538 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. ' [aNNO 1795. 



own safety, she forces the young out of the false belly, if it has arrived at a 

 sufficient age to be covered with hair, though incapable of making its escape. 



There are 2 male and several female kanguroos at the royal menagerie at 

 Richmond, and 2 or 3 of the females have bred since they came there. I have 

 visited them at different times, with a view to obtain further information on this 

 subject, but have been able to do little more than confirm what has been already 

 related. None of them have had a young one oftener than once in 12 months; 

 and the young appears to be Q months old before it leaves off entirely sucking 

 the mother. One of the females bred at Richmond had a young one in the 

 false belly when only about a year and half old. The young, after it is excluded 

 from the false belly, and another is deposited in it, continues to put in its head 

 and suck for a month or two. 



When the female is in heat, the males haveno jealousy respecting each other; 

 for a female having been covered by one of the males when the other was pre- 

 sent, went directly and was covered by the other. The male is retromingent; 

 but when the penis is erect it changes its direction, and comes forwards, as in 

 most other animals; it is of considerable length, and tapers towards the end of 

 the glans, which is extremely small, and pointed. The testicles are contained in 

 a very pendulous scrotum, situated on the belly, before the penis; the 

 scrotum is more commonly drawn up to the abdominal muscles, but at other 

 times it hangs down several inches in length; this appears to be one of 

 the effects of the animal's desires, at least it was so in one of the male kangu- 

 roos at the menagerie at Richmond; for when the animal was at rest the scrotum 

 was drawn up, but when the penis was brought into the state of erection, the 

 scrotum became extremely pendulous. 



In the female, the external parts of generation are situated close to the anus, 

 there being one common verge of the external skin to both the canals, which 

 are only separated from each other by means of a septum of no considerable 

 tViickness. This common verge of the external skin projects above 2 inches 

 beyond the bones of the pelvis, and admits of a good deal of motion. From 

 this structure, both in the male and female, it is evident that they copulate in 

 the same way as most other quadrupeds. 



In giving an anatomical description of the female organs of the kanguroo, I 

 shall, with a view to avoid unnecessary detail, describe them first in their most 

 natural, or unimpregnated state, and afterwards take notice of the changes they 

 undergo during pregnancy, and in the time of parturition. In this description 

 I shall be the less minute, as accurate drawings of the parts are annexed, which 

 will explain whatever may appear to be deficient in the description. 



At the external orifice of the vagina is situated the clitoris, which when com- 

 pared with the size of the other parts may be said to be large, and is covered by 



