﻿THE NAIL-TAILED WALLABIES. 5 1 



pressed, the animal mounted the inside of the tree to an 

 opening nearly fifteen feet from the ground, whence it leaped 

 down before the dogs, and succeeded in reaching the hollow 

 trunk of a fallen tree, from which it was finally taken by 

 hand." 



Krefft states that this species is the most common of all the 

 smaller members of the Kangaroo tribe, and that although fre- 

 quently seen abroad during the daytime, in captivity is more 

 lively by night; it is gregarious in its habits. The female, 

 which, as in the allied forms, is considerably smaller than the 

 male, produces a single young one at a time, generally born at 

 the beginning of May. 



III. CRESCENT WALLABY. ONYCHOGALE LUNATA. 



Macropus lunafus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1840, p. 93. 

 Halmaturus lunatus, Schinz, Synops. Mamm., vol. i., p. 548 



(1844). 

 Onychogale lunata^ Gould, Mamm. Australia, vol. ii., pi. Iv. 



(1849); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 77 (1888). 



Characters. — Size small ; form very light and delicate ; nose 

 narrow, with the base of the septum naked ; fur soft and woolly. 

 General colour dark grey ; under-parts whitish ; ears short, 

 brown externally, white internally ; back and sides of neck rich 

 rufous ; a conspicuous white shoulder-stripe, not extending on 

 to back of neck ; two indistinct stripes on hip ; limbs pale 

 grey ; toes brown ; tail short, grey, with the terminal nail as in 

 the last species. Length of head and body about 20 inches ; 

 of tail 13 inches. 



Distribution. — West and South Australia. 



The habits of this species are probably identical with those 

 of the preceding. 



£ 2 



