K A N G U R O O. 



11 



much might be said, and even requires to he said ; 

 but we must leave it in order briefly to notice the 

 other species or varieties of kanguroos which are 

 mentioned by writers on zoology. 



Great Kanguroo. 



The great kanguroo, to which the above observa- 

 tions apply, appears to have been multiplied into two 

 species ; one more inland and northerly, to which 

 the description of colour which we have given applies, 

 and one more southerly and near the shores, which 

 has been called the sooty kanguroo, but which differs 

 from the former only in being- rather larger in the 

 size and deeper iu the colour. It is described as 

 being sooty brown on the upper part and reddish 

 grey on the under, with red on the flanks ; and the 

 Feet, the point of the muzzle, and the legs, blackish 

 brown. It is probable, however, that these distinc- 

 tions are nothing more than those between a mature 

 animal in a favourable pasture, and a young animal in 

 a pasture less favourable. 



GREY KANGUROO (A', griseus). This species, if 

 distinct species it be, is considerably smaller than 

 those which have been mentioned, for it has not been 

 ob>erved of greater height than three feet and a half. 

 Its general colour is reddish grey, with white points 

 to the hairs, the colour becoming paler towards the 

 under part, and passing into white on the middle of 

 the belly, while it gradually deepens toward the 

 mesial line of the back. The legs are brownish grey, 

 and the terminal part of the tail is reddish brown. 

 The ears are not so pointed as in either of the two 

 species, or varieties, which have been mentioned. 

 Like them it is a native of New Holland, arid nothing 

 is known of its manners as distinguished from those 

 of the others. 



RED-NECKED KANGUROO (K. nificoUm}. This is 

 still smaller than the former species. It is grey, with 

 more or less of a reddish tinge on the upper parts and 

 the flanks ; but the lower part of the neck is deep 

 red. The insides of the limbs are white, and so is 

 the middle of the under part of the body, but the 

 white on the latter is of limited extent, of not more 

 than a mere line. One of its most remarkable cha- 

 racters, iu as far as mere colour can he considered a 

 character, is the colouring of the tail, which is russet 

 grey on the under part and whitish on the upper. 

 '1 he ears are of the same colour as in the great kan- 

 garoo, but of the same shape as iu the grey one, so 

 that it is possible that this may be merely a hybrid 

 between the two. Hybridation, in kanguroos par- 



ticularly, and in marsupial animals generally, is a 

 subject to which little or no attention has hitherto 

 been paid, and yet it is one of very great interest, in 

 coming to a proper knowledge of the physiology of 

 those singular animals. The male kanguroos have 

 not that bifurcation of the organs which is possessed 

 by many of the marsupial animals ; but the females 

 have the compound uterus, and are capable of im- 

 pregnation while enceinte of a previous foetus, not 

 only in the marsupium, but in the internal matrix. 

 The fact has not been ascertained, but those circum- 

 stances would lead us to conclude that there is not a 

 regular animal season of heat in the female kangaroo, 

 but that the animal is as passive in the matter of 

 reproduction, as it is indifferent to kindly treatment. 

 If such is the case we might conclude that hybrida- 

 tion would be very common among such animals, 

 and that they would break down into very many 

 varieties ; and until these points are settled, the dis- 

 tinction and description of species must remain very 

 vague and unsatisfactory. It indeed appears that, 

 in the natural history of marsupial animals, error has 

 all along been committed, in consequence of our 

 judging of them by the standards which had been 

 previously formed from the examination of placental 

 animals ; and unless we get rid of this false analogy, 

 and study the marsupial animals upon data furnished 

 by themselves, we shall never be able rightly to un- 

 derstand their nature, or to form a proper judgment 

 of their economy. For the reasons now stated, we 

 shall omit several of the species which have been 

 enumerated by writers on the subjects. 



WOOLLY KANGUROO (f.laniger"^ This is men- 

 tioned by the French naturalists Quay and Gaimerd, 

 and was found by them in Australia, but if it exists 

 as a species it is very rare. It is described as being 

 about the same size as the great kanguroo. The 

 head, the neck, the back, the flanks, the outsides of 

 the legs, and the upper side of the basal part of the 

 tail, are bright red ; and all the rest of the body is 

 white, with the exception of the ears, which are 

 grey, and the toes, which are russet brown. The 

 hair on the body is described as being very long and 

 woolly, resembling that of some of the American 

 members of the camel family ; but so little is known 

 of the animal that it is impossible to speak with pre- 

 cision concerning it. It is described as being found 

 in the western part of Van Diemen's Land, where the 

 country is very mountainous, covered with woods, 

 and subject to violent falls of rain ; and it is by no 

 means impossible that those circumstances of the 

 country and climate might induce as great a change 

 in the covering as appears between this and the 

 kangaroos with short hair ; for we find that similar 

 changes are induced in the mountain cattle of our 

 own country, more especially in those districts which 

 are subject to heavy falls of rain. Indeed, the effect 

 of difference of situation and climate upon them is 

 one of the points upon which we need additional 

 information before we can come to any positive de- 

 cision as to what is or what is not a species of kan- 

 garoo. 



BRUSH-TAILED KANGUROO (K. penstilatus). This 

 is another species which is but little known, though 

 there is no doubt that it exists. It is found beyond 

 the Blue Mountains in the interior of Australia, 

 where it does not appear to be common, and we arc 

 not aware that it has been met with near any of the 

 j shores. The upper part is grey, of different shades, 



