HIK WOOLLY K. \MiAROO. 7 



jioucli and !>. jteriod of its iif.- |,,.n it is able to leave the poach and seek subdctanee for 

 itself. K\i-n after it has U-. c.rne too large to continue its residence in its former cradle, it is 

 in tin- hal'it i if pushing its head intu tli- JKHH-II ami refreshing itself with a draught of warm 

 milk, even though a younger In-other <>r si>tci should l>e occupant of the living cradle. The 

 little animal weighs alNuit ten ]Miiinds when it U-coines ton heavy f<ir its mother to carry. 



This Kangaroo is a very hardy animal, and thriven well in Kngland, where it ini^ht 

 pmlialih I HI domesticated to a large extent if necessary, and where it would enjoy a in 

 genial climate than it finds in many districts of its native land. <>n<> of tin* favored localities 

 of this s]N>cies is tin- Meak, wet, and snow-capj>ed siinunit of Mount Wellington. 



At different times of tin- y.-ar the cout of the Kangaroo varies somewhat in its coloring 

 and di-n-ity. 1 luring the summer the fur i light and coui]>arati\cly scanty, but when the 

 coldi-r months of the year render a wanner covering needful, the animal is clothed with v. 

 thick and woolly fur, that is admirably calculated to resist the effects of the damp, cold 

 climate. It is a very singular fact that those specimens which inhabit the forests are mix) i 

 darker in their color than those which live in the plains. The young Kangaroos are lighter in 

 their cMliirini; than their pan-nts, but up to the age of two years their fur deepens so rapidly 

 that they an- darker than the old animals. After that age, however, the fur fades gradually, 

 until it finally nettles into td,- ^r.iyish -brown of the adult animal. 



The eye of the Kangaroo is very beautiful, large, round, and soft, and gives to the animal 

 a gentle, gazelle-like expression that compensates for the savage aspect of the teeth, as they 

 gleam whitely between the cleft lips. 



THE largest of the Macropidir, of which there are already known upwards of eighty 

 species, is the \\ \ i.v KANGAROO, or RED KANGAROO, as it is more popularly called, on 

 account of its peculiarly tinted fur. 



The character of the fur is rather singular, for it does not lie so closely to the body as that 

 of the common Kanmiroo, and is of a peculiar texture, which somewhat resembles cotton wool. 

 The hairs an- not very long, and their woolly, matted appearance, makes them seem shorter 

 than they really are. The size of this animal is very great, for an adult male measures rather 

 more than eight feet in total length, the head and body being five feet long, and the tail a 

 little short of thirty-eight inches. 



By the color of the fur alone the Woolly Kangaroo can be distinguished from its long- 

 legged relatives, independently of other minute differences. The general tint of the fur is of 

 a rusty yellow, clianging to gray upon the head and shoulders, the head being washed with a 

 slight brown tint. The sides of the mouth are white, through which protrude a few long, stiff, 

 black hairs, and which are planted in greater numbers over the angle of the mouth, forming 

 an indistinct Mack patch. The female is distinguished by a broad white mark which runs 

 from the angle of the mouth to the eye. The toes are covered with black hairs*. 



An ashy-gray tint is seen upon the under portions of the body in the male sex, but in the 

 female these parts are beautifully white. The limbs are grayish-white, washed with rust, and 

 the tail is of the same color as the limbs. 



The tail is uncommonly large and powerful, and of vast service to the animal in support 

 ing the heavy frame while the creature is standing erect upon the tripod formed by its hinder 

 feet and its tail. The hairs of the tail are comparatively short and scanty, so that they do not 

 give to the tail that peculiar woolliness which is so distinguishing a characteristic of the 



.mre's fur. It may as well be mentioned in this place that the Kangaroo does not employ 

 the tail in leaping from the ground, but seems to use it partly as a kind of third leg, by which 

 it supports itself when at rest, and partly as a kind of balance, by which it maintains its 

 equilibrium as it leaps through the air. 



The muzzle of the Woolly Kangaroo is not so thickly covered with hair as that of the 

 preceding animal. This species is an inhabitant of Southern Australia. 



PASSING by the Nail-tailed Kangaroos, so called from the strange nail-like appendage that 

 is found at the extremity of their tails, and which is concealed by the tuft of long block hair 



