THE PLATYPUS IN CAPTIVITY
Australian mammals have so far proved disappointing. The dingo will
certainly parade his enclosure by day, but he is just a dog, after all.
The kangaroos and wallabies show well enough, but one is very much
like another. The long series of interesting and beautiful marsupials,
which one would much like to see in our Zoological Gardens--pouched
mice, flying ‘squirrels,’ ‘opossums,’ bandicoots, and others--are
not only nocturnal, but so cryptozoic that they are rarely seen,
even in the bush. In the ‘Zoo’ they are represented merely by labels
on apparently untenanted cages, though occasionally one may catch a
glimpse of something furry rolled up in a ball in the heavy shadow of
the sleeping-hutch. Perhaps some day we shall have a special Marsupial
House, lit by powerful electric lamps all night, to simulate daylight
and drive our fauna to slumber, and darkened down by day to the
intensity of bright moonlight, in which we may come to know the grace
and beauty of the smaller arboreal forms.
In September 1921 I sent two living adult and three nestling platypus
to the Zoology Department at the University of Sydney. The limited
number of people who on that occasion were privileged to see the
platypus swimming and diving in a large glass-fronted tank were all
agreed as to the interest and beauty of the exhibition. The loveliness
of the fur on the ventral surface, with its gold and silver lights as
seen under water, was certainly something to remember. This same fur,
by the way, is described in the British Museum Catalogue of Mammalia as
‘dirty-white’--an indication of the difference between the stuffed and
the living animal.
The platypus can be kept alive in captivity; and it is very probable
that, with sufficient pains and interest, it can be satisfactorily
exhibited. As it is probably the most interesting animal in the whole
world, it would certainly be worth while to make the attempt.
Until quite recently, although the animal has been kept alive for
fairly long periods in Australia, no living platypus had ever been
exported from the country. Chenu (1879, p. 351) certainly writes:--“Ces
animaux longtemps rares dans nos collections européennes y sont
actuellement plus fréquemment apportés, _et l’on en a même de vivants_,
surtout en Angleterre;” but there is no truth in the statement. It is
probably founded on lying reports of rascally dealers. Bennett relates
one such case, in which it was reported that a loud quacking noise,
like that of a duck, was heard coming from an East London pond; that a
gentleman struck with his stick at the spot from which the noise was
proceeding; and that some hours later a fine male _Ornithorhynchus_ was
found dying on the bank. It was now stuffed, and might be seen in Mr.
So-and-so’s shop.
Maule (P.Z.S., 1832, p. 146) says:--
“in one of the nests he was fortunate enough to secure an old female
and two young. The female lived for about two weeks on worms and
bread and milk, being abundantly supplied with water, and supported
her young, as it was supposed, by similar means. She was killed by
accident on the fourteenth day after her capture.”
Verreaux (1848, p. 133) had, of course, no difficulty whatever in
keeping them in captivity. During all the time that he was making his
important and painstaking series of observations, he had platypus of
all sorts and sizes in his possession. He fed them on broken rice
mixed with yolk of egg--which, after a time, they preferred to their
natural food. They fed at night, and growled and got angry if no food
was provided. Seeing how easy it all was, and how glad the French
zoologists would have been to welcome them, it is remarkable that
Verreaux did not take his pets back to France, or even send them by a
reliable hand. But there is no record of his making the attempt.
Dr. George Bennett was very anxious to send the living animal to
Europe and made an ill-planned effort to accustom the platypus to
captivity; but, as he evidently had not studied its feeding habits, he
was not successful. He gives an extended account of his attempts in
his _Gatherings of a Naturalist_, from which these few paragraphs are
quoted:--
“I arrived with my little family of _Ornithorhynchi_ safe at Sydney,
and as they survived for some time, an opportunity was afforded me
of observing their habits. The little animals appeared often to
dream of swimming, for I have frequently seen their fore-paws in
movement as if in the act. If I placed them on the ground during
the day, they ran about, seeking some dark corner for repose; and
when put in a dark place, or in a box, they huddled themselves up
as soon as they became a little reconciled to the locality, and
went to sleep. I found that they would sleep on a table, sofa, or
indeed anywhere; but, if permitted, would always resort to that spot
in which they had previously been accustomed to repose. Although
for days together they would sleep in the bed made up for them,
yet on a sudden, from some unaccountable caprice, they would shift
their resting-place and seek repose behind a box, or in some dark
retirement, in preference to their former habitation. They usually
reposed side by side, looking like a pair of furred balls, and
surly little growls issued from them when disturbed; nevertheless,
when very sound asleep, they might be handled and examined without
evincing any signs of annoyance. One evening both the little pets
came out about dusk, went as usual and ate food from the saucer,
and then commenced playing, like two puppies, attacking each other
with their mandibles, raising their fore-paws, and tumbling one over
the other.... In the struggle one would get thrust down; and at the
moment when the spectator would expect it to rise again and renew the
combat, it would commence scratching itself, its antagonist looking
on and waiting for the sport to be renewed. When running, they were
exceedingly animated, their little eyes glistened, and the orifices
of their ears contracted and dilated with rapidity; if taken into
the hands at this time for examination, they struggled violently to
escape, and their loose integuments rendered it difficult to retain
them. Their eyes being placed so high on the head, they do not see
objects well in a straight line, and consequently run against every
thing in the room during their perambulations, spreading confusion
among all the light and easily overturnable articles ... besides
combing their fur to clean it when wet, I have seen them preen it
with their beak (if the term may be allowed) as a duck would clean
its feathers. It is, indeed, interesting to watch them engaged in the
operations of the toilet, by which their coats acquire an increased
bright and glossy appearance. When I placed them in a pan of deep
water, they were eager to get out after being there only a short
time; but when the water was shallow, with a turf of grass placed in
one corner, they enjoyed it exceedingly. They would sport together,
attacking one another with their mandibles, and rolling over in the
water in the midst of their gambols; and afterwards, when tired, get
on to the turf, where they would lie combing themselves, until the
fur was quite smooth and shining. It was most ludicrous to observe
these uncouth-looking little creatures, running about, overturning
and seizing one another with their mandibles, and then, in the midst
of their fun and frolic, coolly inclining to one side and scratching
themselves in the gentlest manner imaginable. After the cleaning
operation was concluded, they would perambulate the room for a short
time, and then seek repose. They seldom remained longer than ten or
fifteen minutes in the water at a time. As they were not confined
during the night, I sometimes heard them growling; they seemed as
if they were fighting or playing, and as if the saucer containing
their food had been upset in the scuffle; but, on the following
morning, they were quietly rolled up, fast asleep, side by side,
in the temporary nest I had formed for them.... One evening, when
both were running about, the female uttered a squeaking noise, as if
calling to her companion, which was in some part of the room behind
the furniture, and was invisible; he immediately answered her in a
similar note; and marking the direction from which the answer to
her signal came, she ran at once to the place where he had secreted
himself.
