﻿62 Allen's naturalist's library. 



Characters. — Size small ; general form light and graceful ; fur 

 thick and soft. General colour grizzled greyish-brown, arranged 

 on the hinder part of the body in black and white transverse 

 bands, — a character by which this species may be at once 

 distinguished from all other members of the family. Length 

 of head and body about i8 inches ; of tail 13 inches. 



Distribution. — West Australia. 



Habits. — The following summary of the habits of this pretty 

 little Wallaby is given by Waterhouse in the first edition of the 

 " Naturalist's Library " : — 



"The Banded Kangaroo," he writes, "is found at Dirk Har- 

 tog's Island, and on one or two neighbouring islands in Shark's 

 Bay, on the west coast of Australia. It is said to inhabit the 

 impenetrable low thickets, formed of a species of mimosa, 

 which are found in those islands ; from these bushes it cuts 

 away the lower branches and spines, so as to form galleries 

 communicating one with another, and where they take refuge 

 in time of danger." 



Although abundant in the islands of Shark's Bay, Peron 

 states that none were to be found on the mainland. These 

 little Kangaroos, like all those feeble animals which have neither 

 the power of attack nor of defence, are, like the Hares, ex- 

 tremely timid. The slightest noise causes them to take 

 flight to the thick brushwood in which their galleries are con- 

 structed, and where it is impossible to pursue them ; hence, 

 although very common, they are difficult to procure. 



The flesh of these animals is said to resemble that of the 

 Rabbit, but bas a slight aromatic flavour, arising from the nature 

 of the plants on which they feed, nearly all of which are 

 fragrant. 



At the time that Pdron visited the islands, all the females 

 carried young in their pouch, and the courage with which they 



