6 Weindorfer and Francis, ]Vild Life in Tasmauia. [voy'x'x^'vii. 



In oiclrr to loacii its feeding-grounds on the grassy plains, 

 wliere the white grass, Poa cccspiiosa, predominates, the 

 kangaroo follows certain tracks winding through the scrub, 

 which have been formed througli years of usage. It is at the 

 exit of these tracks from the scrub, or somewhat in the scrub 

 itself, that the trapper sets his snares. For kangaroos that most 

 frequently used is the " wire necker," made of brass wire, 

 fixed to any convenient firm object, and kept upright by means 

 of a stick which is split at the top to receive the wire. Other 

 forms of snares are the springers, of various kinds, but all for 

 the pur})ose of catching any animal by the feet. A third form, 

 called the " necker springer," is a combination of the two, 

 wjiereby the necker is connected with a springer, and thus 

 caust'S strangulation. This last form is rarely in use, ])ecause 

 it entails more labour to set up, and is, besides, dangerous to 



It is the "wire necker" wliich re\'t'als a distinct difference in 

 intelligence between Macropiis riificollis, var. bcnnctti, the 

 Bennett's Wallaby of the scientist, and Macropus hillardieri, 

 the Kufous-bellied Wallaby. Whereas the latter is capable of 

 using its senses in times of danger, and often successfully 

 I'xtricating itself from a snare, thi' former exhibits its mental 

 inferiorit}' by almost invariably falling a victim. Reference 

 has been made to the tracks which kangaroos and wallabies 

 alike use when moving from one place to another. In doing 

 so, the animal's body is not only bent forward, hut its front 

 quarters are actually carried somewhat lower than its rump. 

 Should a kangaroo happen to place its head and neck into 

 the fatal looj) of the wiri' necker, its life must end there and 

 then, for as soon as the wire, by the forward movement of the 

 animal, begins to tighten, there is a mad leaj) for liberty by 

 the doomed animal, which lands it, in most cases, full length 

 on the ground with a broken neck, or, if this does not happen, 

 it will choke itself in its frantic endeavour to esca]ie. How 

 different under such cir( umstances docs the far smaller 

 wallaby behave ! There is no mad rush to escape in its case, 

 but witli almost human-like intelligence it tries to remove 

 the in<-onvenient t-ncumbrance with its front paws, leaving 

 sometimes a little tuft of fiu' attached to the wire. With such 

 marked differences in their behaviour, one cannot help drawing 

 a distinct line between the tw(j congi-ners and retaining for the 

 mentally less favoured species the name of " kangaroo." 



The breeding season of the kangaroo begins in Octolur or 

 \u\-cinl)<'r, when occasionalK' mating pairs ma\ In- iidiiicd 

 moving alxHil in tin- low s<nili (loihing llir lii.qlnr ahiludcN. 

 Not before March or .\pril can the \oung In- found in the pouch, 

 which, in extreiueiy rare cases, may contain two. In this 



