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[Page 7]
river, in which it burrows. The manner in which it procures its food is curious. It gets upon the a low branch of any tree overhanging the river where it will either sit or become suspended by its tail, in this way looking out for fish, which when they come near the surface, it darts upon. Whether it pursued them under the water was not known; the construction, however of its pulmonary system would lead one to suppose it did. On examining the thorax I found as usual in quadrupeds a portion of the pulmonary system in each side, fully adequate to the size of the animal, but besides these there was an intermediate portion situated between the pericardium and diaphragm. This portion consisted of a center portion and four limbs; two upper and two lower. They are were held extended from side to side in a duplicature of the parietes reflected from the adjoining surfaces. At the divisions of the bronchiae and blood-vessels as entering the lateral lungs, a single ramification of each was sent off from both sides, and ran down to be inserted into the upper limbs of the middle lung, the capacity of which was nearly equal to one of the lateral. There was no communication by air-cells.
Of the people inhabiting New Holland I have collected all the information I could and would willingly the communicate the whole of it here, but, as it yet remains an almost indigested heap, I shall merely mention a few of the most particular remarks I had occasion to make.
I have examined and taken measurements of natives in King George the Third's Sound, Port Jackson, and the Gulph of Carpentaria; three of the most remote quarters of the whole island. These have led me to conclude the