“It was very ludicrous to see the uncouth little creatures open
their mandible-like lips and yawn, stretching out the fore-paws
and extending the webs of the fore-feet to their utmost expansion.
Although this was natural, yet, not being in the habit of seeing
a duck yawn, it had the semblance of being perfectly ridiculous.
It often surprised me how they contrived to reach the summit of a
book-case, or any other elevated piece of furniture. This was at last
discovered to be effected by the animal supporting its back against
the wall, placing its feet against the book-case, and thus, by means
of the strong cutaneous muscles of the back and the claws of the
feet, contriving to reach the top very expeditiously. They often
performed this mode of climbing, so that I had frequent opportunities
of witnessing the manner in which it was done. The food I gave them
was bread soaked in water, chopped egg, and meat, minced very small.
Although at first I presented them with milk, they did not seem to
prefer it to water.
“Some time after my arrival at Sydney, to my great regret, the little
creatures became meagre, and their coats lost the sleek and beautiful
appearance which had before called forth so much admiration; they ate
little; yet they ran about the room as before, and appeared lively.
But these external symptoms argued strongly against their being in a
state of health. When wet, their fur became matted, never appearing
to dry so readily as before; and the mandibles, and indeed every
part of the animal, indicated anything but a satisfactory condition.
How different was their appearance now, from the time when I removed
them from the burrow! then their plump and sleek appearance roused
even the apathetic blacks; now the poor creatures could only excite
commiseration. The young female died on the 29th of January, and the
male on the 2nd of February, having been kept alive only during the
space of nearly five weeks; and thus my expectations of conveying
them to Europe in a living state were frustrated, and the ladies of
England lost an opportunity of beholding these really ‘darling little
ducks’ of quadrupeds.”
[Illustration: (1) TWIN NESTLINGS, ABOUT FOUR WEEKS OLD, DIRECT FROM
BURROW.
The nest is composed of willow “swishes,” willow rootlets, and flag of
reeds.
(_About one-fourth natural size_)
_Plate 33_]
From my experience with platypus in captivity, I think the so-called
engaging antics of Bennett’s captives were really the desperate
struggles of slowly starving nestlings, while the food supplied and
general treatment were quite the reverse of their requirements.
[Illustration: (2) NESTLING PLATYPUS, ABOUT THREE WEEKS OLD, SHOWING
“MILK-LIPS.”
Note that both upper and lower lips in this undeveloped state are
adapted for sucking.
_Plate 33_]
I settled at Manilla, on the Namoi River, in northern New South Wales,
in 1901, and soon established a small zoological garden, in which
I kept a variety of marsupials and birds. While engaged in getting
water-weeds for my wild ducks, I met my first platypus, and confess
to having fallen in love at first sight. From this first meeting, the
idea of establishing a platypus amongst my pets never left my mind.
I wrote to the zoological authorities in Sydney, asking for advice
how to proceed with my plan, but received the discouraging reply that
the animal would not live in confinement, and that if I felt disposed
to experiment for myself, I should give a milk diet. Far from being
discouraged, I became the more determined to attempt this apparent
impossibility. Local people could give me no precise information as
to the food on which the platypus normally subsisted, until one day I
learned that one of the creatures had been caught upon a fishing-line
baited with a worm. Here was a ray of light on the food-question, and
I at once set about devising a suitable vivarium, in which to keep a
supply of worms. A kerosene-tin with small perforations in the bottom,
filled with alternate layers of grass-roots and earth, and topped off
with a layer of grass (which was renewed daily), served admirably. This
was hung in a shady place, and kept moist, and the worms throve in it.
The first enclosure used (Plate 34, top figure) consisted of a
brick structure, roofed over, and floored with a thick layer of
river-earth--to represent the burrow--which was connected by a
submerged tunnel with a cemented pond, also fitted with a cover, the
top being made of wire-netting. The experiment was begun on 14 January,
1910, with a female which had been trapped in the river. Within a
short space of time two more females and two males were added. Here I
recorded the interesting fact that, when the males (which were caught
together in the same trap) were placed in the tank, they circled
round a few times, then entered the submerged tunnel and made their
way to the ‘burrow,’ where they were received with growls and muffled
snorts by the females, who evidently resented the intrusion. This was
the first occasion upon which I had heard an adult platypus utter a
vocal sound. To find a sufficient supply of food for five animals--two
more specimens were added later--was a difficult problem. I worked six
hours daily, with mattock and shrimping-net, and served my captives
with a mixed diet of earth-worms, freshwater shrimps, larvae of
scarab beetles, and pond-snails, supplemented by a certain amount of
water-weed, and fresh water daily. But my utmost endeavours succeeded
in producing only about two pounds of animal food a day; and this,
apparently, was not enough. One by one the animals died, until there
was left only the original female, ‘Biddy,’ with whom the experiment
had begun. This powerful animal escaped by tearing her way through the
wire-netting covering the tank, after having been in captivity for nine
weeks and five days.
