INTRODUCTION. 11 



ture of its parents ; at length it drops from this lacteal attachment 

 into the ])oucli, rc-attachcs itself when hunger prompts it so to do, 

 and as often again tumbles off when its wants have been sup- 

 plied. It is scarcely necessary to say that, after gaining sufficient 

 strength, it leaves this natural pocket of the mother, leaps into 

 the open air and sports about the plains or the forest, as the case 

 may be, and returns again to its warm home, until at length 

 the wearied mother denies it this indulgence and proceeds again 

 to comply with the law which governs all creatures, that of re- 

 production. This is a very low form of animal life, indeed the 

 lowest among the ]\Iannnalia, and exhibits the first stage beyond 

 the development of the bird. 



This descrij)tion has reference not only to the Kangaroos, 

 which mostly have but one young at a time, but is equally 

 descriptive of the other members of this group, some of which 

 have two, while others have three or four, and others, the 

 Phascogal(S for instance, eight or nine at a birth ; but in all 

 cases, even with these large numbers, the young hang to the 

 mammae in the way I have described. 



Independently of the low structure of the brain and the low 

 form of reproduction of the Kangaroos, I ought to mention that 

 two little bones have been expressly provided for the support of 

 the marsupium ; there is also a considerable difference in the 

 dentition, as well as in the form of the lower jaw, by which this 

 group of animals may at all times be distinguished. I have not 

 failed to observe much disparity in size in the Marsupiata ; they 

 seem to be always growing ; for the males get larger and still 

 larger for years, even long after they have commenced the duty 

 of reproduction, and hence individuals of all sizes occur, and 

 occasionally one extraordinarily large may be met with. I have 

 observed this in all the Marsupials, but particularly among the 

 Kangaroos. The groat herds of the grey species, Macropiis 

 major, are frequently headed by an enormous male, or Boomer as 

 he is called. Like the " rogue Elephants " of Ceylon, these 

 patriarchs arc often solitary, and are generally very savage. 



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