220 MAMMALIA— KANGUROO. 



abdominal pouch, that the female is furnished with, which conceals the 

 teats, and serves as a receptacle to secure the young in time of danger. 



The habits of the kanguroo have been recently described, with equal ani- 

 mation and fidelity, by Mr Cunningham, in his amusing and valuable ac- 

 count of his Two Years' Residence in New South Wales. 



" Our largest animals," he says, " are kanguroos ; all of which are fine 

 eating, being clear of fat except about the tail, tasting much like venison, 

 and making most delicious stews and steaks, the favorite dish being what 

 is called a steamer, composed of steaks, and chopped tail, with a feAV slices 

 of salt pork, stewed with a very small quantity of water, for a couple of 

 hours in a close vessel. We have the forest kanguroo, of a gray color, with 

 a longish fur, inhabiting the forests : the wallaroo, of a blackish color, with 

 a coarse shaggy fur, inhabiting the hills ; and the red kanguroo, with 

 smooth, short, close fur, of a reddish color (resembling considerably in fine- 

 ness and texture the fur of the sea otter,) inhabiting the open forests ; and all 

 of these varieties attain the v/eight of two hundred pounds and upwards when 

 full grown. The wallabee and paddy malla grow to about sixty pounds 

 each, and inhabit the bushes and broken hilly country. The rock kanguroo 

 is very small, living among the rockiest portions of the mountains ; while 

 the kanguroo rat, or, more properly, rabbit, is about the size of the smallest 

 of the latter kind of animal, and lodges in hollow trees, hopping along, like 

 the other kanguroos, with great speed, and afibrding good sport in the chase. 

 The kanguroos make no use of their short fore legs except in grazing, when 

 they rise upon them and their tail, bring their hind legs forward, and go 

 nibbling upon all fours, pulling up occasionally some favorite plant with 

 their fore paw, and sitting up bold and erect upon their hind houghs and 

 tail, while they slowly bite and nibble it, shifting it from paw to paw, like 

 a boy protracting his repast on a juicy apple. When chased, they hop upon 

 their hind legs, bounding onwards at a most amazing rate, the tail wagging 

 as they leap, and serving them for a balance. They will bound over gul- 

 lies, and down declivities, the distance of thirty yards, and fly right over the 

 tops of low brushwood ; so that, in such places, dogs stand very little chance 

 v/ith them ; but in a clear open country soon tire them out. The dogs seize 

 them generally by the hip, and throw them over; then fasten upon their 

 throats and finish them. But few dogs will attack a large kanguroo singly, 

 some of the two hundred weight size often hopping oif with three or four 

 assailants hanging about them ; and I was informed of one that actually 

 carried a man to some distance. When a dog gets up close to a large kan- 

 guroo, it will often sit upon its tail and haunches, and fight the dog, turning 

 adroitly round and round, so as always to face him, and pushing him off 

 v/ith the fore pavs ; or it will seize and hug him like a bear, ripping him up 

 vath the long sharp clav/ on its powerful hind leg. They are constantly 

 indeed cutting, and often killing, dogs with this terrible weapon, whicii will 

 tear out the bowels at a single kick ; and a large kanguroo is, on this ac- 