So ended the first attempt, but it pointed the way to success. The
most important discovery arising out of it was made during the period
of Biddy’s sole survivorship, when it was found that she could eat
quite comfortably the amount of food that had been thought sufficient
for herself and her four companions. It had not previously been
suspected that a platypus could eat half its own body-weight of food
in the course of a single night. The natural food, and the order of
its preference, had also been ascertained--shrimps, earth-worms, and
insect larvae, in that order; tadpoles in default of something better;
molluscs and water-weeds only very sparingly, even when the creature
was hungry. River fish she would not touch, even though shrimp-size and
served alive.
Consideration was now given to the question of improving the enclosure.
In the first primitive structure the water was contained in a cemented
tank. Food had to be given alive in this tank; as the animal invariably
defaecates in the water, it rapidly became foul, and had to be changed
each morning. Running water being out of the question where the sole
supply consisted of rain-water caught in tanks, some better system
of pond had to be devised, which would allow of easier emptying and
renewal.
The sleeping-compartment had not been opened during the time of the
first experiment. It was, as has been said, built with brick walls and
a cemented floor, and was filled with river-earth. When the cover was
removed, the interior was found to be in a foul and dank condition,
the water brought in by the animals on their bodies having converted
it into a bog, with a few mounds of damp soil projecting above the
general level. Obviously such a retreat could not have been healthy
for the captives. The next fault lay in the use of brick and cement,
which caused sores upon their knuckles. Finally it was noted that, as
long as the animals were able to see anything of their terrestrial
surroundings, they spent all their time trying to escape; and it was
resolved that wire-netting should be used only as top cover, in such a
way that clear sky alone could be seen through it.
Coupled with a wish to improve the enclosure in these different
directions, I next considered the question of portability. The outcome
of my deliberations was the designing and construction of a portable
artificial habitat, which I called a Platypusary, and which Dr. W.
T. Hornaday, Director of the New York Zoological Park, subsequently
described as “the most amazing contraption that we have ever seen in
use in animal transportation.”
The nature of the invention may be gathered from Plates 34 and 35. It
was planned, as in the first attempt, in two distinct parts--a tank
to represent a river, and a labyrinth to simulate the burrow in the
bank, the two being connected by a sheet-metal tunnel. The general
arrangement is best seen from above (the view shown in Plate 35). The
tank was to the left, the labyrinth to the right. Taking the latter
first, it will be seen that an animal coming from the tank through the
tunnel would enter the small chamber at the upper left-hand corner.
Here it would rid itself of some of the water from its body, and
possibly rest awhile and chew some of the food in peace and comfort.
It would then pass on through a series of holes cut in the partitions,
first passing through an aperture in the short longitudinal partition,
then through one at the right-hand end of the upper transverse
partition, and so on, the holes in the remaining partitions being
alternately left and right, until it reached the sleeping-chamber shown
at the lower right-hand corner. It will be seen that, altogether, it
must pass through six of these holes, each of which was guarded by
a soft rubber gasket with an aperture smaller than the body of the
animal, so that the wet fur was effectively ‘squeezed’ and the animal
arrived at its sleeping-quarters with fur almost dry. Not only was this
essential to its comfort, but it was necessary also to prevent, to some
extent, the observation glass above the burrows from becoming so moist
as to obscure the view when exhibiting the sleeping occupants.
A second feature of the labyrinth was that the apertures through the
transverse partitions were placed progressively higher up, and the
floors of the runways sloped up accordingly, so that the platypus
had to climb a kind of zig-zag ramp on its way to bed. This was a
simulation of the natural rising course of its burrow in a river-bank;
and, though some critics suggested that it was over-elaborate, my
experience of the platypus in captivity is that no precaution can
be too elaborate (especially during a test case) for the successful
treatment of a creature so delicately organized.
[Illustration: THE AUTHOR EXHIBITING A PLATYPUS IN AN EXPERIMENTAL
“PLATYPUSARY,” CONSTRUCTED IN 1910.
_Plate 34_]
The labyrinth was further improved by using curved mouldings in all the
corners, so that no right angles might remain, and by fastening sheet
rubber on the floors of the runways, to minimize injury to the animal’s
knuckles and feet. It was covered with a wooden lid, beneath which was
a framed sheet of plate-glass, permitting inspection of the burrow.
The tank portion was of much larger size, and was constructed of
galvanized iron, set in a wooden crate, the sides of which were carried
up to such a height that animals in the water could see nothing but the
sky above them. To the right is the exercising and feeding-tank. This,
at the bottom, contained sand and shell-grit. Of course, mud would
have been preferable, but it would have tended to discolour the water,
and, without a continuous supply of fresh water, the animal would have
died. The metal drum in the middle, the flat top of which projects
three inches above the water, forms an island upon which the captive
may rest, but its special purpose is to give the animal an endless
swim. To the left is a smaller tank in which aquatic plants are grown
in mud. The space at each side of it was filled with clean sand to form
two banks, on which the animal could exercise by digging, or take a
rest, at will. A continuous stream of water could be run from the main
tank into the mud tank, which was kept at a constant though lower level
(to prevent pollution of the feeding-tank) by means of an overflow
pipe. The platypus is intolerant of water which is not clean--hence
the necessity for clean sand and flowing water, where these can be
provided. The doors covering the tank were made with wooden frames,
upon which wire-netting was stretched, so that the water was open to
the sky, day and night, in all weathers.
