THE GREAT KANGUROO. 38/ 



sharp, pointing forwards : five grinders on each side 

 in both jaws, distant from the other teeth. The 

 fore legs short, and the hinder ones very long ; and 

 in the female an abdominal pouch containmg the 

 teats *. 



THE GREAT KANGUROO"^. 



This singular quadruped, which was first disco- 

 vered in New Holland, in the year 17/0, by Cap- 

 tain Cook, has frequently been seen nearly nine feet 

 in length from the tip of the nose to the end of the 

 tail ; some of the species have been found to weigh 

 a huudred and fifty pounds, and this is generally 

 believed to be by no means the largest size they 

 will arrive at. The greatest circumference of the 

 animal is round the bottom of the belly and hips ; 

 being very small about the head and neck, and in- 

 creasing gradually downwards. The fore legs of the 

 largest are about nineteen inches in length ; the hinder 

 ones three feet seven inches. The shortness of the 

 former would seem to prevent their being applied to 

 the purpose of walking : and it has been universally 

 conjectured, that they were of use to the animal 

 merely in digging its burrows in the ground, and in 

 carrying food to its mouth ; but M. Labillardiere 

 says that one of his crew shot a young Kanguroo 

 upon the shore, and he was much surprised to ob- 



* Shaw, i, 505. 

 t Synonyms. — Macropus Major. S/uixv. — Macropiis Giganfeus. 

 Nnf. M/scc/.I. — Didclphis Gigantea. L/nii. — Gigantic Jerboa. H'/ni- 

 mennaiu — Kangiiru. Vat: — Great Kangaroo. i;/i(ixi\— — S/um'.'i Gciu 

 Zuui. pL 1 15. — Bcxv. Suae/. 404. 



Cc 2 



