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THE
MAMMALS OF AUSTRALIA.
BY
JOHN GOULD, F.RS.,
FLS., F.ZS., MES., F.R.GEOG.S. MRAY S.: HON. MEMB. OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF TURIN; OF THE ROYAL ZOOL. SOC. OF IRELAND; OF THE PENZANCE NAT. HIST. SOC.; OF THE WORCESTER NAT. HIST. SOC.; OF THE NORTHUMBERLAND, DURHAM, AND NEWCASTLE NAT. HIST. SOC.; OF THE NAT. HIST. SOC.
OF DARMSTADT; OF THE TASMANIAN SOC. OF VAN DIEMEN’S LAND; OF THE NAT.
HIST. SOC. OF STRASBOURG ; OF THE NAT. HIST. SOC. OF IPSWICH; AND CORR. MEMB. SOC. OF NAT. HIST. OF WURTEMBERG.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
LON WON:
PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET.
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, 26 CHARLOTTE STREET, BEDFORD SQUARE.
1863.
LIST OF PLATES.
Macropus major ocydromus fuliginosus
Osphranter rufus Antilopinus robustus
a oa
Halmaturus ruficollis Bennettii_ . ee ORCL manicatus . Ualabatus . agilis dorsalis Parma —— Derbianus . ———— Thetidis stigmaticus ——- Billardieri brachyurus Petrogale penicillata lateralis xanthopus . inornata brachyotis . concinna Dendrolagus ursinus inustus Dorcopsis Bruni Onychogalea unguifer freenata lunata Lagorchestes fasciatus Leporoides hirsutus conspicillatus Leichardti . Bettongia penicillata = = Onilby Cuniculus . See ORAyll rufescens . campestris Hypsiprymnus murinus apicalis —_— Gilberti == plabyops
VOL. II.
Great Grey Kangaroo . West-Australian Great Kangaroo Sooty Kangaroo
Great Red Kangaroo .
Red Wallaroo
Black Wallaroo .
Parry’s Wallaroo Rufous-necked Wallaby Bennett’s Wallaby
Grey’s Wallaby . Black-gloved Wallaby
Black Wallaby .
Agile Wallaby
Black-striped Wallaby
Parma Wallaby .
Derby’s Wallaby
Pademelon Wallaby
Branded Wallaby
Tasmanian Wallaby Short-tailed Wallaby . Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby Stripe-sided Rock- Wallaby Yellow-footed Rock-Wallaby Unadorned Rock-Wallaby . Short-eared Rock- Wallaby Little Rock-Wallaby .
Black Tree-Kangaroo
Brown Tree-Kangaroo Filander : Nail-tailed Kangaroo . 5 Bridled Nail-tailed Kangaroo Lunated Nail-tailed Kangaroo Banded Hare-Kangaroo Hare-Kangaroo .
Rufous Hare-Kangaroo Spectacled Hare-Kangaroo Leichardt’s Hare-Kangaroo Jerboa-Kangaroo ; : Ogilby’s Jerboa-Kangaroo . Tasmanian Jerboa-Kangaroo Gray’s Jerboa-Kangaroo Rufous Jerboa-Kangaroo Plain-loving Jerboa-Kangaroo New South Wales Rat-Kangaroo Tasmanian Rat-Kangaroo . Gilbert’s Rat-Kangaroo - Broad-faced Rat-Kangaroo
. 31, 32 38, 34
41, 42
. 52, 53
MACROPUS MAJOR, Shaw.
Jbodd oi H.C Richter, del, et kth. Hulinendel & Walton ny.
MACROPUS MAJOR, Shaw.
Great Grey Kangaroo.
Heap or a MALE, LIFE-SIZE.
As reduced figures furnish but an madequate idea of the size and facial expression of the larger species of Kangaroos, I have been constrained in many imstances to publish double plates of these important Marsupials. The accompanying illustration will convey a just conception of the appearance of the animal at the moment of surprise, when it stands bolt upright on its hind legs, its huge tail completing the tripod which sustains its body. Twitching of the nose and the upcurling of the lips shown in the drawing are indications of anger often exhibited by these animals when their haunts are intruded upon. The hairy muffle, common to all the members of the restricted genus Macropus, is far better shown in the opposite Plate than it possibly could be in the reduced figures; and this forms an additional reason for giving the life-sized illustration.
