XV.] TREE-KANGAROOS. 351 



give it the nickname of " the clock-work mouse." A whole page of 

 description would not more accurately convey the nature of the sound. 



While in Dorei Bay we were fortunate enough to become the 

 possessors of a pig of tender age, who had, perhaps, more character 

 in him than any other member of our menagerie. In many parts 

 of New Guinea the women make pets of these animals, carrying 

 them about and suckling them with their own babies, but I do not 

 remember whether " Chugs " had been reared in this fasliion or 

 not. He was bestriped longitudinally with alternate bands of 

 black and yellow, and, though hardly more than eight inches long 

 when he first joined the ship, was afraid of no livmg thing aboard. 

 He roamed the deck from morning till night, chasmg the cock- 

 roaches and devouring them with much gusto and smacking of 

 lips, grunting contentedly the while. When tired, he would nestle 

 himself up on the curly coat of Dick, the retriever, or alongside 

 the big cassowary, who would regard him wonderingiy, and as if 

 debating his suitability for food. Chugs grew so rapidly that he 

 was soon nearly as big as Dick, but he still continued to use him 

 as a sleeping mat, and towards the end of the voyage poor Dick 

 hardly dared to lie down. 



We had various other animals in our collection, but, as I am 

 not writing a description of the Zoological Gardens, I will confine 

 myself to alluding to two, who were certainly the tamest and 

 most attractive of all our pets. They were Tree-kangaroos of two 

 species {Dendrolagus inustus and ursinus), not larger than small 

 hares, but with tails of great length. The first-named kind is of a 

 uniform dull grey ; the other, much prettier, dark brown with a 

 white blaze on the face. It was most interesting to watch the 

 habits of these animals, who roamed freely about the sliip, both 

 above and below deck. In Australia we are accustomed to the 

 kangaroo as a terrestrial animal, admirably adapted to the flats or 

 open forest country in which it lives. But in New Guinea the dense 

 jungle necessitates a change in habit, and we accordingly find in 

 Dendrolagus an instance of a ground animal which is gradually 



