May. 1 Wkindorfer AND FuANcis, Wild Lifc 1)1 Tasmania. k 



WILD LIFE IN TASMANIA. 



By G. Weixdokfer and G. Francis. 



(Communicated by Dr. C. S. Suttox.) 



{Read before the Field Naturalists' Club oj Victoria, Sth Dec, 1919.) 



{Continued from page 168, vol. xxxvi.) 



When driven beyond endurance, the kangaroo will dcnible and 

 " plant " itself — a procedure which often gives it enough breath- 

 ing time to resume its flight ; or, should a water-course or lake 

 be handy, no matter how exhausted, it will take to the water. 

 Its anatomy, and to some extent its timid nature, is against 

 its being a good swimmer, the strokes being executed with 

 both feet simultaneously, in the samt; manner as it advances 

 on the ground, without the aid of its arms. For the first few 

 minutes its movements in deep water are rapid, the body being, 

 with every stroke, thrown forward and half out of the water, 

 but soon, with slower and less vigorous strokes, the neck, which 

 in its rapid movements was kept above water, begins to 

 disappear, the head gradually becomes submerged until little 

 more than the nose is exposed, and the fore-arms come frantic- 

 ally into action, churning the water and filling the nostrils 

 of the unfortunate animal with spray. F'inally, after a few 

 more desj)erate efforts with arms and legs, the movements 

 cease, and only the ripple of the disturbed water mark the 

 scene of the fatal struggle. If one takes into consideraticju 

 the low temperature of these alpini' lakes, it is no wonder 

 that a harassed and overheated animal, once in the water, has 

 little chance of escape. 



The kangaroo, unlike its bigger congener of the continent, 

 will never tight the dog, either on land or in water. Once 

 thrown, its main attenipt is to regain its upright position, and 

 only in rare instances will it punish a f(K)lish dog with its hind 

 legs. Regaining during a melee its upright position, it will 

 often jump backwards, and before the dogs have realized its 

 tactics will sometimes make good its escape. During and after 

 heavy snowfalls, when the ground is covered with a depth of 

 snow from two feet upwards, the kangaroo will make no attempt 

 to move from its hiding-place until such time as the snow 

 hardens. 



When suddenly surprist;d by the glare of an acetylene lamp, 

 a kangaroo may occasionally bi.' momentarily hvpnotized, 

 but in most cases the animal will at once make off, but so 

 terrified is it by its own huge shadows that it tries to escape 

 in all directions, once even madly charging towards the ol)- 

 servtr, wJio, falling into a fit of laugliter, accidentally turned 

 the light from the animal, and gave it a. chance to escape, which 

 it at once availed itsi'lf of. 



