254 Pouched JIammals oe ^Marsupials. 



THE KANGAROO. 



Nearly all the twenty-three species of Kangaroos are re- 

 stricted to Australia, although a few are found in New 

 Guinea. The family, which embraces the Kangaroos and 

 their allies the Wallabies, includes not only the largest 

 forms, but also has the greatest number of genera and 

 species, and the widest geographical range. It owes its 

 name, Macropodidae, to the difference between the size of 

 the fore and hind legs. Kangaroos are entirely herbivorous, 

 and the lower incisors, which are elongated, play upon each 

 other like the blades of a pair of scissors, and crop the 

 grass. Of the upper incisors, the foremost are the largest, 

 and occasionally the premolars are strikingly large. In 

 contrast to the other Marsupials the members of this family 

 generally have well developed eyelashes. The tail of the 

 Kangaroo is very thick and strong, so that the animal can 

 use it as a fifth leg in standing upright or moving slowly. 

 The hind legs are very strong, and the fore limbs are short, 

 which enables them to progress and get over the ground, 

 very swiftly and gracefully by a series of bounds. 



Although very powerful animals, all species of Kangaroos 

 are exceedingly timid, and in captivity have been known to 

 die of sheer fright. In freedom, when alarmed by any un- 

 familiar sight, sound or smell, they will immediately raise 

 upon their tail and hind limbs as upon a tripod. Mr. R. 

 Ramsey Wright says that when resting, one male of the 

 family will support himself on the tail and ankle bones, 

 while the others lie about or browse at their ease, commonly 

 applying their fore-feet to the ground till they receive a 

 danger signal from their sentinel. Some species of Kan- 

 garoos are the size of a small rabbit, while others are as 

 large as sheep, the head always being small compared to the 

 rest of the body and tapering towards the muzzle. The 

 fore-paws each have five digits armed with a strong curved 

 claw. The hind foot is extremely long, narrow and without 

 the first toe, consisting mainly of one very large and strong 

 toe corresponding to the fourth of the human foot, and end- 

 ing in a strong curved and pointed claw ; close to the outer 

 side of this lies a small fifth digit, and to the inner side, two 



