BY GERARD KREFFT. 21 



It is not very quick, and is easily caught, even by common dogs. 

 I have from time to time kept* numbers of these animals in 

 captivity in an enclosure of pine logs about seven feet high, 

 which they used to climb with a nimbleness truly astonishing, 

 and thus often escaped. During the day time I always noticed 

 these creatures crouching into some corner ; the tail brought 

 forward between the hind legs, the head between their paws ; 

 fast asleep. I noticed that they are very partial to the thick 

 clusters of Polygonum scrub so frequent on the Murray. 



Female specimens, with never more than 1 young attached to 

 one of the 4 teats, were frequently brought to me by the natives. 

 Single specimens, with a white brush at the end of the tail, 

 occur occasionally. 



This Bettongia and B. Ogilbeyi appear to be so closely allied 

 to each other that I should consider them the same species. 



21. BETTONGIA GRAII. 



Gray's Jerboa Kangaroo v 

 Booming of the Murray natives. 



This burrowing Bettongia has long retreated before the herds 

 of cattle with which the plains bordering on the Murray are now 

 stocked ; and it is no longer to be found south of that river, so, 

 at least, the natives assured me, and whenever we went out hunt- 

 ing for it, we always had to cross to the New South Wales side. 



Not a single specimen of my collection was procured in 

 Victoria. Although this species is constantly furnished with a 

 brush of white hairs at the end of the tail, I consider it identical 

 with Gould's B. GraU, in which the white mark is wanting. 



It is a truly nocturnal animal, which always leaves its burrow 

 long after the sun is down, in fact, never before it is quite dark. 

 I often watched near their holes, gun in hand, listening to their 

 peculiar call ; but I always had great difficulty in procuring 

 specimens, as they are very shy, and hardly to be distinguished 

 from the surrounding objects. 



The best plan is always to dig them out ; an operation in 

 which the black-fellows are very expert, though it is rather 

 tedious work ; the holes running into each other, and being 



