Kangaroo. . 255 



exceptionally slender toes bound together almost to the 

 extremity in a common integument. 



Giant Kangaroo. 



The Common or Grey Kangaroo (Maeropus gigantius) 

 is the best known species. It is also the largest, an old male 

 Grey Kangaroo when erect on his hind feet and tail often 

 standing seven feet high, the females being about one-third 

 shorter than the males. The color of this species is usually 

 a dull yellowish brown, pale on the under parts and darker 

 on the tail, but while the exact shade varies greatly in dif- 

 ferent individuals, generally the color has a distinctly grey- 

 ish cast. This species is the most numerous as well as the 

 most common of its genus, and is also known as the Boomer, 

 Forester, and Old Man Kangaroo. Although their num- 

 bers have diminished considerably in the proximity of the 

 towns, on the other hand they have increased on the sweet 

 pasture of the newly settled districts, so that on the whole 

 Kangaroos do not seem to have decreased much since they 

 were discovered by Cook off the coast of New South Wales 

 over a hundred and thirty years ago, although they have 

 been steadily driven further inland by the persistent hunt- 

 ing of the colonists and natives. 



