The Water-Mole, Paradox, or Platypus.

Otago Witness, Issue 1751, 13 June 1885, Page 27

The Water-Mole, Paradox, or Platypus.

It would be curious to trace tha changes that have taken place in this world of oura eiuce Australia, with ito strange animal and plant life, which now stands out alone, was joiued to the mainland of Asia, from whence it raceivsd ita live iorms of mammalia. The platypus, called in that country the water-mole, 13 tho lowofct and aimplo.«l, of tho mammalia now existing, for the kindred uproioa— tho echidna, — which reaomblos it in many poiuts, h&3 mado a decided step upwards. 3>. ia found in the creeks of the rivers of East Australia. On a bright summer day, whon tha lovoly acacias hang out their golden bloßeoms bide by side with the tali graceful gam-trees, ifc may bo saen paddling along among tho wato? plants. A iQur-foovaS anitsal vnlb a bsavsr'c- fyr c-n<3 tai|

aud toeth in his mouth, yofc, strange to say r with a duck's bill and webbed Joet 1 This strange looking animal was first seen by some* English travellers more than sixty ycai-s ago j it; was no shy and co wonderfaliy active, that to get a good look at it was no easy matter. Occasionally would ba enen for !» moment & datk roundish mass like a bit of fur fixating, but quickly disappearing again. Then up popped a head, in shape like a bird's, without, ears, aud with a large flat beak, but whatller thia head was covered with feathers wr fur could not at a glanca be ascertained. At theslightest naovoment of tho watchera" doom ifc wen f -, »ud then the body and hind-legs of a. quadruped would oome to sight for an instant.Never beforo had the naturalists been so puzzled. On first hearing of it, neither in Europe nor America would they believe in the possibility of a quadrupad with a bill, for how could the young of such a creature bo suckled 2 In the year 1848 the Zoological Society of Paris appointed M. Jules Verraax and eeveraE othar naturaliota to go to Australia for the purpose of studying the habits of thia and oneor two other animals. Soon • afterwards Dr George Bonuett, who resided many years in Australia, began to do the same. At length,, with the aid of the natives, ho succeeded in capturing several of them alive, and took them homo with him. Ho tried to ma&a them as happy as possible under tho circumstantjeß, anrl kopt them in a wooden tauk or tub made on. purpose for them, la this way ho was jible tostudy thoir ways and habits closely, and found them to be gentle, playful, interesting 1 little creatures. But co quaint and odd were they that other animals could not made them out ; cats would stare at them and then ecamper off with all speed, evidently afraid of them. Dr Bennett occasionally indulged one of them with a swim in tho river, aftor tying a long cord to one of its leg?, so that it could movo about freoly and yor. couU uot escape. It seemed exceedingly happy, and grubbed in> the baok3 and mud juat like a duck ; bnfc unfortunately his little pets only survived a few months. Thef,o animals are bo delicate and thoroughly aquatic, that thoy cannot thrivo except in their native Rtroanw, so that hitherto every attempt that has been made to hriug one alive to Europe bsa been unsuccessful, With the help of the natives Dr Bennett discovered several of these animals' nests, and watched the building of one. They aro generally high up a bank, though penetrating far below, whoro they are protected both from floods and damp ; the entrance is always concealed- Though each nee< is but a few feet below the surface, the platypus has to go through a winding passage of from thirty to forty feet beforo reaching i(. A couple of thorn construct the passage by burrowing into Iha bank with their sharp claws, pushing and kicking down the loose earth into the water, and tfapn healing tha path smooth and firm with their beaver- like tails. Most diligently they work night after night, bighsr and higher, and further from tha water, winding about for greater secrecy till at last they reach a safe spot, dry and warm enough for there dwelling. Next they begin to scrape and dig a wide space for it, lining it with Boft dry grass. These BOgacious little creatures take the aome precaution as tho land moles to havo ssveral fiufcrancoH to their passages, ono of which ie ; below the level of the water,— Month.