378 MAKSUPIALIA. 



ranges from Is. 4d. The Yellow Wallaby has bred in 

 the Zoological Gardens of London. 



EOCK WALLABY. • 



Petrogale pencillata. 



The Eock Wallaby, or Brush-tailed Kangaroo as it is 

 also called, is more numerous than the foregoing. Several 

 thousand skins — about 5,000 to 15,000 — are imported 

 annually, and are mostly bought by furriers and fur 

 traders for use in England, France, Germany, and 

 Canada. 



The fur, which is tolerably thick, is also about 2| 

 inches long and of a reddish-brown silvery hue, somewhat 

 like a red Lynx ; the top hair is rather longer ; the belly 

 is brownish ; the colour of the fur is red, brown towards 

 the tail, and grey-speckled on top of the back; the 

 under fur is blue ; the fore legs are short, and the five 

 toes of the front feet are covered with fur. The tail is 

 very long, about 2 to 2 J feet long, and- covered with 

 bristly brown hair. 



The eyes are black, and there is a black line between 

 them. Occasionally there is a white spot in the brown fur. 



The Eock Wallaby dwells amongst rocks,, and is an 

 excellent jumper, easily clearing six to eight feet at a 

 bound ; it appears to interbreed with the Australian 

 Opossum, and thrives well in captivity in this country. 

 The usual value of a good skin is from 3d. to 9d., but 

 sometimes they have been driven up to Is. 3d., which 

 is beyond its real value. It is a serviceable skin for 

 coats, capes, etc., and is sometimes dyed. 



The Eock Wallaby inhabits New South Wales and 

 Victoria. The skins shipped from Sydney are the best. 



