1843-44 BIRTH OF KANGAROO 243 



bones were from New Zealand and one from 

 China. Owen had no lack of material to examine 

 at this time, as the diary shows : — 



'November 1. — R. to the London Docks, to 

 look at nine boxes of bones from America. In 

 the evening hard at work on the " Mammalia/' 



1 6t/z. — Mr. Warburton called to offer R. the 

 presidency of the Geological Society. Obliged to 

 decline, as he had not the time to give to it.' 



' i/[tk. — R. received two letters from Sydney. 

 A man called Leichardt sends the lower jaw of 

 a great kangaroo-like extinct animal. Also inter- 

 esting letter from Lord Derby. A kangaroo at 

 Knowsley has been watched till the matter so 

 long in doubt is cleared up. She was seen taking 

 the new-born tiny kangaroo in her fore-paws and 

 putting it in the pouch.' 



■ 21st. — R. to the London Docks, to fetch away 

 what there is of the tail and head of the glyptodon. 

 The head, unfortunately, is very imperfect, though 

 the tail is good.' 



' December 3. — This evening the box of 

 diprotodon bones came from Herr Leichardt. 

 We opened it and found a vertebra, a beautiful 

 half-jaw of a young animal, &c.' 



' ^th. — R. to his cutter-out? with some very 

 extraordinary bones from Africa. Two heads of 

 an animal resembling a lizard but with huge tusks 

 from the upper jaw. Going to have them picked 



7 The mason who cuts the fossils out of the stone, &c. 



R 2 