[Illustration: PORTABLE “PLATYPUSARY” DESIGNED FOR TRAVELLING.
Over-alls are occasionally very necessary during the trials of a
Platypus providore.
_Plate 34_]
By means of this enclosure I succeeded during 1910 in achieving my
aim of placing the platypus on exhibition in the Sydney Zoological
Gardens, then at Moore Park. One animal lived for three months in good
condition; but on the approach of winter it became difficult to secure
for it a supply of natural food, and it was released in one of the
ponds of the Centennial Park. Discouraged by what I considered to be a
lack of interest in my endeavours, I took no further measures for some
time, and my contraption was scrapped.
In 1913, however, I interviewed Ellis Stanley Joseph, a well-known
animal-dealer, who became keenly interested in a scheme for taking a
live platypus to America. I at once recovered my discarded artificial
burrows, etc., from the scrap-heap, and set them up again for Joseph at
his Moore Park vivarium. Here I instructed him in the art of feeding
and caring generally for the appetites and other requirements of
captive platypus. Owing to his occasional absence, however, matters
proceeded but slowly. Later, at Granville, two more of these enclosures
were built for Joseph under my supervision. Subsequently a number of
animals were obtained and kept for various periods. Joseph, in the
New York Zoological Society _Bulletin_ for September 1922, gives the
following account of his experiences:--
“My first attempt to bring one to New York was in 1916, and I must
say that it was not a fair trial, either to the animal or to myself.
Mr. Burrell had secured one for me from the Namoi River, and it
arrived in Sydney one day before I sailed on the S.S. _Niagara_, one
of the Canadian-Australian liners. I kept it for exactly one week,
and then unfortunately it died.
“On my return to Australia from the United States in February, 1917,
I was unable to give the matter much attention, as I was too busy
getting a collection together, and so deferred action until I had
made another trip to America. When I returned to Sydney on October
27, 1917, I put all my energy into the keeping of the platypus alive
in captivity. I secured two, and kept one for 96 days and the other
for 125 days. Then I got several others from time to time and kept
them for varying periods, from one week to over one year. On August
27, 1918, I secured one and kept him until April 26, 1919, on which
date the animal died. I honestly believe that the animal would have
lived longer had it been possible for me to give it my personal
attention, because for three weeks before its death I saw very little
of it. I was ill with the pneumonic influenza--raging at the time all
over the world--and had to depend on others to see to his keeping.
“As soon as I was up, I secured several more specimens, and on one
occasion I had three females and one male quartered together. To
my sorrow I found that the male fought them and just worried them,
and in one instance there were several scratches on the bill of the
female which I am sure could not have been made except by the claws,
or possibly by the spur, of the male. The females ultimately were
afraid to go in their sleeping-box; for I put them in myself on
several occasions in the course of a day, and they would struggle
hard to get out. It seems to me that it was actual fear of the male.
“On August 22, 1919, I secured a fine male measuring 23½ inches, and
during a period of nine months he was responsible for the death of
no less than two females and one male. In August, 1920, I approached
the authorities in Sydney for a permit to take this specimen to the
New York Zoological Society, but was refused. Keenly disappointed, I
left Sydney on September 3, 1920, on the S.S. _Bellbuckle_, bound for
New York, without my platypus. On October 15, 1920, while I was still
on the sea, the animal escaped from his tank because the lid had not
been properly secured. I certainly would have liked to have kept him
till he died, as it would have been very interesting to learn how
long he could have lived in captivity.
“When I decided to go to the United States again, I felt that I
should bring a platypus along, as I knew the great desire of the
Zoological Park authorities in New York to obtain a specimen. At
first things looked black for securing a permit from the Federal
Government for the exportation.”
Here follows an account of his difficulties, which were finally solved
through the good offices of the Federal member for Parramatta, Mr. E.
K. Bowden, and Sir Baldwin Spencer. Joseph continues:--
“Having secured the Federal permits, I made arrangements to get the
animals. I secured six, five of which were males. Unfortunately the
female died sixteen days after I received it.
“I left Sydney with five male platypus on May 12, 1922, on the U.S.S.
_West Henshaw_ (Shipping Board Steamer), bound for San Francisco via
Newcastle, N.S.W., and Honolulu. On May 19, while we were still in
Newcastle, one of the medium-sized ones died. The remaining four were
absolutely in the best of health as far as I could make out, because
they were eating well; that being about the only sign by which I
could determine their condition. We left Newcastle on May 20, and
for six days it blew a regular gale. The seas were mountain-high,
and unfortunately the ship was more under water than over it, and
certainly that did the animals no good. On the night of May 25 a
huge sea came aboard, and rushing along the deck smashed into one of
the platypus-tanks, bent the metal neck and jammed it so effectively
that the animals were imprisoned in the sleeping-quarters for that
night. From then on that pair ate less and less, but they lived till
the 5th and 6th of June respectively, on which dates they died in a
comparatively poor condition.
“Of the remaining two, one was fine and healthy but the second was
just about medium, and I am sorry to state that on the 14th of June
while the ship was at Honolulu, it also died. My feelings can readily
be imagined. I would rather have lost all of my shipment of a very
valuable cargo of birds, animals, and reptiles. This was not because
the platypus was worth more (far from it), but because it was my
ambition to bring one alive to America. I am glad to say that good
fortune eventually favoured me, since on June 30, 1922, I landed in
San Francisco with the first living platypus ever brought to America.
