The Platypus is sometimes called the Water Mole. It is, perhaps, the
most wonderful animal in the world in its combination, being part
bird, part beast, part fish. It has a bill like a duck; five toes
with claws and webbed feet; it is covered with thick glossy fur like
a seal; it has cheek pouches like a monkey to keep it's food in; it
lays two eggs, its voice resembles that of a young puppy, and the
young platypuses play like puppies; it lives in rivers and makes
burrows often 20 or 30 feet long; it feeds upon water insects, shell
fish, etc.
[Page 149--Funny Australian Natives]