The widow of Ensign Brock's, who died in July last, availed herself of
this opportunity to get, with her family, partly on her way to England.
Although the settlement had now been established within a month of ten
years, yet little had been added to the stock of natural history which
had been acquired in the first year or two of its infancy. The Kangaroo,
the Dog, the Opossum, the Flying Squirrel, the Kangaroo Rat, a spotted
Rat, the common Rat, and the large Fox-bat (if entitled to a place in
this society), made up the whole catalogue of animals that were known at
this time, with the exception which must now be made of an amphibious
animal, of the mole species, one of which had been lately found on the
banks of a lake near the Hawkesbury. In size it was considerably larger
than the land mole. The eyes were very small. The fore legs, which were
shorter than the hind, were observed, at the feet, to be provided with
four claws, and a membrane, or web, that spread considerably beyond them,
while the feet of the hind legs were furnished, not only with this
membrane or web, but with four long and sharp claws, that projected as
much beyond the web, as the web projected beyond the claws of the fore
feet.
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