54 
MACUOPODID.-E. 
Tree Kangaroos of New Guinea we find the fore legs almost 
as long and powerful as tlie hind : the tail, which is clothed 
for the most part with short adpressed hairs in the ordinary 
Kangaroos, hero is very 7 bushy, as well as in the rock-inhabiting 
Kangaroos: these, and other modifications, however, observed 
in the various species, are pointed out in their proper places. 
About the beginning of the present century but three 
species of the present group were known,*—the Macropus 
gigantcus , and Macropus minor , of Shaw, and the Didelphi/s 
Brunii of older authors. Illiger was the first to subdivide 
the genus Macro])us of Shaw, instituting a new genus upon 
the smaller species of that author, to which he gave the name 
Hypsiprgmnus ; lie at the same time unnecessarily substi¬ 
tuted the new name Halmaturus for that of Macropus . In 
the Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturel/es, article Kangaroo, 
M. F. Cuvier further subdivided the group, which had been 
augmented by several new species brought home by the 
French scientific expeditions, separating from the Macropus 
giganteus , and some nearly-allied species, certain Kangaroos, 
which differed in having the muffle naked. For his new 
section lie retained Illiger’s name, Halmaturus. The Kan¬ 
garoo group is now very numerous in species, is regarded as 
forming a family, and has been subdivided into many genera. 
In some cases the authors of the new genera have not taken 
the trouble to define them, and in some the characters given 
are merely individual peculiarities. 
As regards the section Macropus proper (as now restricted), 
characterised as having the muffle hairy, it is necessary to 
state, that the species which are arranged in that section 
differ as to the extent of the part of the muffle which is 
clothed with lmirs; and in some cases, as in M. ruftis, the 
muffle is quite as imperfectly clothed as in certain Hnlmaturi, 
in which the muffle is said to ho naked. In the Macropus 
leporoides, the mutllc is entirely covered with velvet-like hair; 
