﻿i8 Allen's naturalist's library. 



the most terrific conflicts, the marks of which are borne by 

 many of them till their dying day. 



For many years a merciless war of extermination was waged 

 by the colonists against this and the other species of the genus, 

 in consequence of which they were greatly reduced in number. 

 Of late years they are, how^ever, said to have increased con- 

 siderably in many districts ; this being partly attributed to the 

 destruction of the Dingoes, and partly to an appreciation of the 

 value of the Kangaroos themselves, the skins and fur of which 

 now form an important article of export. The Grey Kangaroo 

 is hunted with powerful dogs somewhat akin to the Scotch 

 deerhound ; and while difficult enough to seize when running 

 on broken ground on account of its enormous flying leaps, 

 when brought to bay it is a dangerous antagonist, seizing the 

 dogs with its fore paws and dashing them to pieces, or ripping 

 them open with a blow from the great conical claw of the 

 central toe of the hind foot. Owing to its muscular strength, 

 the tail is enabled to support the whole weight of the body 

 during the moment that a blow is delivered by the hind 

 legs. 



As already stated, the Great Grey Kangaroo was first dis- 

 covered in 1770 by Captain Cook's expedition, and the follow- 

 ing sentence is taken from the original account of the dis- 

 covery : "On Friday, June 22nd, a party who were engaged 

 in shooting Pigeons for the use of the sick of the ship, saw an 

 animal which they described to be as long as a Greyhound, of 

 a slender make, of a mouse-colour, and extremely swift." The 

 same kind of animal was soon after seen by several of Cook's 

 party, among them, by Cook himself and Banks ; while eventu- 

 ally they had an opportunity of examining a specimen shot by 

 one of the members of the expedition. 



Regarding the general appearance of the Kangaroo when 

 in motion, Waterhouse writes as follows : " Like other animals 



