12 \YII.I. i. ill. IN M:\\ 



CHAPTER II. 



MABSUPIALIA WALLABIES AND OPOSSCMS. 



XIMI;HO(> attempts have been made to introduce various kinds of 

 marsupials into New Zealand, and several kinds of kangaroos, 

 wallabies, and opossums have been liberated in this country. At 

 the present time there are either three or four species found wild 

 in different parts. 



[OH Scuu; \Y.\U.\BY; Hi,A( K-TAIU-:I> \V ALI.AHY 

 milabatus). 



Some tiny years ago the late Mr. Studholme got some wallabies 

 either direct from Tasmania or from the Canterbury Accliimit i/a- 

 tion Society, and these were set free in the neighbourhood of 

 hi> home at Waimate, in South Canterbury. They very quickly 

 increased, till they numbered thousands. They live in the hush. 

 scrub, and fern about the gullies and uor^es. They come out in 

 the evenings u. feed in the open ground. Their food COB 

 ehieHy of grass, but they arc very fond of eeriain trees, part iciilarly 

 <ix arboreum, which tl h and bark pretty badly. The 



skins of those taken in winter make VIT\ fine ruLTs. as (he fur is 

 thick and heavy. The tlesh is said to be very palatable, and 

 the tails make excellent simp. They arc quite lari_ r e ereatui 

 small kangam Ol -and the old bucks weirh over (JO lb. 



About the year 1X7( Sir George <Jre\ imported some wallabies 

 from Australia and set them free on Kawau Island. About the 

 ' r John Heed, of Auckland, also imported some, which 

 lie liberated on Motutapu Island, whence they have spread to Haniri 



Thote on Kawau increased to such an extent as nearly to 



eat out the vegetation, and when the properly was sold the new 



owners allowed the wallabies to be killed out wholesale. They have 



by now 1, Iv all destroyed. Even in Sir (leorjv Grey'a time 



bWO hundred would he killed in a single battue. Some 



;he rnaitdand a swim of three miles but they cannot 



I, v . r- QOmerOUl Tl belom.- to the same species as tho- 



