THE GREATER KANGAROO. 279 



in every light attaches to the extraordinary animals we have 

 selected as examples of this Order, but also that they may 

 assist those speculations and reply to those inquiries which are 

 almost certain to arise when these anomalous creatures are 

 considered with reference to New Holland a country whose 

 natural productions, including its plants as well as its animals, 

 are mostly so peculiar, that more than one writer has been 

 induced to think it was formerly a distinct planet from our 

 earth I shall now proceed with the history of that species 

 which is the largest, and best known. 



THE GREATER KANGAROO (Macropus major, Shaw), in its 

 wild state, is said chiefly to inhabit the vicinity of woods and 

 thickets, and to live in small herds, perhaps single families, 

 which submit to the guidance of the older males. It is about 

 the size of a large sheep. The upper parts of the body are 

 brownish grey, the lower parts somewhat lighter j the front 

 of the throat greyish white ; the end of the muzzle, the back 

 of the ear, the feet, and the upper surface of the tail, nearly 

 black. The ears are rather large and in constant motion, 

 like those of a hare or rabbit; the upper jaw is furnished 

 with six short incisor teeth -, the lower jaw with only two long 

 ones, which are closely applied to each other, directed forwards, 

 and are capable of being separated to some distance apart, at the 

 will of the animal. Both jaws have five molar teeth on each 

 side, and removed from the incisors by a considerable vacant 

 space. There are no canine teeth in either jaw. The upper lip 

 is divided by that kind of deep fissure which is observable in 

 nearly all rodent animals, and of which the hare presents an 

 example so familiar, that the term hare-lip is usually applied to 

 designate a mal-formed bisected lip in the human subject. The 

 head itself and the anterior part of the body are so small as 

 to appear quite disproportioned to the robust posterior half 

 of the body, and the shortness and weakness of the fore-legs 

 present a striking contrast to the extreme length and muscular 

 strength of the hind pair. The fore-feet, or rather paws, for 

 they are used as hands and never employed in walking, have 