A detailed account of the species will be found on the succeeding page.
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MACROPUS MAI MIR: Jjhzaw.
MACROPUS MAJOR, Shaw.
Great Grey Kangaroo.
Yerbua gigantea, Zimm. Zool. Geog. Quadr., p. 526. Didelphis gigantea, Schreb. Saug., tom. iii. p. 552. tab. 154.—Gmel. Edit. Linn. Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. 109. Macropus giganteus, Shaw, Nat. Misc., pl. 33.—Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 62. Kanguroo, Cook’s Voy., vol. iii. p. 577. pl. 20.—Phill. Voy., pl. in p. 106.—White’s Voy., pl. in p. 272. Macropus major, Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. i. p. 305. pl. 115.—Cook’s First Voy., vol. iv. p. 45. pl. 2.—Desm. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xvii. p. 33.—Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, pl. Kangurus labiatus, Geoff. Encycl., pl. 21. fig. 4.—Desm. Ency. Méth. Mamm., p. 273. Halmaturus griseo-fuscus, Goldf. in Oken’s Isis, 1819, p. 266 (Waterhouse). Macropus ocydromus, Gould in Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. x. p. 1? (Waterhouse). melanops, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part x. p. 10? Juliginosus and its synonyms ? Boomer, Forester, Old Man Kangaroo of the Colonists, Bundaary of the Aborigines of the Liverpool range.
Tuere can be little doubt of the present species being that noticed by our celebrated navigator Cook, in his voyage round the world in 1770; and as I conceive all information connected with this early-known species will be interesting, I shall commence my account of its history with a quotation from the above- mentioned work. ;
“On Friday, June the twenty-second, while stationed for a short time on the south-east coast of Australia,” says Captain Cook, ‘‘a party, who were engaged in shooting pigeons for the use of the sick of the ship, saw an animal, which they described to be ‘as large as a greyhound, of a slender make, of a mouse-colour, and extremely swift.’ The following day the same kind of animal was again seen by a great many other people. On the twenty-fourth it was seen by Captain Cook himself, who, walking at a little distance from the shore, observed a quadruped, which he thought bore some resemblance to a greyhound, and was of a light mouse-colour, with a long tail, and which he should have taken for a kind of wild dog, had not its extraordinary manner of leaping, instead of running, convinced him of the contrary. Mr. Banks also obtained a transient view of it, and immediately concluded it to be an animal perfectly new and undescribed.
«The sight of a creature so extraordinary could not fail to excite, in the mind of a philosophic observer, the most ardent wishes for a complete examination. These were at length gratified ; Mr. Gore, one of the associates in the expedition of Captain Cook, having been so fortunate as to shoot one in the course of a few days.”
Such is the earliest notice to be found relative to this fine species, of which living examples were a few years afterwards brought to Europe, and have from time to time formed an interesting addition to our menageries. It is however remarkable, that though it has now been introduced for so long a period, all attempts at naturalizing it have hitherto proved futile; still, from my own observations of the animal in a state of nature, I am led to believe that a small degree of perseverance is alone requisite to effect so desirable an object. Should I be so fortunate as to interest any who have the means, as well as the inclination, in the furtherance of this object, we may yet hope to see our large parks and forests graced with the presence of this highly ornamental and singular animal. That it would bear the severities of our winters is almost beyond a doubt, since in Van Diemen’s Land, among other places, it resorts to the bleak, wet, and frequently snow-capped summit of Mount Wellington. ‘The kind of country which appears most suitable to its nature, consists of low grassy hills and plains, skirted by thin open forests of brushwood, to the latter of which, especially on the continent of Australia, it resorts for shelter from the oppressive heat of the mid-day sun. Although the numbers of this large species are becoming greatly reduced in consequence of the intrusion of civilized man, and though it has disappeared from those localities where he has taken up his abode, accompanied by his vast flocks and herds, still the immense tracts of sterile unwatered country which characterize Australia, and present physical obstacles to cultivation, will, in my opinion, for a long period afford a sufficient asylum for the preservation of the race.
The Great Grey Kangaroo enjoys a wide range of habitat, being spread over the colony of New South Wales, South Australia, and the intervening countries ; and if the animal from Western Australia, to which I have given the name of Macropus ocydromus, should ultimately prove to be merely a local variety, then its range may be said to extend throughout the whole of the southern portion of the continent from east to west.
