98 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



and general clearing of the country, together with constant raids of dogs 

 and domestic cats, are among the chief causes. 



Glauert (1933, p. 27) records the mainland form as rare, occurring 

 "in a few isolated localities to the east of the Great Southern 

 Railway." 



E. Le G. Troughton (in Hit., April 16, 1937) regards the extinction 

 of the mainland form as probable and states that suitable reserva- 

 tions must be made if the fauna is to survive on islands large enough 

 for commercial use. 



Bridled Nail-tailed Wallaby 



ONYCHOGALEA FRAENATA (Gould) 



Macropus jraenatus Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1840, p. 92, 1841. ("In- 

 terior of New South Wales.") 



FIGS.: Gould, 1841d, pi. 3; Waterhouse, 1846, vol. 1, pi. 4, fig. 1; Gould, 1849, 

 vol. 2, pi. 54; Le Souef, 1923, pi. 15; Australian Zoologist, vol. 3, pt. 4, 

 pi. 20, 1923; Le Souef and Burrell, 1926, fig. 48. 



This beautiful wallaby, perhaps never very common, is threatened 

 with extinction in its ancient home in eastern Australia. 



Form slender ; fur soft and short ; general color gray ; a white cheek 

 stripe ; sides of neck washed with cream ; a white stripe on each side 

 extending from occiput over the shoulder to join the white of the 

 under parts behind the arm insertion; space between these stripes 

 blackish brown ; tail black above and below toward tip, with a small 

 terminal nail; limbs whitish, darker on hands and feet. Total length, 

 825 (female) to 1,104 mm. (male) ; tail, 380 (female) to 482 (male). 

 (Gould, 1841a, p. 92, and 1841d, text to pi. 3.) 



Its former range extended from southern Queensland to Victoria. 



"0. fraenata inhabits the brigaloe-scrubs of the interior of New 

 South Wales and Queensland, and probably South Australia" (Gould, 

 1863, vol. 1, p. xxi). Gould (1863, vol. 2, p. 62) writes further of 

 its occurrence: 



It is a native of the south-eastern portions of Australia, and the locality 

 nearest to the colony of New South Wales in which I observed it was Brezi, 

 on the river Mokai, whence it extended into the interior as far as I had an 

 opportunity of proceeding; Mr. Gilbert subsequently discovered that it was 

 common in the thick patches of scrub which are dispersed over all parts 

 of the Darling Downs. It inhabits all the low mountain ranges, the eleva- 

 tion of which varies from one to six hundred feet, and which are of a sterile 

 character hot, dry, stony, and thickly covered with shrub-like stunted 

 trees. . . . 



In the neighbourhood of Brezi the natives hunt this species with dogs, 

 and often kill it with spears, bommerengs and other weapons; at Gundermein 

 on the Lower Namoi I found myself among a tribe of natives who succeed 

 in capturing them with nets .... 



Its flesh, like that of the other small Kangaroos, is excellent, and when 

 procurable was eaten by me in preference to other meat. 



