and Fish from Van Diemen's Land. 105 



used, with which they can give most powerful strokes, and a 

 very large kangaroo will keep off in a favourable situation one 

 or more dogs. Kangaroos, although, from circumstances of their 

 food being abundant in spots, as on recently burnt land, they 

 maybe seen in flocks, are not gregarious; their food brings them 

 to one spot, but you never see even two together properly speak- 

 ing ; and on no occasion have I ever seen or known them in 

 flocks, owning a leader and proceeding en masse, as all wild 

 animals do. They are perfectly independent of each other. 

 Kangaroos do not burrow in the ground, although it is so as- 

 serted in various works : they lodge during the heat of the day 

 amongst high ferns, such as Pteris esculenta, high grass, and 

 in underwood, commonly here called scrubs, that is, dense 

 patches of Melaleuca, Leptospermum, &c, on the margins of 

 streams, &c. And although almost all our forest trees [Eu- 

 calypti) are hollow at the butt, and innumerable dead and 

 hollow trees cover the ground, I have never known them use 

 them as sleeping places, as is but too frequently asserted : 

 under a dead tree is however much more likely than in the 

 hollow of a live one. Many other assertions, probably equally 

 devoid of foundation, are constantly made by authors, who are 

 but too frequently mere compilers from' the assertions of others; 

 and I can assure you even in Van Diemen^s Land I receive 

 every statement on natural history subjects with the greatest 

 caution. There is so great a want of investigation, joined to 

 a natural proneness for the marvellous, that a simple fact is 

 perverted to such a degree, that it would puzzle any one to 

 tell how much was really founded on fact. 



The next species in size is commonly called the Brush Kan- 

 garoo (Halmaturus} ?). It is by far the most common 



everywhere, easily overtaken by swift kangaroo dogs, and 

 used most generally for food. When roasted or the tail made 

 into soup, it bears a pretty close resemblance to hare, and is 

 universally esteemed. It is however usually cut up like mince 

 meat, with salt pork, pepper, &c. and stewed, and is colonially 

 called a steamer ; in this way it is really delicious. The skins 

 are tanned and is the only kind of leather used in the colony 

 for the uppers of ladies 5 and gentlemen's boots and shoes. 

 Many thousands of skins are also annually exported from Van 

 Diemen^s Land to New South Wales for the same purpose. 