I should not consider it, strictly speaking, a gregarious animal, as I have never seen more than six or eight together, and have more frequently met with it singly or in pairs; and this view of its habits is confirmed by R. C. Gunn, Esq., who states, that ‘although, from the circumstance of its food being abundant on certain spots, as on recently burnt land, it may be seen in flocks, it is not gregarious; their food brings them to one spot; but on no occasion have I ever known them in flocks, owning a leader and proceeding en masse as all other wild animals do.” Yet Mr. Gilbert, speaking of the animal observed by him in Western Australia (AZ. ocydromus, if distinct), says—‘‘ Mr. Gunn’s remarks will not at all apply to the Kangaroos of this part of the country, for I have seen hundreds of instances in which the whole herd has
2
followed the leading one en masse, unless divided by the dogs: itis true there is no regular leader, but when one is disturbed, the whole herd immediately take alarm, and one bounding off is the signal for the whole to follow: when running in this way, the does soon take the lead, while the males from their greater weight are unable to keep up with them, and often bring up the rear a long distance behind, but they all follow in the same track as the leading does, and when the latter stop the entire herd stop also: this habit I have noticed so frequently, that I have always considered the Kangaroo as a gregarious animal. Occasionally an old and very large male will take possession of a valley, and there remain for years without moving a mile from the spot, leading in fact a perfectly misanthropic life; such instances, however, are not very common; still, two or three spots are known to me which have been thus tenanted for years, many of the settlers and aborigines, now young men, remembering these particular animals from their childhood. Some of the most experienced Kangaroo-hunters have endeavoured to capture them, but have invariably failed, at the cost of much injury to their dogs: with the exception of cases like these, it is rare to meet with a single Kangaroo.”
Mr. Gunn states that in Van Diemen’s Land the Kangaroos “lodge during the heat of the day amongst high ferns, such as Pferis esculenta, high-grass, and in underwood, commonly called servé, that is, dense patches of Melaleuca, Leptospermum, &c. on the margins of streams; and although almost all the forest trees (Lucalypti) are hollow at the butt, and innumerable dead and hollow trees cover the ground, I have never known them used as sleeping-places: the space under a dead tree is much more likely to be resorted to for this purpose than the hollow of a living one.”
The senses of smelling and hearing are so exquisite in this animal that it is extremely difficult of approach without detection, and to effect this it is always necessary to advance against the wind. It browses upon various kinds of grasses, herbs and low shrubs, a kind of food which renders its flesh well-tasted and nutritive. The early dawn and evening are the periods at which it feeds, and at which it is most certain to be met with.
Although hunted and frequently killed by the Dingo, or native dog, its most formidable antagonist has hitherto been the Aborigine, who employs several modes of obtaining it; sometimes stealing upon it with the utmost caution under covert of the trees and bushes, until it is within the range of his spear, which is generally thrown with unerring aim; at other times, having discovered their retreat, the natives unite in a party, and, forming a large circle, gradually close in upon them with shouts and yells, by which the animals are so terrified and confused, that they easily become victims to the bommerengs, clubs and spears which are directed against them from all sides.
Still, however formidable an enemy the Aborigine may have been, the Great Grey Kangaroo finds, at the present time, a far greater one in the white man, whose superior knowledge enables him to employ, for its destruction, much more efficient weapons and assailants than those of the more simple son of nature. Independently of the gun, he brings to his aid dogs of superior breed, and of so savage a nature, that the timid Kangaroo has but little chance when opposed to them. These dogs, which run entirely by sight, partake of the nature of the greyhound and deerhound, and from their great strength and fleetness are so well adapted for the duties to which they are trained, that its escape, when this occurs, is owing to peculiar and favourable circumstances, as, for example, the oppressive heat of the day, or the nature of the ground ; the former incapacitating the dogs for a severe chase, and the hard ridges which the Kangaroo invariably endeavours to gain giving him a great advantage over his pursuers. On such grounds the females in particular will frequently outstrip the fleetest greyhound, while, on the contrary, heavy old males, on soft ground, are easily overtaken. Many of these fine Kangaroo-dogs are kept at the stock-stations of the inte- rior for the sole purpose of running the Kangaroo and the Emu, the latter being killed solely for the supply of oil which it yields, and the former for mere sport, or for food for the dogs. Although I have killed the largest males with a single dog, it is not generally advisable to attempt this, as they possess great power, and frequently rip up the dogs, and sometimes even cut them to the heart with a single stroke of the hind leg. Three or four dogs are more generally laid on, one of superior fleetness to “pull” the Kangaroo, while the others rush in upon and kill it. It sometimes adopts a singular mode of defending itself by clasping its short powerful fore-limbs around its antagonist, leaping away with it to the nearest water-hole, and there keeping it beneath the surface until drowned: with dogs the old males will do this whenever they have an opportunity, and it is said that they will also attempt to do the same with man. In Van Diemen’s Land the Macropus major forms an object of chase, and like the Deer and Fox in England, is hunted with hounds; and twice a week, during the season, the Nimrods of this distant land may be seen, mounted on their fleet steeds, crossing the ferry of the Derwent, at Hobart Town, on their way to the hunting-ground, where they seldom meet without “finding.” The following particulars of the “hunt” have been obligingly forwarded to me by the Honourable Henry Elliot, late aide-de-camp to His Ltn) Sir John Franklin, and one of its chief patrons.
