KANGAROOS AND WALLABIES. 15 
groups are all closely allied to one another ; and although the 
groups are readily distinguished, yet their distinctive characters 
are too trivial to be regarded as of generic value. 
I, THE GREAT GREY KANGAROO. MACROPUS GIGANTEUS. 
Yerboa gigantea, Zimm., Spec. Zool. Geogr., p. 526 (1777). 
Macropus giganteus, Shaw, Nat. Miscell., vol. i., pl. xxxiil. 
(1790); Thomas, Cat. Marsup. Brit. Mus., p. 15 (1888). 
(Plate I.) 
Characters.—Size large; nose hairy between the nostrils ; 
central hind claw long ; colour greyish-brown, with the under- 
parts and limbs nearly white. Form comparatively slender 
and graceful; fur short, close, and rather woolly, its direction 
on the fore part of the body not as constant as in the species 
with coarser hair. Face coloured like back, with a rather 
darker *‘ whisker-mark ” on sides of nose ; tail brown, gradually 
darkening to the black tip. Length of head and body about 
-60 inches ; tail about 36 inches. 
Distribution The whole of Australia, with the exception of the 
extreme north ; replaced in Tasmania by the variety JZ. fuligt- 
nosus, which is characterised by the longer, darker, and coarser 
hair, of which the general colour is dull smoky grey, without any 
tinge of fawn, the tail being grizzled grey, with its terminal 
fourth deep black. A second race (JZ. melanops), known as the 
Black-faced Kangaroo, and found both in Eastern and South- 
eastern Australia, is characterised by its smaller size, slighter 
build, and darker coloration. The general hue is dark brown, 
with the face darker than the back, and a brown patch across 
the muzzle connecting the two “ whisker-marks” ; while the 
limbs are not paler than the body. 
Habits.—This species—the Koora of the natives, and the 
|“ Old Man” or “ Forester” of the colonists—is the commonest 
