1 GO 
MACROPODID/E. 
proaches the outskirts of the forest, except at night; hence it 
is seldom seen by ordinary observers. It is very easily taken 
with snares, in the form of a noose, which are placed in its run; 
and thousands are captured in this way solely for their skins. 
It is one of the most highly esteemed for the table, being one 
of the best flavoured of the small Kangaroos, and is very 
generally eaten in Van Diemen’s Land. Its weight is usually 
about fifteen or twenty pounds. 
The “ Wallaby 1 ,” as our present animal is called by the 
colonists, was first described by M. Desmarest. The original 
specimen in the Paris Museum presents the following cha¬ 
racters :—Tail shorter than the body; ears short and rounded; 
fur long and rather soft; general tint very dark; on head, 
upper parts of body, legs, and upper surface of tail, brown; 
under parts dirty yellow; lips and tip of chin yellowish white; 
fore and liind feet brown; toes dark brown; Util brownish 
yellow beneath; hairs of the fur brown-grey next the skin, 
each hair annulated with brownish white near the apex, and 
brown-black at the point; fur like that of the body covers the 
basal portion of the tail; on the remaining parts the hairs are 
harsh, shorter, and somewhat adpressed; ears clothed inter¬ 
nally with yellowish white hairs; externally the hairs are of 
the same colour as those on the upper surface of the head. 
Paris Mus. 
Inches. Lines. 
Length from tip of nose to root of tail 21 0 
44 of tail ... . 10 9 
“ of tarsus (claws not included) 4 8 
44 of ear ... ... ... 1 9 
44 from tip of nose to ear ... 3 8 
Zool* Soc. 
Inches. Lines. 
25 0 
1 2 } 
5 2 
1 8 
Iii other specimens which I have examined, the colouring 
was found to vary somewhat, especially as regards the tint of 
1 This must not be confounded with the “ Wallaby ” of New South Wales, 
which is a distinct species. 
