Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Although the salutation does not identify the person to whom Rumley's letter is addressed, M reports, in M to R. Owen, 25 September 1864, having written to him to seek further information. In introducing the transcription of this letter, Owen (1865), p. 683, states: 'I was favoured by my esteemed correspondent, Dr Mueller with a letter from the "Gold-Receiver" … in reply to inquiries which vague reports of the occurrence had induced Dr Mueller to make'. On p. 684, Owen wrote: 'Dr. Mueller, in transmitting me the foregoing copy of the Gold-Receiver's letter writes (November 25th, 1864), "Since writing to you by last mail I have received the enclosed letter respecting the Ornithorhynchus having proved to be 'oviparous'. How are all these statements to be reconciled?"' M's letter of 25 November 1864 has not been found.

Woods Point

2

Vic.

25 Sept 186[4]

Dear Sir —

In reply to your enquiries relative to the Orinthorynchus

3

Ornithorhynchus?

paradoxus, I must in the first place correct an erroneous impression which the newspaper paragraph has conveyed. The platypus is not now in my possession and the eggs were layed the day after its capture. The animal was captured in the Goulburn

4

Goulburn River, Vic.

and given to me. It was then fastened by a cord in a Gin Case, and in examining it the next morning the two eggs were found in the bottom of the box, both of them having undoubtedly been layed during the night. In the course of the day the creature was killed by a would be scientific friend of mine with the intention of preserving its skin: and on opening the body the ovaries were found to be clustered with ova in different stages of growth, but none of them so large as the eggs which were layed. These eggs were white, soft, and without shell, easily compressible and about the size of a crows egg.

Not being sufficiently versed in the matter I am not prepared to say whether these eggs might not have been abortions caused by fear, but there was no appeareance on the surface of them ever having been vascularly connected with the maternal uterus, and reviewing all the facts observed, I should undoubtedly say that the animal was oviparous —