. Mammals of other lands;. Mammals. MARSUPIALS AND MONOTREMES 345 A distinguishing feature which the male platypus shares in common with the echidna is 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' spur
. Mammals of other lands;. Mammals. MARSUPIALS AND MONOTREMES 345 A distinguishing feature which the male platypus shares in common with the echidna is 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 River, on the Victorian and New South Wales boundary. A young fisher-lad, on taking up his nets, found a half-drowned platypus entangled in them, and, whilst disengaging it, it convulsively. DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS This curious egg-laying mammal, the only representati've 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 Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Cornish, C. J. (Charles John), 1858-1906. New York, The University Library
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Keywords: ., bookauthorco, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmammals
