Page:Natural History (1848).djvu/300

290 claws lie on the ground, and the concave part is behind.”

The upper surface of the body, and of the short tuberculous tail, is covered by a compact mass of stout and strong spines, intermingled with stiff bristly hairs. For the most part they are directed backwards, but towards the middle of the back their points cross each other; but when alarmed the animal has the power of rolling itself up like the hedgehog, when the strong spines project in all directions as from a common centre.

ECHIDNA.

There appears to be but a single species (Echidna aculeata, .) which is found in New South Wales and in Van Diemen’s Land. A second species (E. setosa, .) has indeed been described, which is said to be distinguished by having fewer and shorter spines on the body, and these are imbedded almost to the points in a