134 THE FASCIATJSD KANGAROO. 



the body, and no trace of them can be perceived at the under 

 part. The head and the feet of a light yellow colour; the un- 

 der part of the body is of a clear grey approaching to white; 

 the rest of the body is the colour of a hare, more or less deep 

 in different individuals. The ears in this species are propor- 

 tionately shorter than in any other; it is the same with 

 respect to the tail, which, being deprived of hair, presents 

 considerable resemblance to that of a very large rat. In other 

 respects, the pyramidal form of the body, the disproportionate 

 size of the hind legs, the disposition and proportions of the 

 toes and claws, are the same as in other kangaroos. 



The banded or fasciated kangaroo inhabits the three islands 

 called after Bernier, Doore and Dirk-Hattraich, and has not 

 been met with on the continent of Australia, or in any other 

 of the islands which the French naturalists successively touch- 

 ed at. They also remark that the other species of kangaroo 

 seem to be confined to a similarly limited range of country ; to 

 be fixed by nature to such and such islands, without any in- 

 dividual appearing to break the limits assigned to its species. 

 The smaller species of kangaroo, being comparatively deprived 

 of any means of attack or defence, resemble, in their gentle and 

 timid character, the hares and other feeble quadrupeds of our 

 own climates. The slightest noise alarms them; a breath of 

 wind agitating the bushes is sufficient to put them to flight. 

 On this account, notwithstanding their great abundance at the 

 Island of Bernier, their capture was extremely difficult and 

 precarious. Concealed and defended by the impenetrable jun- 

 gles, these animals were enabled to brave with impunity the 

 craft and activity of their pursuers. When driven at last from 

 these asylums, they escaped by unknown routes, and darted 

 rapidly across the open space to some neighbouring bush, 

 through the inextricable intertexture of which it seemed in- 

 conceivable how these delicate creatures could force a pas- 

 sage; but, upon a closer examination, it was found that they 

 had formed in every bush many little covered ways, commen- 

 cing at different parts of the circumference, and leading to the 

 centre of the jungle, from which, when attacked, they could 

 select an outlet from among numerous different routes. But 

 these attempts at escape were mostly fatal to them when the 

 outlets were once discovered ; as, in that case, the hunters 

 stationed themselves in readiness to knock down the affrighted 

 animals, while others beat the bushes with long staves, to scare 

 them from their hiding-place. To the French naturalists above 

 mentioned, the flavour of these animals resembled that of the 

 hare, but was more aromatic, in consequence of the peculiar 

 nature of the plants on which they fed, which were all of an 

 odoriferous kind. They assert that this species affords by far 



