THE WOOLLY KANGAROO. 



475 



The character of the fur is rather singular, for it does not lie so closely to the body 

 as that of the common Kangaroo, and is of a peculiar texture, which somewhat resem- 

 bles cotton wool. The hairs are not very long, and their woolly, matted appearance, 

 makes them seem shorter than they really are. The size of this animal is very great, 

 for an adult male measures rather more than eight feet in total length, the head and body 

 being five feet long, and the tail a little short of thirty-eight inches. 



By the color of the fur alone the Woolly Kangaroo can be distinguished from its 

 long-legged relatives, independently of other minute differences. The general tint of 

 the fur is of a rusty yellow, changing to gray upon the head and shoulders, the head 

 being washed with a slight brown tint. The sides of the mouth are white, through which 

 protrude a few long, stiff, black hairs, and which are planted in greater numbers over the 

 angle of the mouth, forming an indistinct black patch. The female is distinguished by 

 a broad white mark which runs from the angle of the mouth to the eye. The toes are 

 covered with black hairs. 



WHALLABEE. Halmaturus Ualabalus. 



An ashy-gray tint is seen upon the under portions of the body in the male sex, but 

 in the female these parts are beautifully white. The limbs are grayish-white, washed 

 with rust, and the tail is of the same color as the limbs. 



The tail is uncommonly large and powerful, and of vast service to the animal in sup- 

 porting the heavy frame while the creature is standing erect upon the tripod formed by 

 its hinder feet and its tail. The hairs of the tail are comparatively short and scanty, so 

 that they do not give to the tail that peculiar woolliness which is so distinguishing a 

 characteristic of the creature's fur. It may as well be mentioned in this place that the 

 Kangaroo does not employ the tail in leaping from the ground, but seems to use it 

 partly as a kind of third leg, by which it supports itself when at rest, and partly as a kind 

 of balance, by which it maintains its equilibrium as it leaps through the air. 



The muzzle of the Woolly Kangaroo is not so thickly covered with hair as that of 

 the preceding animal. The species is an inhabitant of Southern Australia. 