“‘T have much pleasure in telling you all I know of the Kangaroo-hunting in Van Diemen’s Land. The hounds are kept by Mr. Gregson, and have been bred by him from foxhounds imported from England ; and though not so fast as most hounds here now are, they are quite as fast as it is possible to ride to in that country.
“The ‘Boomer’ is the only Kangaroo which shows good sport, for the strongest ‘Brush Kangaroo’ cannot live above twenty minutes before the hounds; but as the two kinds are always found in perfectly different situations, we never were at a loss to find a Boomer, and I must say that they seldom failed to show us good sport. We generally ‘found’ in a high cover of young wattles; but sometimes we ‘found’
3
in the open forest, and then it was really pretty to see the style in which a good Kangaroo would go away. I recollect one day in particular, when a very fine Boomer jumped up in the very middle of the hounds, in the ‘open’; he at first took a few high jumps with his head up, looking about him to see on which side the coast was clearest, and then, without a moment’s hesitation, he stooped forward and shot away from the
hounds, apparently without an effort, and gave us the longest run I ever saw after a Kangaroo. He ran fourteen miles by the map from point to point, and if he had had fair play, I have very little doubt but that he would then have beat us; but he had taken along a tongue of land which ran into the sea, so that, on being pressed, he was forced to try to swim across the arm of the sea, which, at the place where he took the water, cannot have been less than two miles broad; in spite of a fresh breeze and a head sea against him, he got fully half-way over, but he could not make head against the waves any further, and was obliged to turn back, when, being quite exhausted, he was soon killed.
“The distance he ran, taking in the different bends in the line, cannot have been less than eighteen miles, and he certainly swam more than two. I can give no idea of the length of time it took him to run this distance, but it took us something more than two hours; and it was evident, from the way in which the hounds were running, that he was a long way before us; and it was also plain that he was still fresh, as, quite at the end of the run, he went over the top of a very high hill, which a tired Kangaroo never will attempt to do, as dogs gain so much on them in going up-hill. His hind quarters weighed within a pound or two of seventy pounds, which is large for the Van Diemen’s Land Kangaroo, though I have seen larger.
“We did not measure the length of the hop of this Kangaroo; but on another occasion, when the Boomer had taken along the beach, and left his prints in the sand, the length of each jump was found to be just fifteen feet, and as regular as if they had been stepped by a serjeant. When a Boomer is pressed, he is very apt to take to the water, and then it requires several good dogs to kill him ; for he stands waiting for them, and as soon as they swim up to the attack, he takes hold of them with his fore-feet, and holds them under water. The buck is altogether very bold, and will generally make a stout resistance ; for if he cannot get to the water, he will place his back against a tree, so that he cannot be attacked from behind, and then the best dog will find in him a formidable antagonist.
“The doe, on the contrary, is a very timid creature; and I have even seen one die of fear. It was ina . place where we wished to preserve them, and as soon as we found that we were running a doe, we stopped the hounds just at the moment they were running into her. She had not received the slightest injury, but she lay down and died in about ten minutes. When a doe is beat she generally makes several sharp doubles, and then gets among the branches, or close to the trunk of a fallen tree, and remains so perfectly still, that she will allow you almost to ride over her without moving, and in this way she often escapes. A tolerably good Kangaroo will generally give a run of from six to ten miles; but in general they do not run that distance in a straight line, but make one large ring back to the place where they were found, though the larger ones often go straight away.”