“I had to stay five days in San Francisco in order to procure a
new supply of fresh worms, and this I can assure the reader was
not an easy matter. From Honolulu I had sent two wireless messages
to different parties to try and get some for me, but to my great
disappointment I found on my arrival in San Francisco that neither
of them had been able to get any. After a lot of work, worry, and
expense I managed to secure sufficient for the trip across the
continent to New York. That trip was the hardest part of the long
journey, for the shaking and the jolting of the train was a very
great strain on the animal. When two days out from San Francisco, the
platypus began to get hungry, for he used to get out whenever the
train stopped and look for food, and so I was up day and night, and
whenever the train stopped for any length of time I put water in the
tank and also food, and that gave the animal a chance to eat a little.
“I was glad when we arrived in Chicago, where I rested for two
nights, and that gave the animal a fresh start. I started on the last
lap on Tuesday night and on Thursday, July 14, arrived in New York,
both man and animal completely tired out.”
What Dr. Hornaday thought about the matter finds expression in his
article in the same number of the Society’s _Bulletin_, some paragraphs
from which are here quoted:--
“The spell of ten thousand years has been broken.
“The most wonderful of all living mammals has been carried alive
from the insular confines of its far-too-distant native land, and
introduced abroad. Through a combination of favoring circumstances
it has been the good fortune of New York to give hospitality and
appreciation to the first platypus that ever left Australia and
landed alive on a foreign shore....
“No matter what evil fate may hereafter overtake the platypus
species, nothing can rob us of the fact that New York has looked
upon a living _Ornithorhynchus paradoxus_, and found it mighty
interesting. It cost us $1400, but it was worth it.
“When our first platypus arrived at the Zoological Park on July 14,
1922, after a journey (of 10,000 miles) that had consumed the lives
of four companions, we felt reasonably certain that when fairly out
from under the excitement of foreign travel the queer little beast
would die in a very few days. We hoped that it might live for one
week, but we resigned ourselves to the impending loss. It lived at
the Park forty-nine days, and was on exhibition daily for one hour.
“At the outset we observed that the platypus is an animal of nervous
temperament, and easily excited by too many observing eyes. It
was evident that one hour of daily exhibition was all that the
little animal could endure, and subsequent observations proved the
correctness of this estimate. We are sure that a longer exhibition
period would speedily have proven fatal to the distinguished
stranger....
“The exhibition of the platypus was accomplished by removing the
wire-netting tops of the contraption, admitting visitors in a line,
in single file, and permitting them to pass entirely around the
man-made habitat of the animal. As the stream of visitors marched and
countermarched, the platypus briskly swam and emerged, scrambled, and
climbed up the wire-netting walls of its main salon in efforts to get
out....
“The two features of a living platypus that make the daily life
of its keeper a nightmare and a burden are its food habits and its
water habits. In this vale of tears there seem to be just about five
kinds of food that it will consider and consume. Named in the order
of their acceptability these are: angle worms, very small shrimps,
wood-grubs (of the kind most difficult to find!), oysters, and water
insects. Of any one of the three leading kinds the animal soon tires,
and requires a change. The cost of digging angleworms, even if it is
possible to preserve them, is quite serious; and wood-grubs cost us
ten cents each, with few purveyors.
“While it lived, our little platypus--about half grown--cost us
between $4 and $5 per day to feed. Even in summer the food problem
kept us moving, but we looked forward with apprehension to the
horrors of winter.
“One trouble lies in the voracious appetite of a healthy platypus....
One day’s ration of our specimen was as follows:
“August 6; ½ lb. earthworms, 40 shrimps, and 40 grubs.
“One week’s food supply for the platypus consisted of the following:
“Each day, between three and four o’clock, the animal was given
one-quarter of a pound of earthworms. On Tuesday nights and Friday
nights one-quarter of a pound of shrimps and one-half pound of grubs
were given. On the evenings of Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
and Sunday he received one-half pound of shrimps each day....
“Really, it seems incredible that an animal so small could chamber
a food supply so large. I know of nothing equal to it among other
mammals.”
During an experiment which I made in September 1910 to test the
appetite of an adult platypus, I found that in the space of 72 hours
it ate 70 ten-inch red worms (resembling an ordinary lead pencil in
both length and girth), 10 ground-grubs, and 600 salt-water prawns (of
the size usually bought in packets as bait). The record for one night
was:--red worms, 30; prawns, 300.
Hornaday remarks on the fact that the creature showed itself, in
captivity, to be of nervous and active temperament, a fact that must
strike any observer who has had to do with it. That is why I would not
allow my captives to observe any surroundings other than those within
their enclosure. Because of this, I claim to have practically solved
the problem of keeping platypus in captivity. By comparison the echidna
is a dull animal, unless taken young and trained systematically for
exhibition purposes. It does not pretend to be a gourmet, and thrives
quite well on raw egg-and-milk, a diet utterly different from that to
which it is accustomed when at large. True, it uses its very remarkable
bodily strength to explore all possible ways of escape; but, once
having found the task hopeless, it becomes resigned. It does seem to
show an intermediate mentality, as much reptilian as mammalian, despite
the fact that its brain has a convoluted surface, while that of the
platypus is smooth. The natural food of the platypus resembles that of
a bird, rather than that of a mammal. It demands a varied diet, and
will starve to death in the presence of food which no longer pleases
it. It must have clean, clear water, and sweet, dry sleeping-quarters.
It is impatient of observation, and resents being handled. It is
easily killed by too much excitement. These things bear witness to an
organization of a higher grade than that of many of the lower Didelphia
and Monodelphia, despite its Ornithodelphian plan.
