THE WALLABY 437 



be seen, at least as happy as though they were in the 

 bush of the great Southern Continent. 



WALLABY. 



Under the colonial and unscientific name of Wallaby 

 are included numerous species of the smaller and brighter 

 coloured Kangaroos. Any differences in their structure 

 are either too trifling or too technical for discussion in a 

 rather elementary and chatty account of animal life. In- 

 habiting the dense scrub, various species are styled Brush 

 Kangaroos, the largest of which, the Red-necked Wallaby 

 (Macropus ruficollis), Plate XLIII. Fig. 2, is about forty 

 inches long in the body, with a tail of thirty inches. Their 

 leaping powers are little less than those of the greater 

 Kangaroos. 



Of various other species classed as Small Wallabies, 

 some of which are the size of a rabbit, the ' Padamelon ' 

 (Macropus theditis), with a body twenty-six inches long, is 

 perhaps the commonest, especially in New South Wales and 

 Victoria. 



The Rock Wallabies inhabit the rugged and more arid 

 regions. The largest of them, the Yellow-footed Rock 

 Wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus), is the gaudiest of the 

 Kangaroo tribe. The fur on the back is principally grey, 

 with a very definite black streak running from the top of 

 the head between the ears to the middle of the back. Above 

 the eye is a yellow spot, and below it appears a white stripe 

 with a similar one from the elbow to the hip. The chin 

 and under parts are white. The ears and the lower 

 portions of the limbs are yellow, and on the tail are 

 alternate brown and yellow rings. The Short-eared Rock 

 Wallaby (Petrogale brachyotis) is sufficiently described in its 

 name. 



The Hare Wallabies, in size and appearance and not a 

 few of their habits, somewhat resemble the common hare, 

 and, like that animal, their flesh is delicious. A ' Padamelon' 

 of twelve or fourteen pounds in weight, cooked like a hare, 

 is a dish to satisfy the most fastidious gourmand. 



