KANGAROOS. 241 



always connected by a longitudinal bridge. The true kangaroos and wallabies 

 comprise twenty -three living species, as well as several which are extinct; and 

 they are found not only in Australia and New Guinea, but also in some of the 

 islands to the eastward. While the larger species are as tall as a man, the smallest 

 do not exceed the dimensions of a rabbit. They may be divided into three groups, 

 distinguished by size, and partly also by coloration. 



Under the common title of true kangaroos may be included all 

 True Kangaroos. . 



the larger forms, characterised by their generally uniform and sombre 



coloration, and their large and massive skulls, in which the hinder portion of the 

 skull is well ossified. The best known of all the species is the great grey kangaroo 

 (M. giganteus) the " boomer," " old man," or " forester " of the colonists, to which 

 allusion has been already made, and which is represented in the figure on p. 240. 

 A full-grown male will measure 63 inches from the tip of the nose to the root 

 of the tail, the length of the tail being 52 inches ; while the entire animal 

 will weigh some 200 Ibs. This species is of rather slender and graceful 

 build, with soft woolly hair, which is greyish brown above, and nearly white 

 beneath on the under-parts and limbs, without any white markings on the face. 

 It is further characterised by the middle of the muzzle being hairy between the 

 nostrils, and also by the shortness from back to front of the permanent premolar 

 tooth. It is an inhabitant of open plains, and is found over the great part of 

 Australia and Tasmania. 



On the other hand, the red kangaroo (M. rufus), represented in our coloured 

 Plate, and the antelopine kangaroo (M. antilopinus), together with certain allied 

 species, are inhabitants of rocky districts, and have their muzzles completely naked, 

 and the permanent premolar tooth of greater length from back to front. Their 

 colours also may be more brilliant. The great red kangaroo is of slender build, 

 with reddish coloured and very soft woolly fur, which corresponds to the under-fur 

 of other species ; the face having light markings and a black streak. This species 

 inhabits South and Eastern Australia. The antelopine kangaroo, from North 

 Australia, is distinguished by its massive build, and heavy, clumsy head, as well as 

 by its short, coarse, straight, reddish hair, without any under-fur, and the absence 

 of face-markings. It is stated to attain a weight of from 120 to upwards of 

 170 Ibs. Another well-known species is the wallaroo (M. robustus), from Queensland, 

 New South Wales, and South Australia, in which the fur is long and thick, and of 

 smoky grey colour ; the build being also stout and heavy. 



Under the designation of large wallabies, or brush-kangaroos, 

 Large Wallabies. . . , 



may be included a group of smaller and brighter coloured species, 



distinguished by the more incomplete ossification of the hinder part of the bony 

 palate, and by the third incisor tooth of the upper jaw having a single distinct 

 notch near the middle of the crown. All these species frequent dense scrub-jungle,, 

 known in Australia as " brush " ; and their leaping powers are nearly as great 

 MS those of the true kangaroos. One of the largest species is the red-necked 

 wallaby (M. ruficollis), in which the length of the head and body may be as much 

 as 41 inches, and that of the tail 31 inches. It occurs in New South Wales and 

 Victoria, and is represented in Tasmania by a smaller variety known as Bennett's 

 wallaby. Other well-known species are the black- tailed wallaby (M. ualabatus), 

 VOL. in. 16 



