34 



Boomer; tliis may in some degree account for the few instances of 

 very large ones being killed. It is not by their greater speed that 

 they are enabled to escape ; on the contrary, their great \veight 

 in some measure incapacitates them for running fast, or to any great 

 distance, so that almost any dog may overtake them ; instead, there- 

 fore, of running away, the Boomer invariably turns round and faces 

 his pursuers, erecting himself to his full height, if possible with his 

 back against a tree, and thus awaits the rush of the dogs, endeavour- 

 ing to Strike them -vvith his powerful hind-toe, or catching them in 

 his fore-arms, and while thus holding them, inflicting dreadful and 

 often fatal wounds with his foot. 01d dogs well broken in, and ac- 

 customed to hunting the Boomer, will keep him at bay by their 

 barking till the hunter comes up, ■vvho is generally furnished with a 

 short heavy stiek, and vvith a blow or two on the head brings the 

 animal down. Even the hunter often runs a hazard, for a Boomer 

 will freąuently, on the approach of man, leave the dogs and attack 

 his new opponent most fiercely ; and at times it is no easy matter to 

 avoid being severely eut in attempting to kiU it. When closely pur- 

 sued it takes to the \vater, and as the dogs api)roach, catches them 

 in its arms and holds them under him till drowned. If the water be 

 too shallow for drowning them, it lias been kno\vn to catch one dog 

 and place it beneath its feet, while courageously \vaiting the ap- 

 proach of a second. The svviftest runner is the female of the first 

 year before having young, and of the second year with her first 

 young ; at this age her speed is so great that she is termed the 

 ' Flying Doe' : if she obtains anything likę a fair start, she will give 

 the fleetest dogs a long and severe run, and will freąuently succeed 

 in outstripping them ; upon finding herself too closely pressed she 

 attempts to evade the dogs by making a sudden leap, almost at a 

 right angle \vith her course, and the dogs, not unfreąuently ■when 

 very close to her, and at full speed, bound past her to such a distance, 

 that by the time they regain the track the kangaroo has gained so 

 much ground as to get fairly a\vay ; but this stratagem often accele- 

 rates her death, for in turning otF so suddenly the vvhole vveight is 

 thro\vn upon one limb ; the leg is consequently broken, the animal 

 falls, and tiie next moment becomes an easy prey. Even large bucks 

 are sometimes taken in this way : in their flight and anxiety to escape 

 the dogs, they often run against a stump or a tree \vith such violence 

 as to be killed on the spot. 



" It \vould scarcely be supposed, from seeing this animal in con- 

 finement, where it appears so ąuiet and harmless, that it can be 

 excited to rage and ferocity ; yet such is the case in a statė of 

 nature. Upon finding itself \vithout a chance of escape, it summons 

 up all its energies for a lašt struggle, and would often come off victor 

 if it had dogs alone to contend vvith : the moment it sees the ap- 

 proach of man, it appears to know instinctively that he is its most 

 formidable opponent ; its lips are then curved and contracted ; its 

 eyes sparkle vvith rage, and seem ready to start from their sockets ; 

 its ears are in rapid and constant motion, and it utters its peculiar 

 though not loud voice — a sort of smothered grunt, half hiss or hard 



