The Water Moles are said to have a peculiarly fishy smell, more especially when wet, which probably proceeds from an oily secretion. They are used by the aborigines for food; “but it is no particular recommendation of them,” Mr. Bennett remarks, “to say they are eaten by the native Australian, as nothing in the shape of provender comes amiss to him, whether it be Snakes, Rats, Frogs, Grubs, or the more delicate Opossum, Bandicoot, and Flying Squirrel.”
The Ornithorhynchus is captured by the natives when in its burrow. They first examine the neighbourhood of the burrow, to ascertain, by the presence of recent footmarks on the soil, whether it is inhabited, and if the examination proves satisfactory, they proceed to dig holes with pieces of sticks from the surface of the ground into the burrow, at distances from each other, until they discover its termination, when the Australians consider themselves exceedingly fortunate should they find the young, since they are regarded as a great delicacy.
The young have been found in their nests by Mr. Bennett about one inch and seven-eighths in length, in the early part of December, and near the end of the same month he found young Water Moles of ten inches in length. These latter were kept alive for nearly five weeks, and their habits whilst in captivity are described in detail in his paper, which is illustrated by some admirable figures, showing their various attitudes, &c. The young were allowed to run about the room; but an old Ornithorhynchus in the possession of our author was so restless, and damaged the walls of the room so much by her attempts at burrowing, that it was found necessary to confine her to the box. “During the day she would remain quiet, huddled up with her young ones; but at night she became very restless, and eager to escape. The little ones were as frolicsome as puppies, and apparently as fond of play; and many of their actions were not a little ludicrous. During the day they seemed to prefer a dark corner for repose, and generally resorted to the spot to which they had been accustomed, although they would change it on a sudden, apparently from mere caprice. They did not appear to like deep water, but enjoyed exceedingly a bathe in shallow water, with a turf of grass placed in one corner of the pan; they seldom remained longer than ten or fifteen minutes in the water at one time. Though apparently nocturnal, or at least preferring the cool and dusky evening to the glare and heat of noon, their movements in this respect were so irregular as to furnish no grounds for a definite conclusion. They slept much; and it frequently happened that one slept whilst the other was running about; and this occurred at almost all periods of the day. They climbed with great readiness to the summit of a book-case, and thus, by means of their strong cutaneous muscles and of their claws, mounting with much expedition to the top. Their food consisted of bread soaked in water, chopped eggs, and meat minced very small, and they did not seem to prefer milk to water.”
Mr. Foulerton states that the natives are seldom successful in catching the Water Moles alive, although in some places in the rivers and creeks of New England they are so numerous that from fifteen to eighteen have been shot in an afternoon. In the dark, rocky, shady rivers they may be seen at any time of the day, but in more open places seldom before sunset. He failed to see any young ones, and believes that they keep them concealed until near their maturity. They are very active in the water, and are more frequently under than above the surface. He never saw one leave the water, and states that they made very poor progress on land. As a rule they are to be found in good fellowship with the Australian Water Rat (Hydromys chrysogaster).
The young Water Moles are naked, and have a short beak with fleshy and smooth edges, and this conformation enables them to seize the space on the mother whence the milk comes, for there are no nipples. Their tongue is large and assists in the sucking also.
JAWS OF THE DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS.
(After Waterhouse.)
(A) Upper, (B) Lower Jaw; (a) Molar Teeth; (b) Narrow Anterior Teeth; (c) Tongue; (d) Integument projecting from Jaw; (e) Transverse Ridges on Covering of Beak.
The most curious feature in the Ornithorhynchus is the snout in the form of a beak. This is flat and broadest in front where it is rounded. It is hard, and is covered with a skin full of pores, and on each side this skin overlaps the sides to form a kind of fringe or flexible cheek, and this free membrane is carried round the front. Where this skin comes to the head, it forms a wide fold, which flaps over the front of the head and throat, and is a capital protection when the creature is grubbing in the wet banks or burrowing, and evidently protects the face and the eyes from injury. The nostrils are close to the extremity of the snout. In the lower jaw, or part of the beak-like snout, there are some ridges, which mark it crosswise from the mouth to the outside, and corresponding structures may be noticed in a Duck, their use being to provide grooves or spaces through which water may pour out of the mouth when the creature is feeding on soft mud and wet substances. Inside the mouth there is a pouch in the cheek, one on each side, and this is to retain food. It has four teeth in the upper and four in the lower jaw, but they are horny and made up of tubes; the front ones are long and narrow, and the others are oblong and oval in form, with a hollow crown. Moreover, the tongue, as in some reptiles, has horny teeth on it. The eyes of the creature are small and brown, and are situated close to the beak, and they look upwards. The ear is hidden by the fur, but it is none the less sharp of hearing. As may be gleaned from the notice of its habits, the animal has great power of swimming but not much of running, although the limbs are short. The fore-feet have five toes, nearly equal in length, the first being rather the shortest, and all have solid and rounded claws. The toes are webbed, and the fold of skin even extends in front of the claws when swimming is going on, but is folded back in digging. In the hind-feet the web does not extend farther than the base of the claws, and there is a spur on the heel, which is movable and sharp. It is found on the adult males in perfection, and it may be useful as well as ornamental. On carefully examining the under and lower part of the body, the milk or mammary glands are to be seen, and there is no proper nipple; but when suckling, the swelling of the gland produces an eminence, which can be grasped by the wide, open, and soft beak of the young.