KANGAEOOS. 477 



said to have shipped to England 30,000 skins taken from animals 

 killed on his own run, and the statement made that, incredible as it 

 may appear, after this slaughter their number did not seem to be 

 perceptibly diminished. 



When the small remnant left of the aborigines gave up living 

 by the chase and evinced a predilection for loafing about the various 

 settlements begging for their food, and the squatters themselves 

 had nearly exterminated the wild dogs or dingos, kangaroos began 

 to enjoy a perfect immunity from their natural enemies, and availed 

 themselves of the fact to increase in certain places very rapidly. It 

 became obvious that some steps had to be devised for reducing their 

 number, and the Legislature was petitioned to assist. This it did 

 by passing a "Marsupial Destruction Act," which held kangaroos 

 to be pests and their destruction or reduction a necessity, and to 

 effect this object offered a reward for every animal killed, on its 

 skull being presented to the proper officer. 



This soon set the young farmers and stockmen to work, and in the 

 short space of eighteen months nearly 40,000 scalps were paid for 

 by the ofl&cial receiver. Battues were organized, and the disgust- 

 ing butchery, which had nothing akin to healthy genuine sport, was 

 enjoyed by hunting-parties composed of both sexes, or to quote 

 the local papers, " gentlemen and ladies." The method adopted 

 was to surround large herds, and driving them into stockades 

 made on purpose, so that escape was impossible, kill the unfortunate 

 beasts with clubs, butt-end of whips, even old cutlasses, anything, 

 in fact, with which they could be maimed, or their brains dashed 

 out. Then one of these self-called hunters would write to the 

 newspaper an account of the splendid sport they had, and the good 

 appetite it gave the ladies and gentlemen who enjoyed it. Prom 

 the perusal of some of these descriptions the fact is gleaned that 

 these battues occasionally resulted in the death of thousands of 

 kangaroos, three or four thousand not being unusual numbers. 

 The Eoman matrons who frequented the circus in the palmy days 

 of the later Ceesars would have found even this rather a strong 

 dose without the accompanying excitement of a fierce fight and a 

 brave death-struggle; but the Australian ladies who were reported 

 as having taken part in these kangaroo hunts, or let us hope only 



