BANDED WALLABY— KANGAROO-RATS 229 



now well-nigh exterminated by the natives, the numerous marks of its claws on 



the tree-trunks of the less densely wooded districts indicate its former abundance. 



Banded Another interesting member of the same family is the banded 



Wallaby. wallaby (Lagostrophus fasciatus), specially characterised by the long 



bristly hair covering the claws of the hind-feet, as well as by the transverse dark 



bands across the hind- quarters. This wallaby leads a different kind of life on the 



continent to that which it lives in the islands, for whereas on the mainland it 



frequents open ground in the neighbourhood of swamps, and even treeless plains, 



on the islands it forms long tunnels amid thick brushwood from which it can be 



driven out only with difficulty. 



Kangaroo-rats, as they are called by the colonists, include several 

 Kangaroo-Rats. . „.„.,,.,.. 



small-sized members of the family differing so remarkably from all 



their kindred as to form a separate subfamily, the members of which are confined 



to Australia and Tasmania, and are arranged by naturalists in four generic groups. 



In size they may be compared to rabbits, but they have short, rounded ears, and 



long, thickly haired tails. The two small and curved middle upper incisor teeth 



are adapted for gnawing ; the hind cheek-teeth are four-cusped, but the first of 



the series in each jaw is very long and narrow, with a sharp cutting-edge, and the 



two lateral surfaces vertically grooved. The knife-like form of this tooth is 



specially adapted to the mode of feeding and the nature of the food of these 



kangaroos, which consists of roots, bulbs, grass, and leaves. The fore-feet, which 



are largely used for digging out those parts of the food-plants deeply buried in the 



soil, are narrow, with the three middle toes much longer than the rest, and 



provided with long, narrow, slightly curved claws. All the kangaroo-rats have 



comparatively short hind-legs, and are therefore not particularly good leapers. 



Nevertheless, they usually support themselves on the hind-legs alone, and when 



running move their fore-legs with a kind of galloping action. They never kick 



with their hind-legs after the fashion of kangaroos and wallabies, and in their 



mode of life are more like rabbits and hares than any other marsupials. A 



familiar species is the common kangaroo-rat (Potorous, or ffypsiprymnus, 



tridactylus), distinguished by its rat-like muzzle, and confined to New South 



Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. This is the largest member of 



the group, usually attaining a length of about 16 inches, inclusive of the tail, 



which measures 9 inches. Although the long, coarse, straight hair varies somewhat 



in colour, it is usually a mottled greyish brown. A second species, Gilbert's 



kangaroo-rat (P. gilberti), is smaller and a native of Western Australia ; that 



district being also the home of the broad-faced kangaroo-rat (P. platyops), which 



does not measure more than 22 inches, inclusive of its 8-inch tail. 



The prehensile-tailed kangaroo-rats form another generic group, distinguished 



by the comparatively short, broad head, very small, rounded ears, naked muzzle, 



and long feet and tail. The tail is thickly haired and crested, and also to a 



certain extent prehensile, being coiled up at the tip and employed in carrying 



bundles of grass for lining and covering the burrow. The entrances to these holes 



are always carefully concealed with herbage piled up by the owners, which leave 



their domiciles only in the evenings in search of food. The most widely 



distributed species is the brush-tailed kangaroo-rat (Bettongia penicillata), 



