MACROPUS LANIGER. 



Great Red Kansraroo. 



'^o'^ 



Spec. Char. — Mas. Macropus vellere brev'i, molli, et quasi gossipino ; colore arenaceo-rufo ; capite humerisque cinereis, et . 

 arenaceo-rufo leviter tinctis ; corpore siibtiis exalbescente arenaceo-cinereo ; artuhus caudaque albidis ,■ digitis nigris ; 

 rostri lateribus albis nigro mriegatis. 

 FcEM. Colore corporis superior is cceruleo-cinereo ; inferioris, et artuiim albo ; faciei lateribus striga alba distincte 

 notatis. 



Descr. — Male. General colour sandy red slightly tinged with orange, especially on the flanks and i"ump ; neck, back 

 and shoulders washed with ashy grey ; the same tint, but somewhat paler, is also observable on the outer side of 

 the thigh ; head deep ashy grey, tinged in parts with sandy red ; sides of the muzzle as far as the angle of the 

 mouth and the chin pure white ; intermingled with the white of the muzzle are some bristly black hairs, forming 

 two interrupted black lines ; ears grey on the exterior, with a few black hairs near the tip, and white on the 

 interior ; throat, chest and all the under surface tawny white tinged with grey ; arms and legs tawny white ; 

 hands and toes blackish brown ; tail tawny white tinged with grey. 

 Female. General tint rather paler ; the sandy red on the sides of the body less distinct ; head and shoulders of 

 a paler grey, and as well as the haunches tinged vinous : differs also from the male in having a distinct broad 

 white mark extending from the angle of the mouth backwards under the eye, and in having the under parts of 

 the body and limbs pure white. 

 Young. The upper parts of the body of nearly a uniform pale slate-grey. 



Male. Female. 



feet, inches. feet, inches. 



Length from the nose to the extremity of the tail 8 2. ..7 



of tail 3 ... 2 9i 



„ „ tarsus and toes, including the nail 1 2...1 



„ „ arm and hand, including the nails 1 6^ . . . 1 



„ „ face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear .... 8 . . . 8 



„ „ ear 5-i- . . . \\ 



Kangurus rufus, Desm. Mamm. Suppl. p. 541. 



Kangurus laniger, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de I'Uranie, p. 65, pi. 9. ■ 



This noble species of Kangaroo, the largest and one of the most elegant of its race yet discovered, has hitherto been so 

 little known, that, with the exception of my own specimens, a single skin, and that in the most imperfect condition, is 

 all that has ever reached Europe. The specimen referred to is the original of the figure and description in the zoology 

 of the " Voyage de I'Uranie" as quoted above. The specific term o^ laniger appeared so inapplicable to my specimens, 

 as, together with the inaccuracy of the plate and description, to induce me to question their identity; and in order to 

 clear up this doubt satisfactorily I visited the Parisian museum and examined the original, when I found, to my o-reat 

 astonishment, that the deficiencies. of natural hair on many parts of the skin had been replaced by finely cut sheep's wool 

 whereby the appellation of Woolly Kangaroo was rendered more correct than I had anticipated : it would have been 

 better for science had this circumstance been stated. The sides and upper surface of the body of those I brouo-ht 

 to Europe are the only parts of the animal that have any tendency to the woolly character, and the hair on these parts 

 entirely wants that crispness mentioned by Messrs. Quoy and Gaimard. The specimen in the museum ofthe Jardin 

 des Plantes was presented to the officers of the expedition by Eraser the botanist, during their stay at Sydney, and was 

 said to be from Port Macquarrie ; but I am led to believe that some mistake must have arisen on this point, and that the 

 Macquarrie river was the locality intended, since it is an animal entirely confined to the interior. 



Two of my specimens were obtained in South Australia, and the others on the plains bordering the Namoi • from 

 the works of Oxley and Sturt we find that it frequents the banks of the Morumbidgee and Darling ; we may conse- 

 quently infer that it is very generally dispersed over the great basin of the interior of Australia, as it certainly is over 

 the eastern portions of that continent. I regret that these authors should have given such slight notices of this inter- 

 esting animal, which they must have frequently encountered in their expeditions. Capt. Sturt merely states, that while 

 encamped on the Morumbidgee " we saw several red kangaroos, and succeeded in killing one. It certainly is a: beautiful 

 animal, ranging the wilds in its native freedom. The female and kid are of a light mouse-colour." Havino-, like Capt 

 Sturt, had the pleasure of seeing this species in its native wilds, I fully concur in his opinion as to its beauty • it is in 

 fact, the finest of the Australian Mammalia : and the female is particularly attractive, from her graceful, slender and 

 elegant form, and from the snowy whiteness of her legs and under surface contrasted with the blue-grey tint of her 

 sides and back. The male, especially when adult, has the red and white more blended into each other ; the blue-ffrey 

 which distinguishes the female, being rarely if ever perceptible ; hence has arisen the trivial names of red buck and blue 

 doe for the two sexes respectively : the female is also called the flying doe, from her extreme fleetness, for which her 

 whole structure is so admirably adapted, that I have little hesitation in saying, that under favourable circumstances she 

 would outstrip the fastest dogs : occasionally, however, both sexes are run successfully, either from the chase beino- over 

 soft mouldy soil, or from the female being encumbered by a large and heavy young one, which she has not been able to 



