126 
MACUOPODID.E. 
by their party on King's Island in order to explore its pro¬ 
ductions, and their vessel not returning so soon as expected, 
all their provisions became exhausted, and they would lmve 
perished with hunger had they not fortunately met with a 
party of Englishmen who had settled there for the purpose of 
procuring the seals which abound on the shores of the small 
islands in Bass's Straits. From these settlers they received 
both food and shelter, until the vessel arrived, and M. Peron 
speaks in high terms of their kindness and rude hospitality. 
He found these seal fishermen living almost entirely upon 
the flesh of the Red-necked Kangaroo, Wombat, and Emu 
The Wombat was readily captured, owing to its sluggish 
habits, but to procure the swift Kangaroos and Emus, the 
settlers had trained dogs to go out by themselves and hunt, 
and it is said they seldom returned without success. Having 
killed a Kangaroo, the dogs abandoned their prey, and going to 
their masters, made them aware of the circumstance: one of 
the men was then dispatched to bring home the game, to 
which he was guided by the dogs. 
M. Peron observes that liis party subsequently obtained a 
dog similarly trained, and that, in Kangaroo Island, they 
procured by its assistance twenty-seven of the largest-sized 
Kangaroos in a few days. 
The specimens of Macropus rujicollis , in the British 
Museum, are from New South Wales, and we arc informed 
by Mr. Gould that this animal was formerly common near 
Sydney, but is now gradually retiring before the advance of 
civilized man ; it is still, however, abundant in the thick 
Daveysia scrub on the table-land behind IHawarra, particu¬ 
larly on the fine estate at Bong Bong, belonging to Charles 
Throsby, Esq. 
If the M. Bennettii be specifically identical with the M. 
rujicollis , (and I feel no doubt that it is) then must we mid 
Van Diemen s Land to the habitats above given. 
