Page:Babyhood of Wild Beasts.djvu/151

Rh cross-ridged plates of the lower jaw and the roof of the mouth.

The baby Platypus is full of fun and as playful as a kitten.

The developed Platypus is thirteen inches in length, with a tail five inches long, and is about as large as a prairie dog.

The front feet are webbed quite beyond the ends of the toes, and when this fellow digs, the outer web is rolled well back underneath the foot so as to expose the claws. The hind feet are webbed only to the claws, and each is armed with a long, sharp spur, said to be connected with a poison gland.

The tail is broad and flattened, covered with hair on the upper side and nearly naked below.

The Platypus is found in Australia only.

The Echidna is first cousin to the Platypus, and second cousin to the Kangaroo. There are two groups of Echidna—the five-toed, which inhabit Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea; and the three-toed, which comprise two species and are found only in New Guinea.

The bodies of the five-toed group are set with