An extraordinary difference is observable in the size of the sexes of this species, the female being not more than half the size of the male: she brings forth one young at a time, which, as soon as it is clothed with hair, assumes the colouring of the adult.
A slight variation is found to exist in specimens from different localities, some being much darker than those represented in the Plate, and others of a foxy-red. Albinoes are occasionally, but very rarely, to be met with. As might reasonably be expected also, the fur is much thicker and more woolly in winter than in summer.
All the fur on the upper surface uniform greyish-brown above, passing into grisly-grey on the arm and under surface; a faint line of greyish-white above the upper lip and along the sides of the face; hands, feet,
and tip of the tail black.
Male. Female. feet. inches. feet. inches. Length from the nose to the extremity of the tail CES Oe Oe ee ae rr Otecale et eee te eee ee Bere ORE ee ie Oe gee 3 ,, tarsus and toes, including the nail . 1 3 1 = y> », arm and hand, including the nails . abe aaah cla abe | Gn eee 1024 tg ,, face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear. QR Was: 8 Meter eee cites th. Se PPA See SORE SEER eee cae: y eee oF. 5
The accompanying Plates represent a head of the male animal of the natural size, and reduced figures of
adult examples of both sexes.
Since the publication of my Monograph of the Kangaroos, in which my account of this species first appeared, my friend Mr. G. R. Waterhouse has paid particular attention to the Marsupialia, and has recorded his opinion in the work above referred to, that the Kangaroos described by me as distinct, under the names of Macropus ocydromus and M. melanops, are merely local varieties of the present animal; whether my own or Mr. Waterhouse’s view of the subject be the correct one, time and future research can alone determine; in the meanwhile it will be as well to append my descriptions, and the information I have received in réeference to the animals to which I have assigned the two names above mentioned. Mr. Water- house is also of opinion that the animals in the Paris Museum, described under the name of Kangurus and Macropus fuliginosus, will probably prove to be merely a variety of M. mayor, in which I believe he is
4
correct, for I have never seen any other examples than those mentioned, and consequently have no direct evidence of their being distinct.
The animal from Western Australia, which I have called Macropus ocydromus, is a fine large species closely resembling the JZ major, but differs in being of a more slender form, and in having the fur of a more woolly texture and of a darker colour on the upper surface, particularly at the base of the ears and back of the neck; the cheeks are destitute also of the usual white stripe.
‘This animal,” says Mr. Gilbert, “the male of which is called Yoon-gur, and the female Work, by the aborigines of Western Australia, is tolerably abundant over the whole colony from King George’s Sound south, to forty miles north of Moore’s River, the farthest point in that direction I have yet explored. It does not appear to be confined to any particular description of country, being as often seen in gum-forests among the mountains as on the open plains and clear grassy hills; but it is certainly most numerous in the more open parts of the country, where it is not liable to surprise. In travelling along the road from Guilford to York, from two to four or five may occasionally be met with; but farther in the interior, particularly on the Guvangun Plains, herds of thirty or forty in number may often be seen; and still farther north, beyond Kojenup, it is still more numerous; indeed, I have never seen, in any part of Australia, so
large a herd as I met with on the Gordon Plains in 1840; it could not, at the most moderate computation,
have comprised less than five hundred individuals; and several of my party in their astonishment con- sidered there were even a much greater number than I have stated. The full-grown male, termed a buck or Boomer, attains a large size, and is a most formidable opponent to many of the best dogs in the country ; indeed, there are few dogs that will even attempt to run him; this may in some measure account for the few recorded instances of very large ones heing killed by the hunters ; it is not that their speed enables them to escape, for, on the contrary, their great weight incapacitates them for running fast or to any distance, and almost any dog may overtake them; instead, therefore, of running away, the Boomer invariably turns round and faces his pursuers, erects himself to his full height, and, if possible, supports his back against a tree, and thus awaits the approach and rush of the dogs, endeavouring to strike them with his powerful hind-toe or to catch them in his fore-arms, and, while holding them, to inflict dreadful and often fatal wounds with the same weapon of offence. Old dogs, well broken in, and accustomed to keep a Boomer at bay, never attempt to run in, but by barking keep the Kangaroo at bay until the hunter comes up, when a blow or two on the head with a short heavy stick soon brings him down. The hunter himself, however, often runs great hazard, for the Boomer will frequently on his approach leave the dogs and attack him most fiercely; and it is no easy matter for him to avoid being severely cut while attempting to kill the animal. When closely pressed, it takes to the water, and as the dogs approach, catches them in its arms and holds them beneath the surface till drowned; but if the water be too shallow for drowning them, it has been known to catch one dog and place him beneath its foot while courageously awaiting the approach of a second.
