BETTONGIA PENICILLATA, Gmy. 



Jerboa Kang*aroo. 



Spec. Cliar. — Bett. fusca, ferrugineo-albo irrorata , corpore subtus sordide albo ; auribus brevibus, rotimdatis, et intiis 

 pills bremhis Jlams indutn ; tarsis pallide fuscis ; caiida ferrugineo-fusca superne ; apice,per partem quartam longi- 

 tiid'mis totiiis, pUis fmeo mgris,Jloccosis, instructa. 



Descr. — Fur moderately long, and not very soft to the touch ; general colour brown ; the hairs on the upper surface grey 

 at the base, pencilled with rusty white near the tip, and black at the point ; under surface dirty white ; internal 

 surface of the ear yellow ; feet very pale brown ; tail rich rusty brown above and pale brown beneath, the 

 apical quarter clothed with bi'ownish-black hairs, which are longer than those of the other parts of the tail, and 

 form a kind of tuft. 



Length from the nose to the extremity of the tail 2 



,, of tail 



,, ,, tarsus and toes, including the nail 



„ „ arm and hand, including the nails , 



„ ,, face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear 

 ,, „ ear 



Bettongia penkillatu. Gray in Mag. Nat. Hist, for Nov. 1837, vol. i. New Series, p. 584. 

 Hypsiprymnus mitrinus, Ogilby, in Proc. of Zool. Soc. Part VI. p. 63. 



Male. 



Female. 



feet, inches. 



feet. 



inches. 



2 6 . . 



2 







1 1 . . 





iH 



5 . . 





4 



3i. . 





2f 



3i. . 





3 



It- • 





1 



All my specimens of this little animal were collected in the interior, both on the Liverpool Plains and to the northward 

 of them ; I even found it plentiful on the Lower Namoi ; but whether it does or does not inhabit the coast side of the 

 ranges, and over what extent of the Australian continent it is found, I am unable to state, as I only saw it in the 

 localities above-mentioned. 



Like the other members of the genus, this species constructs a thick grassy nest, which is placed in a hollow 

 scratched on the ground for its reception, so that when completed it is only level with the surrounding grass, which it so 

 closely resembles, that without a careful survey it may be passed unnoticed : the site chosen for the nest is either at 

 the foot of a bush or any large tuft of grass ; during the day it is generally tenanted by one, and sometimes by a pair of 

 these little creatures, which lying coiled in the centre are perfectly concealed from view; there being no apparent 

 outlet, it would seem that after they have crept under they drag the grass completely over the entrance, when, as T have 

 before stated, the whole is so like the surrounding herbage that it is scarcely perceptible. The natives, however, rarely 

 pass without detecting its presence, and almost invariably kill the sleeping inmates, by dashing their tomahawk or heavy 

 clubs at it. The most curious circumstance connected with the history of the Jerboa Kangaroo is the mode in which it 

 collects the grasses for its nest : these, as may be seen in the accompanying Plate, are carried with its tail, which is 

 strongly prehensile, and, as may be easily imagined, their appearance when leaping towards their nests with their tails 

 loaded with grasses is exceedingly grotesque and amusing : this curious feat is even exhibited in a state of confinement, 

 the Earl of Derby having a pair of them in his Menagerie at Knowseley, which evince the same natural habits, and 

 which frequently load their tails with the hay of their nests, and carry it round the cage in which they are kept. The 

 most usual resorts of the Jerboa Kangaroo are low grassy hills and dry ridges, thinly intersected with trees and bushes ; 

 and although not strictly gregarious, numbers may be found in the same locality. It is a nocturnal animal, lying curled 

 up in the shape of a ball during the day, and sallying forth as night approaches in quest of food, which consists of 

 grasses and roots, the latter being procured by scratching and burrowing, for which their fore-claws are admirably 

 adapted, and their vicinity is frequently indicated by the little excavations they have made. When startled from their 

 nest they bound with amazing rapidity, and always seek the shelter of a hollow tree, or a small hole in a rock, etc. 



