166 LEAVES FROM THE 



stead of dragging her young about wearily to look, per- 

 haps in vain, for water, has them comfortably wrapped 

 up in her pouch, and thrives where a fox and her cubs 

 would miserably perish. 



The size of the foetus of the kanguroo at the time of 

 birth, together with the mode of its attachment to the 

 nipple of the mother, and other highly interesting par- 

 ticulars, may be collected from the experiments of Mr. 

 Collie, Mr. Morgan, and especially of Professor Owen. 

 From these it appears that the young, as soon as it is 

 born, is removed — by the mother's mouth in all pro- 

 bability — to the pouch, which is kept open by the 

 mother's fore-paws, and there held till it attaches itself 

 to a nipple. 



Professor Owen ascertained that the days of gestation 

 in the kanguroo are thirty-nine. In order to accustom 

 the female to the examinations of the pouch, they were 

 commenced at a very early period of gestation, and were 

 continued, till at seven in the morning of the 5th 

 October, 1833, the foetus was discovered in the pouch, 

 attached to the left superior nipple. On the preceding 

 day at the same hour a considerable quantity of the 

 moist brown secretion peculiar to the pouch was noticed, 

 indicating that determination of the blood to that part 

 had commenced, and at different times during that day 

 the female put her head into the pouch and licked oif 

 the secretion. When examined at six o'clock in the 

 evening, the only perceptible change in the state of the 

 pouch was a slight increase of the secretion ; but none of 

 the nipples exhibited any appearance indicating that she 

 was so soon to become a mother. Closely watched as she 

 was she contrived, however, to elude observation at the 

 actual time of parturition, which took place in the night ; 

 nor were there any appearances on the litter or about the 

 fur of the animal indicative of the event. 



The little one resembled an earth-worm in the colour 



