fi - for 1848 may also G oO 18, aZl 1e Oo Yr 1S ory ? ag i Na ura y Sents the two sexes about three-fourths of the natural size a .