64 A DESCRIPTION OF 
and a very small head. The fore legs, or rather paws, 
are short and weak, with five toes, each ending in a strong 
curved claw. The hind legs, on the contrary, are very 
large and strong, but the feet have only four toes, and 
much weaker claws. The tail is very long and tapering, 
but it is so thick and strong near the body, that it forms a 
kind of third hind leg, and wonderfully assists the animal 
in making its extraordinary leaps, which are often from 
twenty to thirty feet in length, and six or eight feet high. 
When the animal is attacked, it uses its tail as a powerful 
instrument of defence, and it also scratches violently 
with its hind feet. It generally sits upright, but it brings 
its fore feet to the ground when it is grazing. It lives 
entirely on vegetable substances. The most curious part 
of the Kangaroo is the pouch which the female has in 
front for carrying her young. It is just below her breasts, 
and the young ones sit there to suck. Even when they 
are old enough to leave the pouch, they fly back to it for 
safety whenever they are alarmed. 
The Kangaroo is easily tamed, and there are many in a 
tame state in England. In Australia, Kangaroo beef, as 
it is called, is eaten, and found very nourishing ; but it 
is hard and coarse. The female has generally two young 
ones at a time, and they are a year old before they attain 
their full growth. 
