4 03 ON MAMMALS DISCOVERED IN QUEENSLAND. [June 3, 



Boongary. This animal lives on the highest parts of the moun- 

 tainous scrubs, preferring the densest parts of the scrubs and the most 

 inaccessible places, where even the blacks have to be careful amongst 

 the rocks and stones. It is fairly well distributed along the crest of the 

 mountains west and north-west of Cardwell. How far north it goes 

 I do not know ; I should think it would be plentiful a long way 

 north of Herbert River, at least as far as Cooktown. In the above- 

 mentioned patches of scrubs on the nearest tableland I found that 

 the Boongary had once been plentiful, having left very numerous 

 marks of their claws on the trees, but they had apparently been 

 exterminated by the blacks, as the marks were old. Being of com- 

 paratively small extent and pretty easy to traverse, these scrubs 

 offered the blacks an easy opportunity of getting their prey. The 

 blacks told me that their old men had killed plenty of Boongary 

 here. Possibly also the absence of Dendrolagus up here was 

 partly due to migration. According to the blacks " Boongary 

 plenty walks about ; " and it is after my experience evident that 

 these animals do move much about, mostly if they get disturbed. 

 The blacks that followed me on my tours after Dendrolagus used 

 always to say that Boongary was particularly active in moonlight. 

 I believe that they also sometimes wander between these patches of 

 scrubs on the tableland, having to pass over grass-lands. Once 

 when we were travelling over to one of these scrubs, my blacks 

 suddenly became excited and ran off after some animal that dis- 

 appeared down a grassy hill. They soon found that they had made 

 a mistake, but they all at first believed that it was a Boongary. This 

 shows that the blacks are convinced that the animal is sometimes 

 wandering in the grass-lands. 



According to the blacks two or three are often found sleeping in the 

 same tree. The Boongary is able to jump from a great height, and 

 moves quickly on the ground. It seems to live only in one kind of 

 tree. I have in any case only seen marks of its claws on one kind of tree, 

 the name of which, I am sorry to say, I do not know. These trees 

 are found very plentifully on the crest of the range, and grow often to 

 a great height, always rather slender. In rainy weather the Boongary 

 prefers the short, younger trees. It is often found at great distance 

 from water, and the blacks used therefore to say that the Boongary 

 never comes down to drink water. In the hot weather it is very 

 much plagued by a large kind of horse-fly. The natives have told 

 me that the Boongary often betrays its presence by the smack of 

 its arms after the fly, which falls down dead. But it requires also 

 the keen senses of a black to be able to notice this. At night it can 

 also be heard, ascending the trees. 



Although Dendrolagus lumholtzi is not uncommon in the moun- 

 tainous scrubs, it is very difficult to find. First, because it likes the 

 most inaccessible parts of these extensive scrubs, always near the 

 top ; secondly, because one cannot very well manage without the 

 blacks, who however, besides being very treacherous, are a very lazy lot 

 and are very difficult to induce to undertake such expeditions ; finally, 



