194 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 



osteological and other details. Its habitat is the Bloomfield River 

 district, North Queensland. 



Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., relates in Animals of Australia 

 how one of sixteen specimens of Bennett's Tree Kangaroo con- 

 signed to the " Zoo " escaped from its cage on board the steamer, 

 and jumping at once into the rigging, climbed to the vicinity of the 

 masthead with astonishing speed. "Up aloft" it seemed to be 

 perfectly at its ease. 



RAT KANGAROOS.— The Rat Kangaroos, generally known to 

 the colonists as Kangaroo Rats, and of which there are several 

 genera, are very quaint and interesting little animals. The head 

 is Rat-like, the ears being short and rounded, and the tail hairy. 

 All the Rat Kangaroos are of small size. 



COMMON RAT KANGAROO.— The Common Rat Kangaroo 

 (Potorous tridactylus) (Fig. 152) inhabits South Australia, New 

 South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. It is about the size of a 

 Rabbit, the length of head and body being sixteen and a half inches, 

 tail nine inches. The fur is greyish-brown above and greyish-white 

 on the under-parts. The genus is characterized by the hind-limbs 

 not being disproportionately longer than the front pair, and the hind- 

 feet being shorter than the head. There are several other distinctive 

 features. Gould states that these Rat Kangaroos run in a different 

 way from other members of the sub-family, using the fore- and 

 hind-legs in a galloping manner, and never kicking out with *he 

 hind-feet. They feed in the evening on roots and grasses, reclining 

 during the hotter part of the day under bushes, where they form 

 snug little nests of grass bents. The Rat Kangaroos are very 

 abundant in some parts, and Lucas and Le Souef state that "in the 

 undisturbed economy of the bush they play much the same part us 

 the Rabbit does in England, while the part of the Hare is taken by 

 some of the smaller Wallabies." 



PREHENSILE-TAILED RAT KANGAROO.— The Prehensile-Tailed 

 Rat Kangaroos (Genus Bettongia) are most remarkable animals, 

 distinguished among terrestrial mammals as being the only ones, 

 so far as is known, which are provided with a prehensile tail. 

 This tail is said to be used to carry the bunches of grasses of which 

 the Bettongs make their nests. The tail is bent down over and 

 round the grasses to be picked. The nest is a hollow in the ground, 

 the entrance being shielded by grass bents. There are four known 

 species of these curious Marsupials, closely similar externally. The 



