NATUEAL HISTORY 

 SKETCHES. 



CHAPTEE I. 



THE KANGAROO AND THE WALLABY. 



THE Kangaroo (the koorah of the natives) may be called 

 the Australian deer, and being the only large wild animal 

 of chase in the country, deserves something more than 

 a casual notice. Of the large kangaroo I fancy we had 

 two distinct species in our forests, and a smaller variety 

 called the wallaby ; of which aiimal, I believe, there are 

 several species ; although the common wallaby is the only 

 one met with in the Western-port district. Altogether, 

 between twenty and thirty species of kangaroos exist in 

 Australasia. 



The singular form of the kangaroo is doubtless familiar 

 to all who are likely to look into these pages ; it is one 

 of the few animals whose habits are strictly terrestrial, 

 which, although by nature furnished with four legs, use 

 only the two hind ones as organs of progression. These 

 hind legs at first may appear disproportioned to the size 

 of the animal, but, upon examination, will be found beau- 



