A TALK ABOUT KANGAROOS 243 



Passing to the wallabies, we come to a group 

 comprising numerous species, the larger ones being 

 known as brush-wallabies owing to their being 

 found amidst the dense scrubby jungle or ' brush.' 

 Some of the most familiar are the red-necked 

 wallaby (Macropus ruficollis) of New South Wales 

 and Victoria, a creature attaining to a length of 

 over five feet ; while the agile wallaby (Macropus 

 agilis) found in New Guinea, Queensland, and 

 South Australia, a species characterised by the 

 presence of a white stripe on the upper part of the 

 leg, and the black-tailed wallaby and Parry's 

 wallaby are other kinds all of which have been 

 represented in the collection at the London Zoo- 

 logical Gardens from time to time. 



Another group, known as rock- wallabies (Petrogale) 

 are distinguished from the foregoing owing to the 

 tail being unusually slender and clothed in long 

 instead of short hair, this increasing in length as it 

 reaches the extremity where it terminates in a 

 pronounced tuft. The former wallabies, moreover, 

 inhabit the plains, whereas the rock-wallabies 

 favour rocky country. 



Then, again, there are the spur-tailed wallabies 

 (Onychogale) which are peculiar in the fact that the 

 extremity of the tail is furnished with a small, 

 horny and spur-like nail concealed beneath the 

 fur, of a similar nature to that possessed by a lion. 

 The use of this curious structure is unknown. 



Other members of the family are the hare- 

 wallabies, which receive their name on account of 

 their resemblance to a hare, both in shape and 



