Chapter II: Preface: vii

I. INTRODUCTORY 1

II. DISCOVERY AND EARLY DESCRIPTIONS 16

III. CONTROVERSY ON THE ZOOLOGICAL POSITION 26

IV. CONTROVERSY ON THE LAYING OF EGGS 33

V. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS 46

VI. NERVOUS ORGANIZATION AND SENSORY PERCEPTIONS 63

VII. THE SPUR AND CRURAL GLAND 76

VIII. THE NESTING-BURROW 105

IX. DISTRIBUTION AND HAUNTS 139

X. HABITS 147

XI. BREEDING HABITS AND LIFE HISTORY 167

XII. PRESERVATION AND ECONOMICS 193

XIII. THE PLATYPUS IN CAPTIVITY 202

BIBLIOGRAPHY 219

INDEX 223

ILLUSTRATIONS

THE PLATYPUS _Frontispiece_

THE AUTHOR 6

MRS. HARRY BURRELL FONDLING TWIN NESTLINGS 6

UPPER AND LOWER JAWS FORCED WIDE OPEN 10

SKELETON OF PLATYPUS 11

JAWBONES, SHOWING DIVIDED EXTREMITIES 14

“AN AMPHIBIOUS ANIMAL OF THE MOLE KIND” 18

MALE PLATYPUS FLOATING 18

MALE PLATYPUS WATCHING INTENTLY 30

FEMALE PLATYPUS LISTENING INTENTLY 30

VENTRAL VIEW OF MALE PLATYPUS 34

HEAD OF FEMALE PLATYPUS, SHOWING DIRECT DORSAL VISION 46

VENTRAL VIEW OF LIPS 46

PLATYPUS PAWS, EXPANDED FOR SWIMMING, AND CONTRACTED FOR
WALKING 50

FEMALE PLATYPUS SUCKLING YOUNG 54

FEMALE PLATYPUS 54

TOP OF LEFT HIND FOOT, WITH SWIMMING MEMBRANE FULLY
EXTENDED 58

SOLE OF RIGHT HIND FOOT 58

HEAD OF INFURIATED MALE PLATYPUS 62

NESTLING PLATYPUS, ABOUT FIVE WEEKS OLD 62

EXPERIMENTS ON SENSORY PERCEPTIONS OF PLATYPUS BENEATH
WATER 66

POISON GLAND CONNECTED BY DUCT TO WELL AT BASE OF SPUR 94

GENERAL VIEW OF MALE PLATYPUS 94

SOLE OF RIGHT HIND FOOT, SHOWING SPUR NORMALLY SHEATHED 98

SOLE OF LEFT HIND FOOT, SHOWING SPUR IN ACTION 98

UNEARTHING PLATYPUS, RETREAT STATION, MACDONALD RIVER,
N.S.W. 110

A NEWLY-OPENED NESTING-CAVITY 114

NEST COMPOSED OF GUM-LEAVES AND GRASS STEMS 118

BROODING FEMALE PLATYPUS 118

MODELS OF NESTING-BURROW 122, 124

NESTING-BURROW WITH TWO OPENINGS 126

VARIETY IN NESTS 126

MALE PLATYPUS (1) 130

MALE PLATYPUS (2) 130

BURROW WITH FOUR NESTS 134

PLATYPUS EGGS AND YOUNG 134

MACDONALD RIVER, N.S.W. 138

“BLUE HOLE,” NAMOI RIVER, N.S.W. 138

PLATYPUS MANOEUVRING ALONG A SANDY BOTTOM 142

MALE PLATYPUS RUNNING AT TOP SPEED (1) 146

MALE PLATYPUS RUNNING AT TOP SPEED (2) 146

VENTRAL VIEW OF MALE PLATYPUS 158

FEMALE PLATYPUS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM NEST AND PERSUADED TO
ADOPT SLEEPING POSITION 162

TWIN EGGS IN NEST COMPOSED ENTIRELY OF REED ROOTS 174

TRIPLET NESTLINGS ABOUT FOUR DAYS OLD. NEST COMPOSED OF
GUM-LEAVES AND GRASS 174

FEMALE PLATYPUS IN NEST OF GUM-LEAVES AND GRASS 178

MILK GLAND FROM LEFT SIDE 182

BROODING FEMALE STEALTHILY GROVELLING HER WAY FROM HER NEST
WHICH HAS BEEN EXPOSED 186

TWIN NESTLINGS ABOUT FOUR WEEKS OLD, DIRECT FROM BURROW 206

NESTLING PLATYPUS, ABOUT THREE WEEKS OLD, SHOWING
“MILK-LIPS” 206

EXHIBITING A PLATYPUS IN AN EXPERIMENTAL “PLATYPUSARY,”
CONSTRUCTED IN 1910 210

PORTABLE “PLATYPUSARY,” DESIGNED FOR TRAVELLING 210

INTERIOR OF PORTABLE “PLATYPUSARY” 214