This being so, is it possible to exhibit the animal satisfactorily in
a Zoological Garden? I believe so, provided that the lessons to be
learned from experience up to the present are fully realized. Young
animals (not necessarily nestlings) which have never tasted the true
delights of wild life, will pretty certainly take more kindly to
confinement than adults. The questions of food and transport may be
looked upon as solved. The method of exhibition, however, could be
greatly improved. It is remarkable that the New York animal should have
lived for so long as seven weeks, when for an hour each day it was
surrounded by a continuous stream of curious visitors, and underwent
constant handling by the keeper. Think of it!
What I suggest, apart from improved burrows, is a raised tank, with
a plate-glass front. The eyes of the platypus are kept closed under
water, and it would never see people standing below the water-level
of its tank. It would thus be saved the greater part of the fret and
excitement of the exhibition period. The animal would soon become
accustomed to a regular feeding-time in the afternoon, and would not
need the intervention of a keeper to turn it out into the exhibition
tank. Given these conditions, there seems to be no reason whatever why
the platypus should not live in Zoological Gardens at least so long on
the average as other animals which are commonly kept in such places.
Unfortunately, many of these do not survive so long as one might expect.
[Illustration: INTERIOR OF PORTABLE “PLATYPUSARY” TURNED ON ITS SIDE IN
ORDER TO PRESENT A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW.
(_This negative is owned by the New York Zoological Society_)
_Plate 35_]
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FOOTNOTES:
[1] In this book the words muzzle, snout, bill, and beak are used
synonymously, when the upper and lower mandibles combined are referred
to. The pliable tissue extending beyond the jawbones is always referred
to as the lips.
[2] That is, segmenting eggs from the uterus.
[3] For details, see page 208.
[4] The spurs are not for laying hold of the body, but, if at all, of
the hind legs, ankles, or feet, of the female.
[5] With this statement I agree. See page 96.
[6] I have never succeeded in passing a fine horse-hair through, even
after extracting the inner tube (see Plate 14).
[7] The Australian Philosophical Society.
[8] I have found both males and females in this state. The denudation
is the result of moulting, and has nothing to do with the use of the
spur.
[9] Platypus are frequently seen during daylight, and can easily be
taken by hand beneath water, even though it may be necessary to jump
into the water to do so.
[10] I find that the scent-gland enlarges and diminishes in unison with
the other glands described here. This strengthens the statement that
the poison gland is subject to seasonal variations.
[11] See page 157.
[12] With the theory that the discharge is for the purpose of dilating
the socket I entirely disagree.
[13] I have never known an entrance to be blocked up, and I have
examined over 150 breeding-burrows, all of which were glaringly open to
view.
[14] See description of breeding habits in chapter xi.
[15] Since this was written Mr. H. R. Carne reports the capture of a
platypus in George’s River at Glenfield.
[16] In a few species of viviparous lizards, e.g., _Tiliqua_, a
primitive placental apparatus is found.
[17] Trappers are not likely to report otherwise.
[18] During the breeding-season, to which my experience is limited, the
smell is only occasionally noticeable on living specimens; but it is
always found in the process of skinning.
INDEX
Activity, 164
Adolescence, 188
Affection of pairs, 165
Air in burrows, 137
Albino, 48
Allport, Morton, 152, 153, 154
America, living platypus landed, 214
Amphibia, 26, 28
Anteater. _See_ ECHIDNA
Aquatic adaptations, 9
Armit, W. E., 139
Aves, 28
Axford, Thomas, 80, 90
Baden-Powell, G. S., 90
Banks, Sir Joseph, 1, 5, 6, 20, 22, 23, 26
Barrington’s _History of New South Wales_, 25
Beak. _See_ MUZZLE
Beaver, comparison with, 54, 112, 132
Bennett, George, 4, 5, 32, 39, 54, 56, 65, 66, 67, 68, 81, 98, 100,
106, 111, 112, 125, 147, 154, 155, 160, 179, 189, 191, 200, 204
Bennett, G. F., 4, 113, 129, 179
Bill. _See_ MUZZLE
Birds, organs of reproduction, 28
Birds, resemblance to, 28
Blainville, Henri D. de, 3, 30, 32, 33, 77
Blood, 56
Blumenbach, J. F., 1, 6, 7, 22, 26, 33
Body. _See_ TRUNK
Boyd, G., 140
Brain, 15, 63, 217
Breathing, 124
Breeding habits, 167
Breeding-season, 171
Brisbane, Sir Thomas, 79
Broderip, W. J., 5, 39
Bruta, 26
Buffon, Comte de, 26
