| Description |
227 pages, 35 unnumbered leaves of plates : illustrations (some color), portraits ; 22 cm |
| Contents |
Preface -- Introductory -- Discovery and early descriptions -- Controversy on the zoological position -- Controversy on the laying of eggs -- General characteristics -- Nervous organization and sensory perceptions -- The spur and crural gland -- The nesting burrow -- Distribution and haunts -- Habits -- Breeding habits and life history -- Preservation and economics -- The platypus in captivity -- Bibliography -- Index |
| Summary |
Although the platypus is probably the most fascinating of all Australia's native mammals, the full facts about its body structure and life habits eluded scientific observers for many years. More than one hundred years passed after the first sightings before a naturalist was able to prove conclusively that the animal did lay eggs and suckle its young; even today there are many details of the animal's life and habits which are not fully understood. Few men have made a more intensive study of the platypus than the New South Wales naturalist Harry Burrell, who spent more than twenty-five years observing the animal in its native habitat and in the laboratory and was the first man to successfully keep platypuses in captivity. Burrell's book, the culmination of his study, has been widely praised for the new information it brough to light and for its absorbing account of the animal's discovery and early theories concerning its curious combination of mammal and reptile-like features. Chapters deal with the body structure of the platypus, its nervous system and sensory perception, distribution, net, burrow and breeding habits, the role of the poison spur and its life cycle. (Inside cover) |
| Notes |
Includes index |
| Bibliography |
Bibliography: pages [219]-222 |
| Subject |
Platypus -- Physiology.
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Platypus -- Behavior.
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Platypus -- Habitat.
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Platypus.
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| LC no. |
2702006965 |
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