M;iy."j WiaxDOKi'KK AM) Francis, !['//(/ L//> /» Tasmuiiia. 7 



coiiiiccl ii)ii I cfrrciH f iii.iA' 111' iii.kIc Ihtc tn l\\<t siiiiilai cast's 

 ()l)scrvc(l (luring the. summer montlis of diricicut }'cars, hut, 

 unfortimatcly, no record of the exact (kites was made. One 

 of us, while wandering tlu'ough low scruh at a iiigh altitude, 

 noticed, on a somewhat open space exposed to sunlight, that 

 the grass within a space of about a yard was stained with patches 

 of blood. The vegetation was much trampled on, and other 

 signs pointed to the fact that a kangaroo nuist ha\'e been 

 campc(i there for some time, in all probability being just dis- 

 turbed by our approach, and having only just left the place. 

 Among the blood were some pieces of membrane — perhaps 

 decidual — but a close scrutiny failed to hnd anything more. 

 It was evident the blood did not come from an animal accident- 

 ally wounded by gunshot or the worrying by dogs, -for there 

 was no fur left on the ground. The likelihood was that both 

 cases had something to do with the transfer of the young to 

 the mother's pouch. 



Like the wombat, the kangaroo is infested with a worm, 

 which shares the food with its host in the stomach and 

 intestines, and is to be found more or less in every specimen, 

 but does not seem to affect the condition of the animal. Of a 

 more discomforting natur.c must be the parasite (especially 

 numerous in summer) inhabiting its fur, as well as that of the 

 wallaby. This is about 2 to 3 mm. in length, light-brownish 

 in colour, and known as the " kangaroo louse." It has the 

 decidedly unpleasant Iiabit of immediately transferring itself 

 from the freshly-killed animal to the head of the person who 

 carries the garcase, where its aimless wandering sorely tries 

 his endurance. 



The quality of kangaroo meat, and in particular of its tail, 

 as also the value of its skin, need no comment. It is the latter, 

 however, which leads to its undoing. The prices paid for skins 

 at Launceston auction sales vary according to circumstances, 

 and range from is. 6d. per lb. (at the outbreak of \]w war) \\\) 

 to 7s. f)(l. per 11). one or two years ))rior to i()i_i. 



RUFOl'S-BELI.IHD WaI.I.ABV. MaCROIUS BII I.AKDIHKI, DhS. 



Country people; divide the wallaby into two varieties the 

 Rock and the Swamp Wallaby according to the locality in 

 which it is found, and it is very likely that this is the only 

 difference between them. Since the Middlesex and ("ladle 

 Mountain districts are both rocky and swampy, and the animal 

 is invariably found in wet ])laces, there can onlv l>e the Swamp 

 variety in the. distiict. Irue, Ihr wallahy of the lowlands 

 seems to be somewhat i)igger, i)ut this ukia' Ix' tlie result of 

 more favourable climatic conditions. 



A com))arison between the kangaroo's and the w,illal)\'s 



