﻿THE ROCK-WALLABIES. 43 



The Rock-Wallabies are confined to the mainland of Aus- 

 tralia, on which they are generally distributed, but are un- 

 known in Tasmania. Although closely allied to the true 

 Wallabies, their habits are markedly distinct, the Rock- Walla- 

 bies frequenting rugged rocky districts instead of the open 

 plains. In such situations they leap and climb with remark- 

 able agility, their long bushy tails being used solely to help 

 in balancing the body, and never being employed as an ad- 

 ditional support. Consequently the tail has not the same 

 strength and thickness as in their plain-haunting cousins. 



I. BRUSH-TAILED ROCK-WALLABY. PETROGALE PENICILLATA. 



Kangurus penicillatus^ Gray, in Griffith's Animal Kingdom, 



vol. v., p. 204 (1827). 

 Macropus penicillatus y Bennett, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1835, p. i. 

 Petrogale penicillata, Gray, Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. i., p. 583 



(1837); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 66 (1888). 

 Halmaturus penicillatus^ Wagner, in Schreber's Saugeth. SuppL, 



vol. iii., p. 126 (1843). 



{Plate V/,) 



Characters. — Size large; form stout and heavy; fur long, 

 thick, and coarse. General colour dull brown, tending to 

 rufous on the rump ; chin and chest pale grey ; remainder of 

 under-parts brown tinged with yellow, becoming yellowish- 

 rufous posteriorly. Whisker-mark and cheek-stripe ill-defined ; 

 a black streak on the back of the head, not extending to neck. 

 Ears short, yellow internally and on the posterior margin, else- 

 where grey at base and black terminally ; a black and often 

 inconspicuous mark behind the shoulder, followed by a pale 

 grey one. Legs brown or rufous ; toes black ; tail long, more 

 or less bushy, rufous for the basal three or four inches, else- 

 where black, save sometimes the extreme tip, which may be 



