K A N G U R O O. 



" The first female had previously been kept at the 

 gaadens, arid had a young one, which measured about 

 one foot two inches from the nose to the root of the 

 tail : this, of course, had quitted the nipple and the 

 pouch. The right superior nip'ple was the one in 

 use ; it was nearly two inches long and one-third of 

 an inch in diameter, the gland forming a swelling on 

 the base. The three nipples were everted, and about 

 half an inch in length. 



" A second female, from the farm, had a young one 

 attached to the lower nipple on the right side. It 

 measured about seven inches from the nose to the 

 vent, was naked, with the skin of a bright pink colour, 

 being still, in the language of M. de Blainville, a 

 mammary foetus. The nipple in use was one inch 

 and a half long from the gland to the mouth of the 

 fcetus ; the rest were everted, and about the size of 

 those in the first-mentioned female. 



" The third female had a mammary foetus about 

 four inches long from the nose to the vent, adhering 

 to the left lower nipple, covered like the preceding, 

 with a naked vascular integument, which probably 

 assists in oxygenating the blood. The eyes in this 

 as well as in the preceding were closed. The other 

 nipples were everted, but were not all of the same 

 length, the right lower nipple being shorter than the 

 right upper one. t I could not ascertain when the 

 female had been impregnated. 



" The fourth and fifth females had no young in the 

 pouch ; all the nipples were everted. 



" From this examination two facts were ascer- 

 tained ; first, that the kanguroo, at least in a state of 

 captivity, has no particular period or season for breed- 

 ing ; and second, that the upper as well as the lower 

 nipples are both used during the period of mammary 

 gestation, and for the young animals subsequent sup- 

 plies of nourishment. 



" With respect to the second female, the following 

 facts relative to her gestation were obtained from 

 Joseph Fuller, head keeper at the farm. She re- 

 ceived the male on the 1 4th of September, 1832. On 

 the 14th of October, the same year, Fuller observed 

 her looking sickJy, and when the male approached her 

 she scratched and repulsed him. This was about 

 three i>. M., when he was unfortunately called away 

 on sonic business. In the evening, at eight o'clock, 

 suspecting that parturition had taken place, he exa- 

 mined her pouch, and found a young one attached 

 to a teat : on being touched the young one dropped 

 off to the bottom of the pouch. Next day he again 

 examined her, and found the young one adhering to 

 the nipple. It fell off a second time on being handled, 

 and both Joseph and Devereaux Fuller had the little 

 one in their hands out of the pouch, and both assert 

 that it was not more than one inch in length. It 

 was again put in the pouch, and the mother was 

 meddled with no more till the 3rd of November 

 following. On that day Mr. Yarrell and myself 

 visited the farm, and on hearing this account, we 

 examined the female, arid found the young one now 

 three inches long, adhering strongly to the nipple. On 

 further questioning Fuller on the subject, he said, 

 that when first he saw the young one it was covered 

 with blood-clot or coagulum ; but on the following 

 day it was quite clean and dry, and moved in body 

 vigorously. The mother still suckles one of the pre- 

 vious year. 



" From Mr. Morgan's experiments, it would appear, 

 that when the mammary fcetus has arrived at nearly 



the size of a fully grown Norway rat, it will bear a 

 separation from the nipple for two hours, syid regain 

 its hold. According to Fuller's statement, it will 

 bear a separation from the nipple and again become 

 joined to it, at what is now proved to have been a 

 very short time after uterine gestation ; and Mr. 

 Collie's observations, in the eighteenth number of 

 the ' Zoological Journal,' are in confirmation of the 

 same opinion. It is uncertain in what manner it 

 regained the nipple, although in a subsequent expe- 

 riment, where a similar fcetus was detached, the 

 mother made many, but, as it appears, unsuccessful 

 attempts to replace it. 



" In order to ascertain precisely the period of 

 gestation, as an essential guide to future experiments, 

 the first female was selected, she being still suckling 

 the young one of the previous year, and being known 

 to be impregnated. She was placed with the male 

 only at such times as they could be watched. 



" The union was observed on the 27th of August 

 at one p. M. She was separated from the male the 

 same day, and was kept in a distinct shed and pad- 

 dock until parturition took place. In order to enure 

 her to the examinations of the pouch when they 

 should become indispensable, they were repeated 

 every morning and evening by James Hunt, the intel- 

 ligent keeper, whose services were allotted to me by 

 the council during these investigations. At many of 

 these examinations I was present, and the following 

 are among my notes made on those occasions. 



" September Gth, tenth day of gestation. Pouch 

 tolerably free from secretion ; the right upper nipple 

 about two inches long, and one-third of an inch in 

 diameter ; the young one, which has left the pouch, 

 still sucking occasionally ; the other nipples as when 

 first examined. 



" September llth, fifteenth day. No alteration in 

 the pouch or nipples ; the young one still sucking 

 occasionally. 



" September 30th, thirty-fourth day. The young 

 one that was sucking is dead. The nipple in use by 

 it is begun to shrivel, and the brown secretion to 

 form. 



" October 4th, thirty-eighth day. Hunt observed 

 the female in the afternoon putting her nose into the 

 pouch and licking the entry. He examined her at 

 six in the evening, but a slight increase of the secre- 

 tion was the only perceptible change, and there was 

 no appearance in the nipples indicative of approach- 

 ing parturition. 



" October 5th, thirty-ninth day. Hunt examined 

 the female at seven A. M., and found the young one 

 attached to the nipple. No blood or albuminous 

 discharge could be detected en the litter, nor any 

 trace of it on the fur between the vagina and orifice 

 of the pouch. As the birth took place in the night, 

 the mother had probably had time to clear away" all 

 traces of it. 



" I repaired to the gardens the same day, and ex- 

 amined the pouch. The young one was attached to 

 the left superior nipple ; it resembled an earth-worm 

 in the colour and semitransparent colour of its inte- 

 gument, and adhered firmly to the point of the nipple. 

 It breathed strongly but slowly, and moved its fore 

 legs when disturbed. Its body was bent upon the 

 abdomen, its short tail tucked in between the hind 

 legs, which were about one-third shorter than the fore 

 legs ; but the three divisions of the toes were dis- 

 tinct. The whole length, from the nose to the end 



