. Mammals of other lands;. Mammals. 344 ^^^ LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD. Ph(,t« by JV. SavilU-Ktnt, TASMANIAN ECHIDNA, OR PORCUPINE ANT-EATER T/iis is the largest 'variety of the Jt-ve-toed species ; it gro'ws to a length of 20 inches, and has the fur so long as almost to conceal the spines « that both these and other examples kept were observed to be very irregular; for while usually- most lively and disposed to ramble after it grew dusk, they would at other times come out of their own accord in the daytime, or perhaps one would ramble about while the other slept. When going to sleep,
. Mammals of other lands;. Mammals. 344 ^^^ LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD. Ph(,t« by JV. SavilU-Ktnt, TASMANIAN ECHIDNA, OR PORCUPINE ANT-EATER T/iis is the largest 'variety of the Jt-ve-toed species ; it gro'ws to a length of 20 inches, and has the fur so long as almost to conceal the spines « that both these and other examples kept were observed to be very irregular; for while usually- most lively and disposed to ramble after it grew dusk, they would at other times come out of their own accord in the daytime, or perhaps one would ramble about while the other slept. When going to sleep, they would roll themselves up in a perfect ball, the head, tail, and limbs being closely folded over the abdomen. The food question appears to have presented almost insurmountable difficulties so far against the permanent acclimatisation of these interesting animals in any of our European zoological gardens. At the Melbourne Zoo some considerable success was obtained by fencing off a small pond abounding with insects and well-established water-plants for their reception, and in this instance they had also the advantage of being brought speedily and within a few hours of their capture to their new home. For their long voyage to Europe the provision of an adequate quantity of living insects or other aquatic organisms is a by no means easy task. They have, however, been known to thrive on broken-up river-mussels for the space of two or three weeks, and would probably have done so for a longer period. This material might easily be stored for their use on board ship. An incident concerning the natural predilections of the platypus that fell within the writer's observation in Tasmania might also be utilised in their experimental transportation. At the trout- and salmon-rearing establishment on the river Plenty—of which the writer was at the time superintendent—the platypuses proved to be most destructive to the spawn both deposited in the hatching-boxes and upon the natural spa
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Keywords: ., bookauthorco, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmammals
