4/6 MR. HILL ON THE REPRODUCTION OF KANGAROOS. [May 9, 



" Many people in this country still entertain the popular tale that 

 the young of the Kangaroo is formed and grows on the teat, and 

 cheat themselves into the belief that it is a truth. Others more in- 

 dustrious still disseminate the tales of stock-men, who broadly assert 

 that they have watched the development, and have killed hundreds 

 of adults with the young in that state. Backed by the fact that these 

 young bled at the mouth when forced from the teat, it is very easy 

 to swell the ranks of believers in these popular notions, but difficult 

 to get any one to search out the truth or to alter their expressed 

 opinions. 



"Hunting on the mountains at the time referred to, about 100 

 miles from Sydney, for the double purpose of getting specimens of 

 the Wallaroo {Macropus robustus) for our Museum, and entertain- 

 ing a couple of friends in the sport, I was quietly ensconced under 

 shelter of some rocks, waiting for any game which might be disturbed 

 from the back country by my aboriginals, who were sent around for 

 that purpose as soon as we had taken up our proper position to re- 

 ceive any coming within range. I had not been placed half an hour 

 before I heard the well-known sounds of game, and immediately 

 afterwards saw in the van a fine doe Wallaroo, followed at some 

 distance by half a dozen others of both sexes. 



" I was perfectly secure, and down wind, and almost sure to get a 

 shot, but desired to have a large black male, which I saw among 

 the troop. So soon, however, as the doe came within 30 yards she 

 sat up for a moment, then squatted and put her head towards the 

 ground, aud picked up, as I thought, a piece of stone with her lips ; 

 in an instant, with her hands back to back, she seized her pouch, 

 stretched it open and inserted her head, ears and all, to the very 

 neck, in which position she remained half a minute, then, with- 

 drawing her head and looking all round (the companions had halted 

 in the distance at the same time as hei'self) and seeing all safe, put 

 her head in again as before. Suddenly there was a move among 

 the lot, and to all appearance they were for another direction. I at 

 once shot the doe, examined the pouch, and found that her care and 

 solicitation had been bestowed on the young, just born, which had 

 been conveyed to the pouch by her lips. 



" That, however, was not conclusive to one of my friends. In the 

 grey of the following morning, not far from our camp, very quietly on 

 a ledge of rocks sat a Wallaby {Halmaturus) engaged at her pouch : 

 it was shot ; the young evidently had only just been conveyed there, 

 and had not hold of the nipple. In the course of the day fourteen 

 others were added to our bag, two females of which I dissected and 

 found a young one, or foetus, in each. This was conclusive. 



" Believe me, 



" Very faithfully yours, 

 (Signed) "E.S.Hill." 



[If reference be made to the ' Proceedings ' of our Society for No- 

 vember 26th, 1833 (vol. i. p. 132), the conclusions from the experi- 

 ments on Macropus major there recorded were " that parturition 



