182 THKILLING ADVENTURES 



The kangaroo dog never mangles his prey, although fond 

 of the blood, with a portion of which he is always rewarded. 



Jerry now threw himself on the ground beside the game, 

 and, drawing his couteau de chasse, commenced the operation 

 of disembowelling. After ripping up the belly, he thrusts in 

 his arm, and drawing out the liver and a handful of coagulated 

 blood, he invited the dogs to partake of it. The carcass 

 being gutted, some dry fern is thrust in, the tail is drawn 

 through the fore legs, and secured with a bit of whipcord, and 

 then the game is suspended over the shoulder no insignificant 

 weight either. If the kangaroo be very heavy, the hind quarters 

 only are carried, but the skin being of some value, it is not 

 needlessly destroyed. 



There is a peculiarity in the stomach of the kangaroo, 

 which I have have not seen noticed in description of that 

 animal, but of which I have assured myself by frequent per- 

 sonal observation. On opening the stomach, even while still 

 warm, the grass found in it is swarming with small white 

 worms, about a quarter of an inch in length, and not thicker 

 than a fine thread. 



The entire contents of the stomach even the most recently 

 masticated grass, (and grass seems to be its only food,) are 

 equally pervaded with these worms, which swarm in myriads, 

 even where no signs of decomposition are perceptible. 



Resuming our progress we presently heard a baying from 

 the dogs, who had again disappeared to hunt. On nearing 

 the spot whence the noise proceeded, we found them assembled 

 round the trunk of a large tree, in the hollow of which was a 

 large wombat, a most unsightly brute, in appearance partaking 

 somewhat of the bear, the pig, and the badger. An average 

 sized one will weigh sixty pounds. The head is flat, neck thick, 

 body large, legs short, eyes and ears small ; the feet provided 

 with sharp claws for burrowing, three on the hind foot, and 

 an additional one on the fore foot. They make deep excava- 

 tions in the ground, and live chiefly on roots. The hide is 



