A Kangaroo Hunt 



range. When feeding quietly they some- 

 times drag themselves along on all fours ; 

 but their usual gait is a series of quick 

 hops upon the two hind feet, the rest of the 

 body remaining bunched together in a lit- 

 tle, round, rigid ball, which never alters in 

 shape so long as the animal is in motion. 

 It is scarcely necessary to say that the im- 

 pression produced upon an unaccustomed 

 spectator by a fleeing kangaroo is most 

 curious and original. To convey some idea 

 of this comical performance, I can find no 

 better simile than that of a rather dumpy 

 sweet-potato which has been rounded off 

 at the lower extremity, and is propelled 

 by a pair of automatically moving match- 

 sticks. Suppose another slightly curved 

 match to be inserted for a tail, and you 

 have a very fair presentment of the kanga- 

 roo in motion. In the illustration upon 

 page 177, I have attempted to render 

 something of this peculiar movement ; but 

 I am aware that I have been only partially 

 successful, for, of course, it was impossi- 

 ble to portray upon a fixed surface the 

 series of great undulating bounds which 

 are its distinguishing characteristic. At 

 first sight the motion appears rather slow 

 and lazy ; but this is an optical delusion, 

 which gradually wears away as the vision 

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