A Kangaroo Hu7it 



opinion upon the subject, and some Aus- 

 tralians seem to believe that the kangaroo 

 mainly owes its extreme fleetness to the 

 aid it receives from its muscular caudal 

 appendage. But upon this occasion, at 

 least, I am able to ovv^n that every animal 

 held its tail straight out behind it ; and if 

 there had remained any doubt upon the 

 subject the impressions left in the muddy 

 soil would have settled the question beyond 

 cavil, for the only imprints were those of 

 the sharp-pointed hoofs of the hind feet. 



R's " old man " proved to be a magnif- 

 icent specimen, measuring seven feet six 

 inches from hoof to snout. It was fortu- 

 nate that he had been killed outright at 

 the first shot, for he would assuredly have 

 proved himself a very ugly customer if 

 only wounded and partially disabled. Wil- 

 kinson assured us that the pelt of this fine 

 fellow would be worth more than a pound 

 sterling in the Melbourne market, for kan- 

 garoo leather has lately come into great 

 demand for the higher grades of book- 

 binding and other work of that kind. 

 Such is the irony of fate ; the much-hated . 

 pest of forty years ago has become the 

 much-prized rarity of to-day, and the hide 

 alone of one kangaroo is worth the price 

 of four fine sheep. 



194 