“The female of the first year, before having young, and during the second year, with her first young, is termed the ‘ flying doe,’ her speed being so great, if she obtains anything like a fair start, that she gives the fleetest dogs a very long and severe run, and frequently succeeds in outstripping them; upon finding herself too closely pursued, she usually attempts to evade the dogs by making a sudden leap almost at right angles, when the dogs, being at full speed, bound past her to such a distance, that before they can recover the track, the Kangaroo has gained so much ground that it is enabled to escape ; this stratagem, however, often accelerates its death, for, in turning off so suddenly, its whole weight is thrown upon one limb, which being broken by the pressure, the animal falls to the ground and becomes an easy prey. Even the large bucks are often taken in this way, and, in their fright and anxiety to escape from the dogs, they not un- frequently run against a tree or stump with such violence as to be killed on the spot. It would scarcely be supposed by any one who has only seen this animal in confinement, where it appears so quiet and harmless, that it can be excited to rage and ferocity, yet such is the case in a state of nature; for upon finding itself without a chance of escape, it summons up all its dormant energies for a last struggle, and would doubtless often come off victor if it had dogs alone to contend with; but the moment it observes the approach of man, it seems intuitively to know that its most formidable opponent is before it; its lips are then twisted and contracted, its eyes become brilliant, and almost start from their sockets with rage, its ears are in constant motion, and it emits a peculiar, low, smothered grunt, half hiss or hard breathing-like sound; in fact, when man approaches, it seems altogether to forget the dogs, and regardless of the consequences of withdrawing its attention from them to him, soon loses its former advantage, and the dogs being enabled to obtain a secure hold, soon bring it down.
“The individuals inhabiting the forests are invariably much darker, and have a somewhat thicker coat, than those frequenting the plains. The young at first are of a very light fawn colour, which deepens in tint until they are two years old; after that age it gradually fades until, in the old males, it becomes of a very light grey. In summer their coat assumes a light and hairy character, while in winter it approaches more nearly to the texture of wool. It is very common to find them with white marks, or spots of white about the head, more particularly a white spot between the eyes or on the forehead. On one occasion I met with a very curiously marked individual, having the whole of the throat, cheeks, and the upper part of the head spotted with yellowish-white; and perfect albinoes have been observed by the hunters. The largest and heaviest Kangaroo I have been able to obtain any authentic account of, was killed at the Murray; it weighed 160 lbs.”
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MACROPUS OCYDROMUS, Goud.
West-Australian Great Kangaroo.
Heaps or A Mare anp A FEMALE, LIFE-SIZE.
Ir the letterpress annexed to the succeeding Plate, containing reduced figures of this species, be referred to, sufficient reasons will be found for figuring life-sized heads of the two sexes of the West-Australian Kangaroo. On comparing Macropus major and M. Ocydromus, it will be seen that a very considerable difference exists between the two animals—the deep vinous colouring of the entire body, deep brown hue of the nose, and the black mark at the base of the ears, which are peculiar to the latter, bemg very striking, and rendering it con- spicuously distinct from its near ally: the opinion that they are really different species is moreover strengthened by the circumstance of the one being an imhabitant of the western, and the other of the eastern parts of the great continent of Australia; and from what we have seen in so many other instances of representative species, we might naturally expect this would be the case.
For a more detailed account of the Macropus Ocydromus, the reader is referred to the
pages given with the entire figures of the animal.
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MACROPUS OCYDROMUS, Goud.
West-Australian Great Kangaroo.
Macropus ocydromus, Gould in Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist., vol. x. p. 1.—Gray, List of Spec. of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 86.
Yoon-gur, the male: Work, the female: of the Aborigines of Western Australia.
