es 
220 MAMMALIA—KANGUROO. 
abdominal pouch, that the female is furnished with, wnich 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 few 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 
acoarse 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 weight of two hundred pounds and upwards when 
full grown. The wallabee and paddymalla grow to about sixty pounds 
each, and inhabit the bushes and broken hilly country. The rock kanguroo 
1s 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 affording 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 oceasionally 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 
with them ; but in a clear open country soon tire inem 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 off with three or four 
assailants hanging about them; ana 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 
with the fore paws ; or it will seize and hug him like a bear, ripping him up 
with the long sharp claw on its powerful hind leg. They are constantly 
indeed cutting, and often killing, dogs with this terrible weapon, which will 
tear out the bowels at a single kick; anda large kanguroo is on this ace 