Burrow, blocking with earth, 116, 117, 122, 129
Burrow, descriptions of, 105
Burrow, entrance, 107, 111, 114, 115, 117, 124, 134, 135
Burrow, length of, 106, 108, 110, 113, 114, 116, 117, 124, 127, 134,
135
Burrow, smell of, 163
Burrow, ventilation of, 137
Burrowing, method of, 112, 120
Caldwell. W. H., 3, 5, 45, 113, 119, 177, 182
Captivity, 202
Carpenter, W. B., 41
Caruncle, 183, 185
Casy, Dr., 111
Characters described, 46
Cheek-pouches, 13, 73, 150, 154
Chenu, J. C., 6, 7, 203
Chisholm, A. H., 139
Claws, 12, 52, 120, 122
Cleanliness, 161
Cloaca, 2, 28, 29, 58
Cold, effect on distribution, 146
Collins, David, description of platypus, 17
Colour, 47, 187
Contorting ability, 61
Cookoogong (aboriginal), 78, 105, 106
Copulation, 61, 76, 91, 99, 104, 168
Crowther, A. B., 44, 151, 154, 155, 156
Crural gland, 76, 167
Crustacea as food, 155
Cuvier, G., 30, 32, 33
Darwin, C., 28, 151
Daytime habits, 149
_Dermipus_, 7, 22
Didelphia, 2
Digging, 12
Digits, 12, 52
Distribution, 139
Diving, 147, 150, 152, 156, 157
Dobson, Mr., 17, 20
Drowning, 137, 150, 159
“Duck-bill” first used, 23
Duck-like bill. _See_ MUZZLE
Ears, 10, 12, 50, 124
Echidna, 6, 15, 27, 29, 30, 45, 57, 58, 59, 99, 133, 149, 161, 187
Economic value of platypus, 199
Edentata, 26
Edwards, Milne, 35
Eggs, controversy _re_, 2, 29, 32, 33
Eggs, description of, 173
Eggs found by Caldwell, 3, 45;
Kershaw, 117;
Semon, 119
Eggs, laid, 179
Egg-laying, 175
Egg-tooth, 183, 185
Enemies, 197
Evolution, pre-Darwinian ideas, 28
External features, 9
Eyes, 10, 46, 50, 65, 124
Facial furrow, 10
Faeces, 188
Feeding habits, 10, 149, 151, 152, 153
Feet (hind), 12
Female affection for offspring, 165
Female, excavation of nesting-burrow, 125, 128, 163
Fish-trap, effect of, 198
Flap at base of muzzle, 14, 49, 68
Fleming, J., 34
Flesh, 200
Fletcher, J. J., 5
Floating, 155, 158
Floods, effect on distribution, 143, 145
Food, 13, 14, 73, 154, 208, 216
Food supply, effect on distribution, 145
Fore-paws, 12, 52, 120, 122, 151, 156, 157, 158, 160
French scientific expeditions, 25
Fur. _See_ HAIR
Furrier’s point of view, 199
Generation; ovi-viviparous, 27, 33, 38, 40, 41
Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, Etienne, 3, 4, 29, 30, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 184
Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, Isidore, 30, 31, 79
Gould, John, 112, 195
Graafian follicle, 34
Grant, Robert E., 36
Growling. _See_ VOICE
Haacke, W., 45
Habitat, first described, 24
Habitats, 139
Habits, 5, 147
Hair, 9, 47, 49, 155
Hatching of eggs, 182
Head, 46
Hearing, 67, 72, 150
Heat, effect on distribution, 146
Hibernation, 148, 164
Hill, Patrick, 3, 4, 34, 35, 78, 105
Hill, William, 144
Hind feet, 53, 122, 123, 160
Holmes, Mr., 37
Home, Sir Everard, 1, 2, 3, 6, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 33, 36,
37, 76, 78, 97, 98, 100, 170
Hornaday, W. T., 70, 209, 215
Hoy, C. M., 74, 93, 134, 157, 165
Hunter, Governor, 1, 17, 20, 21, 24
Illiger, C., 30
Incubation, 181
Insect larvae as food, 155
_Ixodes ornithorhynchi_, 162
Jamison, Sir John, 2, 3, 34, 35, 77, 79, 91, 103, 105, 201
Jawbones, 10
Jaws, 13
Jones, F. Wood, 52, 54, 55, 63, 65, 102, 132, 133, 154
Joseph, E. S., 211
Kershaw, J. A., 4, 114, 125, 129, 136, 141, 172, 179, 181, 184
King, Governor, 22, 23, 26
Knox, R., 1, 3, 78, 79, 91, 98
Krefft, G., 81, 141
Lalor, Dr., 85
Lamarck, J. B., 30
Latreille, P. A., 30
Leadbeater, Mr., 36, 37
Learmonth, N., 141
Lendenfeld, R. von, 57
Lesson, P., 3, 36, 106
Life history, 5, 167
Limbs, 12, 52
Lips, 9, 10, 68, 120, 123
Longevity, 192
Longman, H. A., 139, 140
Lord, C., 141
Lucas and Le Souef, 114, 193
McCoy, Professor F., 44
Mackenzie, W. C., and W. J. Owen, 99, 163
Maclean, J., 171
Male, pugnacity of, 92, 93, 95, 96, 157, 165, 166
Mammalia, 27, 28, 30, 31
Mammalian relationship, 2, 32
Mammals, early forms of, 7
Mammary glands, 4, 29, 30, 31, 184, 187
Man, 7, 8
Mandibles, 9, 16, 18, 68
Marsupials, 29, 30
Martin, C. J., 57
Martin, C. J., and F. Tidswell, 4, 84, 91, 98, 103
Mastication, 13
Maturity, 191
Maule, Lauderdale, 4, 32, 39, 106, 179, 203
Measurements, 55
Meckel, J. F., 3, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 79
Mesozoic mammals, 7, 8
Miklouho-Maklay, N. N., 57
Milk, 29, 32, 190
Molluscs as food, 154
Monodelphia, 2, 57, 63
Monotremata, 8, 29
Mouth, 12
Mud as food, 10, 73, 155
Mueller, Dr. F. von, 42
Murray cod, 142
Muzzle, 9, 10, 21, 27, 46, 49, 68
_Myrmecophaga aculeata_, 27
Neck, 52
Nervous organization, 63
Nervous temperament, 165
Nest, 108, 111, 112, 113, 116, 117, 127, 128, 131, 134, 136, 181, 188
Nesting-burrow, 105
Nesting habits, 4
Nestlings, 110
Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society, 21
