NOTES ON DENDROLAGKTS BENNETTIANUS. 
415 
extends on the underside of the neck ; ears short and brown externally, 
and covered with fairly long reddish-grey hair internally ; chest light 
greyish-brown; sides and belly a slightly darker hue ; the backs of the 
fore and hind feet black ; tail long and thickly furred, forming a tuft 
-at the extremity, its under surface black, upper side brown for about 
half its length, except a black patch near its base, when it all gradu- 
ally merges into black. The soles of the fore and hind feet are bare 
and with a very rough skin. The claws of its fore feet are long and 
well curved, whereas those of its hind feet are shorter and stouter; 
both are black in colour. Its head and body is about 2 feet long, 
and its tail 3 feet. These animals vary slightly in colour, the old 
specimens often having a silvery-grey appearance on their sides and 
head, and the young are more of a reddish hue, which darkens as they 
reach maturity. They are very plentiful in the scrub-covered mountain 
districts near Cooktown, North Queensland, and seem to live on the 
higher part of the ranges, probably because the timber is smaller and 
more easy to climb. They seem unable to ascend or descend the 
trunk of a large tree, and those found in such places get up by means 
of the various large creepers that often hang in festoons from the tree 
top. Those in captivity will ascend an upright 3-inch gaspipe with 
ease and very quickly, moving their hind feet simultaneously. Wher- 
ever it is possible they always move their hind feet with a jump, 
clinging on and climbing with their fore feet* It is wonderful how 
they keep their balance when out near the end of a slim branch which 
is swayed about by the breeze. When they do occasionally lose their 
balance they still cling on to the bough, and work their way down on 
the underside of the branch until t.he} r are able to right themselves. 
When descending a large branch they let themselves down backwards 
by their fore feet, and let the hind ones slide, but when descending a 
small branch they move one hind foot at a time. When feeding on 
the leaves they puli down the ends of the branches to them to secure 
their food, and in that way are enabled to get at almost any foliage 
that may be on the tree, although one w ould say that it was impossible 
for them to secure it. When wanting to get on to a branch below 
them, they generally go to the end of the bough, where their weight 
makes it bend considerably; they then cling on with their fore feet, let 
the hinder portion of their body bang down until they are enabled to 
secure a footing on the branch beneath, when they let go the upper 
bough. They seem to use considerable judgment in so doing. Their 
movement among the branches is extremely active; they can jump a 
considerable distance from one bough oil to another, and the roughness 
of the skin of the sole of their feet evidently prevents them from 
slipping. Occasionally the branch which they are on breaks, and 
down they come; but they always appear to land on their feet, and 
seem none the worse for their tumble. They can jump a considerable 
distance to the ground from the tree. On one occasion I was climbing 
up a huge granite boulder by the aid of the roots of a spevies of 
ng, with which it was embraced, and when almost at: the top I 
found a tree kangaroo sitting on a bough among the leafy foliage 
about two feet away from me; it was evidently enjoying its siesta. 
On being disturbed it jumped off its perch on to a Wall rock w hich 
was showing above the tangled mass of creepers, orchids, &c., fully 
40 feet below from where the animal was sitting; it quickly jumped 
