ON THE MODE OF BIRTH OF THE KANGAROO, 
COMMUNICATED BY THE HON. L. HOPE, WITH 
REMARKS ON THE ECHIDNA AND PLATYPUS. 
BY J. BANCROFT, M.D. 
President of the Queensland Philosophical Society. 
( Read 22 ml June , 1882.) 
Though the peculiarities of the generation of marsupials have 
been studied for about fifty years, there are yet many points that 
require elucidation before the whole process is clearly compre- 
hended. The reproduction of placental mammalia has been under 
the eye of civilized nations for ages, and so presents no difficul- 
ties, so to speak ; but on the exploration of Australia the fauna 
of this continent show forms of life, new and strange, that 
require special study before their life history can be understood. 
Professor Owen did much to clear up the strange anomalies 
of marsupial generation, between the years 1830 and 1840, since 
which little has been added ; and, in a conversation with him 
some five years ago, he remarked that many material points yet 
remained in the history of the Echidna, the Platypus, and the 
Kangaroo, which he did not expect would be discovered during 
his life. I take this opportunity to bring before the Philoso- 
phical Society some observations made by the Honourable Louis 
Hope, of Cleveland, of the efforts made by the embryo kangaroo 
to arrive at the pouch of its mother. 
As Professor Owen was unable to witness this act, he “ was 
led to believe that the mode of removal of the young from the vulva 
to the pouch was by the mouth of the mother J — Encyclopedia of 
Anatomy and Physiology ; Article, Marsupialia. 
Though the observations now submitted do not go far 
enough, they may lead to further examinations of this interesting 
point. Referring to the article above quoted, the Honourable 
L. Hope writes to me : — 
“ I had seen the account long ago, and expected that since 
that time more definite information had been elicited on the 
subject. My observations have reference only to the mode of 
transference of the embryo to the pouch, which I now believe 
to be effected by the embryo itself ; or, at any rate, with very 
little assistance from the mother, and that almost unconsciously 
given. 
