191 
sure, and it has only been in times of scarcity that they 
have been supplied with a little hay. In number they have 
not varied much, although they have frequently had young, 
which have matured. On one occasion one of the kangaroos 
escaped into the grounds of the Castle, where he was after- 
wards allowed to roam at will ; he was harmless to every 
creature except to one of the bucks belonging to the Castle 
herd, and with this animal he had many encounters, in the 
last of which he was killed. On another occasion the 
Cheshire foxhounds sprang into the enclosure where the 
kangaroos are kept, and would have exterminated them 
but for the energy of the whippers-in. In size the kangaroos 
are not quite as large as they are represented in pictures of 
Australian life, being scarcely three feet high when seated. 
Mr. Walter Morris gave an account of a [pair of Kan- 
garoo Rats from Australia, kept by him some years ago . 
These were in shape precisely like the large kangaroos, but 
were only about 6 inches high when resting on their hind 
legs— -their characteristic posture. Their mode of progres- 
sion was by leaping, in which they were very active ; often 
through the air a distance of 6 or 8 feet if they had a very 
slight advantage of height. Their fore-paws were very 
small and soft and rarely touched the ground, being chiefly 
used for taking food and holding it to their maw while 
gnawing, their claws being long and sharp. They were 
perfectly domesticated and much attached to their owner, 
coming readily at his call. They often accompanied some 
members of the family in a country walk, clinging to, and 
racing about, the dress of those who carried them. In their 
habits they were extremely cleanly, their fur, which was 
black and white in patches like that of a rabbit, being kept 
perfectly pure. They were truly omnivorous, and required 
considerable training to teach them not to gnaw everything 
that came in their way; their usual food, however, was 