Since my account of the Great Grey Kangaroo (Macropus major) was printed, some additional examples of the West-Australian animal, to which I had assigned the specific term ocydromus, have reached this country ; a careful and accurate comparison of which induces the belief that my original opinion of its being a distinct species is really correct, and that I was quite right in conferring upon it a distinctive appellation.
A very young individual which I now possess has not only a thicker and more woolly fur than the young of Macropus major, but has a much more vinaceous colour pervading the whole of the body; and I find that this peculiar woolly texture as well as the colour are retained to the extreme adult age, and that the cheeks are of a nearly uniform vinous brown, while the cheeks of MZ. major are brown with a stripe of white. The bases of the ears in ocydromus are of a rich hair-brown for the extent of about an inch, when that colour abruptly terminates, and the remainder of the outside of the ear is white; the interior is also white, and has the basal portion thickly clothed with long white hairs,—a style of colouring, so far as regards the outer part of the ears, which is never found in specimens of the true Macropus major ; there is also a lesser amount of white about the under surface of the body of ocydromus than in that of major, the vinous tint pervading the lower part of the chest and a great part of the abdomen.
That a great similarity exists in the anatomy of the two animals there can be no doubt; but the same may be said with regard to many other quadrupeds and birds which are considered distinct species. It must be recollected that the Western and Eastern Australian species, both of quadrupeds and birds, differ in almost every instance, and that but few cases occur of a species ranging across the entire continent—an extent of three thousand miles, more or less. Time, and a greater acquaintance with the mammals of Australia, will be necessary before we can say with certainty over what portion of the country this species may range.
Upon looking over my MSS. of West-Australian animals, I find a note from the pen of the late Mr. Gilbert, from which I learn that not only had he observed the difference in the colouring of the animals there found, but he had noticed that a still darker one inhabits the brushes, and that this darker-coloured animal has a more woolly coat. This may be the same as the animal I have called AMacropus metanops, and is probably distinct from both the others, although I have placed that name as a synonym of MZ. major.
The following is Mr. Gilbert’s note above referred to :—
“© Macropus.ocydromus.—Y ou will receive herewith a very large male and two mature females, from dif- ferent localities ; the two latter showing the extremes of the dark and light variations of colouring. The largest Kangaroo yet killed in the colony (the weight of which is well authenticated) was shot on the Canning by Mr. Phillips, the Resident at King George’s Sound ; it was ascertained to weigh 180 lbs., its unusual size having induced that gentleman to weigh it before any part was removed.”
The male has the face and forehead dull cinnamon-brown, becoming darker over the nose and forehead ; cheeks without a white stripe; upper lip and chin beset with a number of long and short fine black hairs, those on the edge of the upper lip being rigid; base of the ears and occiput dark vinous brown, the remainder of the ears clothed externally with short grizzled hairs, the tips of which are white, and the base brown, offering a strong contrast to the dark colouring of the lower part of the ear; internally the ears are clothed with long white hairs; the vinous brown colouring of the occiput is continued down the back of the neck and over the middle of the back, becoming lighter towards the tail; throat, fore part of the neck, and chest brownish white; sides of the body, flanks, and under surface dull cinnamon-brown; arms and hands grizzled brown, externally becoming lighter on the inner surface and darker towards the extremities ; thighs, legs, and feet similar; a deep vinous brown mark extends along the ridge of the tail, gradually passing into black at the tip, the remainder of the tail cinnamon-brown.
The female is similar in colour, but lighter in every part.
The accompanying Plates represent the heads of an adult male and female of the size of life, and reduced figures of the entire animals.
sapiee
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Piste seer
ea Ted Tor Tite Sold Oa) VIN
MACROPUS FULIGINOSUS.
Sooty Kangaroo.
Kangurus fuliginosus, Desm. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xvii. p. 35. pl. E. 22 CK. géant).—Ib. Ency. Méth. Mamm., part i. p. 263.
Kangurou géant, F. Cuv. et Geoff. Hist. Nat. des Mamm., fasc. 2.—F. Cuv. Dict. Sci. Nat., tom. xxiv. p. 347.
Macropus fuliginosus, Less. Man. de Mamm., p. 225.—Gould, Mon. of Macrop., pl. .—Waterh. in Jard. Nat. Lib. Marsupialia, p. 200.—Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 88.—Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm.,vol. 1. p. 73.