New South Wales habitats, 140
New York Zoological Gardens, exhibition of platypus, 215
Nicholson, Dr. John, letter to Sir R. Owen, 41
Nicols, A., 85, 90
Nipples, absence of, 2, 27, 30
Nostrils, 49
Nursing habits, 183
Nursing period, 151, 186
Odour of burrows, 163
Oken, L., 33
_Oligorus macquariensis_ (Murray cod), 142
Opossum, 27
Ornithodelphia, 2, 30
_Ornithorhynchus_, generic characters described by Home, 27
_Ornithorhynchus anatinus_ Shaw, 1
_Ornithorhynchus hystrix_, 27
_Ornithorhynchus paradoxus_, 1, 6, 7, 22
Ovaries of birds, reptiles and mammals compared, 28-9
Oviducts, 2, 28, 29
Ovi-viviparous mode of generation, 27, 33, 38, 40, 41
Ovum. _See_ EGGS
Owen, Sir R., 3, 5, 38, 39, 41, 44, 98, 99, 183
_Panniculus carnosus_, 31, 164
Parasites, 62, 162
Parker, W. K., 5, 8, 75
Parmeter, Dr. T., 79
Penis, 27
Placenta, 29
_Platypus anatinus_, 1, 6, 7, 17, 20
Platypus described by David Collins, 16;
by George Shaw, 17;
by Bewick, 21;
by Hunter, 23;
by Home, 27
Poison, effects of, 82, 83, 85, 94, 96
Poulton, E. B., 5, 69
Preservation, 193
Protection, 193
Prototheria, 30
Psychological characteristics, 14
“Pugs” and “pug-pits,” 129, 130, 133
Queensland habitats, 139
Rabbits, effect on platypus, 197
Ramsay, J. S. P., 177
Rawley, Mr., 4, 105, 106
Rectum, 27
Reproduction, method of, 3
Reproduction, organs of, 26, 28
Reptantia, 30
Reptiles, organs of reproduction, 28
Reptile relationship, 6, 59, 63
Reptilia, 26
Resting-burrow, 162
Rumby, G. J., letter to Dr. Mueller, 42, 177
Running, 159
Scent-gland, 30, 67, 90, 163, 167
Scott, Mr., 34
Selkirk, H., 24
Semon. R., 57, 66, 67, 99, 100, 114, 119, 145, 148, 151, 153, 155,
158, 160, 191, 195, 201
Senses. _See_ HEARING, SIGHT, SMELL, TASTE, TOUCH;
also “SIXTH SENSE”
Sensory perceptions, 63
Septum, 29
Sexes, external differences, 55
Shaw, George, 1, 3, 6, 17, 26, 76
Shell-fish as food, 154
Shrew, 30
Shrimps as food, 154, 155
Sight, 65, 72, 150
Simson, A., 81
“Sixth sense,” 10, 70, 72
Sizes of specimens, 55
Skeleton, 11
Skin, 46, 160, 164, 195
Sleep, 162
Smell of burrows, 163
Smell, sense of, 67, 72
Smith, Geoffrey, 66, 158
Smith, Southwood, 35
Snout. _See_ MUZZLE
Socket (female) in place of spur, 54
Solitary nature, 55, 163
South Australian habitats, 141
Spicer, W. W., 81, 90, 91, 193
Spiny anteater. _See_ ECHIDNA
Spur, 3, 27, 54, 76, 170
Stomach contents, 154
Stranger, C. R., 140
Strength, 59
Stuart, Sir Anderson, 82
Sutherland, Alexander, 57
Swan, E. D., 44
Sweat-glands, 31
Swimming, 9, 66, 151, 156, 157, 158
Tail, 9, 46, 54, 112, 120, 132
Tasmanian habitats, 141
Taste, sense of, 69, 74
Teat, mammalian, 29
Teats, absence of, 27, 30, 31
Teeth, 12, 27
Temperature, 56
Testes, 89, 167
Thomas, Oldfield, 20, 47, 69
Tiedemann, F., 30
Timidity, 147
Toilet habits, 159, 162
Tongue, 12, 27, 69, 155
Toothless mammals, 26
Touch, sense of, 10, 50, 68, 74
Traill, T. S., 3, 77
Trapping, effect of, 197
Trunk, 46, 52
Turtle, green, 61
Type skin, 20
Urine, 27
Uterus, 2, 27, 29
Van der Hoeven, J., 30, 79
Verreaux, J., 6, 32, 41, 68, 81, 91, 111, 112, 130, 168, 190, 203
Victorian habitats, 141
Vitality of young platypus, 137, 138
Voice, 75, 110
Waite, E. R., 139, 141
Walking, 158
Wardlaw, Dr., 57, 58
Water, instinct for finding, 143
“Water-mole” first used, 23
Water-rat, effect on platypus, 197
Weatherhead, Dr., 39
Webbing of feet, 9, 12, 52, 53, 151, 156, 157, 158, 161
White, H. L., 198
Wiedemann, C. R. W., 7, 22
Wilson, J. T., 5, 183
Wilson, J. T., and J. P. Hill, 5, 118, 119, 174, 177, 193
Womb. _See_ UTERUS
Worms as food, 155
Yarrell, W., 37
Zoological position, 26
Eagle Press Ltd., Allen St., Waterloo
Transcriber’s Notes.
Italic text is indicated with _underscores_, bold text with =equals=.
Small/mixed capitals have been replaced with ALL CAPITALS.
Evident typographical and punctuation errors have been corrected
silently. Inconsistent spelling/hyphenation has been normalised.
Half-titles and reiterations of chapter titles have been discarded.
End of page footnotes have been sequentially numbered and relocated to
the end of the text.
Chapter numbers have been added to the Table of Contents.
On page 179, a reference to “Mawle” has been changed to “Maule”
On page 220, the entry for “Learmouth” has been change to “Learmonth”
The text in the list of illustrations for page 186 has been changed
from “Female Platypus” to “Brooding Female” to match the caption.
Illustrations have been moved between paragraphs/chapters to improve
text flow.
The List of Illustrations has been expanded where necessary to allow
links to images with the same page number.
New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the
public domain.