File:Brehm's Life of animals - a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools (1895) (20226780439).jpg

Title: Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools
Identifier: brehmslifeofanim00breh (find matches)
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: Brehm, Alfred Edmund, 1829-1884; PechuLoesche, Eduard, 1840-1913; Haacke, Wilhelm, 1855-1912; Schmidtlein, Richard
Subjects: Mammals; Animal behavior
Publisher: Chicago : Marquis
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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THE DUCK-MOLES. 599 \W character; yet they use the same expression in speaking of the scratches inflicted by the animal with the hinder feet, and they are not at all afraid of seizing a living Duck-mole. When the queer creature runs aloni; the ground, it produces an im- pression of something unnatural, and its strange shape easily startles a timid person. Cats instantly take flight at its appearance, and even Dogs, which are not specially trained, stare at it, prick their ears and bark, but are afraid to touch it, so strongly are they impressed by the strange appearance and oddi- ties of this animal." Bennett had many burrows explored and thus had the advantage of observing several Duck-moles in captivity. " I had one burrow dug up," says he, " in spite of all dissuasions of a lazy native, who could not understand why I wished for Duck-moles, since I possessed an abundance of Cattle and Sheep. The entrance of the burrow was large in proportion to the width of the tunnel, for the latter became nar- rower as we advanced, until it only permitted the passage of the animal. We had followed it to a depth of nine feet, when suddenly the head of a Duck-mole appeared be- low, just as if it had been ^ « awaked from sleep and = . had come to see what we wished. It seemed to rec- ognize the fact that our noisy work was not con- ducive to its welfare; for it retreated quite hurriedly. As it turned around it was seized by the hind leg and pulled out. It seemed to be very uneasy and aston- ished at this treatment. We placed our prisoner, which was a full-grown fe- male, in a barrel full of grass, river-mud, water, etc. It scratched all around the sides of the barrel trying to escape from its prison; but as it found all its labor vain, it became quiet, curled up and seemed to sleep. During the night it was very restless and again scratched with its fore paws, as if it were intent on burrowing a tunnel. In the morning"I found it fast asleep, the tail turned in, head and beak under its chest, the body curled up. When I disturbed its slumber it growled, somewhat like a Dog, only a little more gently and perhaps more harmoniously. During the day it was usually quiet, but during the night it renewed its attempts to escape and growled continuously. All Europeans of the neighborhood, who had often seen the dead animal, were glad of the opportunity to observe a living specimen, and I believe that this was the first time a European had taken a living Duck-mole and had examined its burrow. "When I left I put my 'Mallangong' into a little box lined with grass, and took it with me. To afford it some recreation I woke it after a short time, tied a long string to one of its hind legs and set it ashore. It soon found its way into the water and swam up the stream, evidently most delighted with such spots as were thickly covered with aquatic plants. After the animal had enough of diving, it crept ashore, lay down on the grass and gave itself up to the luxury of scratching and combing itself. "A few days later I allowed it to take another bath in a clear river, in the water of which I could see its movements distinctly. It quickly dived to the bottom, stayed there for a little while and then rose again. It roved along the bank, guided by the sense of touch in its beak, which seemed to be very frequently used, and also to be a very sensitive organ of touch. Its appetite was probably quite well sat- isfied, for whenever it withdrew its beak from the mud, something eatable was undoubtedly in it, as its jaws were then working laterally with a movement peculiar to its method of chewing. Various insects, which hovered closely about it, were unmolested by it, either because it did not see them or because it preferred the food which the mud afforded it. After its repasts it would sometimes lie down on the grassy bank, half out of the water, or it would bend backward, combing and cleaning its fur. It re- turned to its prison very unwillingly, and this time it did not quiet down at all. During the succeeding
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DUCK-MOLE. Last among the known mammals is the strange and aptly named Duck-mole. It is web- footed and lays eggs, like a Duck, and burrows in river banks like a Mole or a Beaver, but spends most of its waking moments in the water searching for the aquatic insects and Mollusks which constitute its food. (Ornitho- rkynchus anatinus.) night I heard it scratching in the box which stood in my bed-room, and lo! the next morning the box was empty. The Duck-mole had succeeded in detach- ing a lath and had effected its escape. Thus all my hopes of further observations were foiled." Bennett's Account On another voyage Bennett succeed- of Young Duck- ed in discovering a burrow contain- moles. jng three young ones, upon which the hair had already grown, and which he could ob- serve for some time. "When we found the nest with the young ones," says he, "and placed them on the ground, they ran to and fro but did not make such savage attempts to escape as did the old ones. The natives, whose mouths watered at sight of these fat young animals, said that they were about eight months old, and added that the young Duck-moles were fed milk by their mother only during their early infancy and later were given insects, small shells and mud.

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