HALMATURUS MANICATUS, OoM. 
Black-g’loved Wallaby. 
Head, Neck, and Forearm of both Sexes, of the size of life. 
Every naturalist who has diligently worked out a monograph of any group of animals 
must have observed that while some conspieuous feature, either of colouring or marking, 
pervades all the species, it is much more strongly developed in some of them than in 
others ; in one, perhaps, it is only faintly indicated, while in another it is bold and 
decided. Now, there is a tendency in all the Wallabys to a blackish brown or black 
colouring on the hands or the tips of the ears : in some this colouring occurs on both ; 
in others it is confined to the hands alone. The present animal, which is a native of 
Western Australia, may be cited as the species in which this character is carried to its 
maximum; for if its fore feet and the tips of its ears had been carefully dipped in ink, 
they could not be of a blacker hue, nor could this colouring terminate more abruptly. 
That there is no special end or purpose for the fantastic markings of the Kangaroos and 
many other animals, beyond mere ornament, I think there cannot be a doubt. Nature 
revels in variety, as may be seen in the stripings of the various species of Zebra, the 
fantastic markings of the Antelopes, the banding of the Perameles, and a thousand other 
creatures. I make no apology for giving full-sized heads of this very pretty species, the 
peculiarity of whose markings is not so apparent in the reduced figures. 
