470 THE KANGAROO. 
woolly fur, and to lie upon its surface. The under parts of the body are of a yellowish 
hue, and the breast is washed with a richer and deeper tint of chestnut. The tail is of the 
same colour as the body, and is of very great length, probably to aid the animal in 
balancing itself as it climbs among the branches of the trees on which it loves to disport 
itself. , 
To see a Kangaroo on a tree is really a most remarkable sight, and one which might 
well have been deemed a mere invention had it not often been attested by credible 
witnesses. I have repeatedly seen one of these creatures clambering about a tree-trunk 
with perfect ease, and ascending or descending with the security of a squirrel. The 
animal looks so entirely in its wrong place, that when the black-haired, long-legged 
creature hops unexpectedly upon a tree and hooks itself among the branches, with its 
long black tail dangling below it, the entire aspect of the animal is absolutely startling, 
and suggestive of the super—or, perhaps, the infer—natural to the mind of the spectator. 
This species is not, however, the only one that can ascend trees, an art which is practised 
with some success by the Rock Kangaroo. 
The food of this species consists of vegetable substances, such as the young bark, twigs, 
berries, and leaves of the trees upon which it lives, but very little is known of its habits 
in a wild state. It is an inhabitant of New Guinea. 
AmoNG the largest of the Macropidee is the celebrated KANGAROO, an animal which 
is found spread toler ‘ably widely over its native land. 
This species has also been called by the name of giganteus, on account of its very 
ereat size, which, however, is sometimes exceeded by the woolly Kangaroo. The average 
dimensions of an adult male are generally as follows: the total length of the animal is 
about seven feet six inches, counting from the nose to the tip of the tail; the head and 
body exceed four feet, and the tail is rather more than three feet in length; the 
circumference of the tail at its base is about a foot. When it sits erect after its curious 
tripedal fashion, supported by its hind-quarters and tail, its height is rather more than 
fifty inches ; but when it wishes to survey the country, and stands erect upon its toes, it 
surpasses in height many a well-grown man. The female is very much smaller than her 
mate, being under six feet in total length, and the difference in size is so great that the 
two sexes might well be taken for different species. 
The weight of a full-grown male, or “boomer,” as it is more familiarly called, is very 
considerable, one hundred and sixty pounds having often been attained, and even greater 
weight being on record. The colour of the animal is brown, mingled with grey, the grey 
predominating on the under portions of the body and the under-faces of the limbs. The 
fore-feet are black, as is also the tip of the tail. 
Without being truly gregarious, the Kangaroo is seldom seen entirely alone, but in 
scattered groups of seven or eight in number, and even the members of these little bands 
are not closely united, but are seen singly disposed at some distance from each other. 
There are certainly instances on record where very large numbers of Kangaroos have been 
seen in true flocks, herding closely together, and being under the superintendence of one 
leader. These animals, however, belong to another species. 
As the Kangaroo 1 is a valuable animal, not only for the sake of its skin, but on account 
of its flesh, which is in some estimation among the human inhabitants of the same land, 
it is eagerly sought after by hunters, both white and black, and affords good sport to both 
on account of its speed, its vigour, and its wariness. The native hunter, ‘who trusts chiefly 
to his own cunning and address for stealing unobserved upon the animal and lodging a 
spear in its body before it is able to elude its subtle enemy, finds the Kangaroo an 
animal which will test all his powers before he can attain his object, and lay the 
Kangaroo dead upon the ground. 
There is also another but not so sportsmanlike a method of killing the Kangaroo, 
which is often in use among the aborigines, and which partakes of the nature of a battue 
in England, or a bear “skal” in Norway. 
A number of armed men associate themselves together, and, having laid deep counsel 
about the plan of the hunt, proceed cautiously forward until they come upon a number 