Auruoueu I have mentioned, in my account of Macropus major, the probability that the animal to which the name of M. fuliginosus has been assigned is merely a variety of that species, I have thought it advisable to give reduced figures from the original specimens in the Paris and Leyden Museums, because these specimens differ considerably in the colouring of their fur from the ordinary examples of M. major, and because I believe the animal is no longer to be found on Kangaroo Island, where, according to Desmarest, the speci- mens above referred to were procured. The peculiar dull red colouring they exhibit may or may not be due to some unusual mode of preparing the skin before mounting ; but one thing is certain: whatever may have been the original colouring of their fur, the term fwig?nosus is now by no means descriptive of it; in all probability the change is due to the long exposure to light and dust to which they have been subjected,—an agency which has not only had a deleterious effect upon the specimens in question, but upon all those I brought from Australia. To become acquainted with the natural colouring of the various species of Kangaroo, it is positively necessary to observe them in their native country, where the newly-killed animals present colours which no art on the part of the Taxidermist or care on the part of Museum curators has the power of preserving, and to give a faithful portraiture of which, coloured drawings should then and there be made. I see the necessity of this more and more, whenever I look at specimens in our museums, from all of which the colours have more or less faded, until a general sameness of tint pervades the whole.
Fur of the body rather long and inclining tu a woolly texture; general colour rusty yellowish brown, darker and inclining to sooty on the shoulders and centre of the back ; hairs of the throat, back and abdomen grisly ; sides of the face and muzzle uniform, and of the same colour as the body ; inner surface of the ear furnished with long white hairs ; external surface blackish brown; toes and apical half of the tail blackish brown.
Male. Female. feet. inches. feet. inches. Length from the nose to the extremity of the tall . . . . 7 Sa gt Pe Ole bne alle cnt Ss caer ge ee ae ey Paar eat ke ee Gus eck 9 - ee otancusrance cOcsu witout, pestis ete cemrne | 0 gL os LO Ape alieal SA ak Mone han Feces ala a evar a aS 4b... 34 - PEC ACT t anise: owe aia a ppm eee eas aie ee OBL ee 7
The Plate represents both sexes, necessarily greatly reduced.
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OSPHRANTER RUFUS.
Great Red Kangaroo.
Heap or A MALE, LIFE-SIZE.
I reGRET very much to say that the time may not be far distant when an opportunity of giving a full-sized drawing of the head of this noble animal, taken from life, will not be possible. The larger and more conspicuous productions of an island are often, as a natural consequence, the first that become extirpated; and this result takes place more speedily where no protection is afforded to them. Short-sighted indeed are the Anglo- Australians, or they would long ere this have made laws for the preservation of their highly singular, and in many instances noble, indigenous animals; and doubly short-sighted are they for wishing to introduce into Australia the productions of other climes, whose forms and nature are not adapted to that country. Let me then urge them to bestir themselves, ere it be too late, to establish laws for the preservation of the large Kangaroos, the Emeu, and other conspicuous indigenous animals: without some such protection, the remnant that 1s left will soon disappear, to be followed by unavailing regret for the apathy with which they had been previously regarded. I make no apology, therefore, for publishing a life-sized head of the Great Red Kangaroo of the plains, a detailed history of which will be found
accompanying the reduced figures.
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OSPHRANTER RUFUS.
Great Red Kangaroo.
Kangurus rufus, Desm. Mamm. Supp., p. 541.—Gray, in Griff. Anim. Kingd., vol. v. p. 202. laniger, Gaim. Bull. des Sci. par la Soc. Philom., année 1822, p. 138.—Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de lUranie, p. 65. pl. 9. Macropus lanigerus, Gray, in Griff. Anim. Kingd., vol. iii. p. 49. pl. opposite p. 48. laniger, G. Benn. Cat. of Australian Museum, Sydney, p. 6. no. 28.—Gould, Mon. of Macropodide. —Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 88. (Halmaturus) rufus, Waterh. Nat. Hist. Mamm., vol]. 1. p. 104.
Nor only is this species the most beautiful member of the family to which it belongs, but it may also be regarded as the finest of the indigenous Mammals of Australia yet discovered ; its large size, great elegance of form, and rich and conspicuous colouring all tending to warrant such an opmion. A splendid male, which in health and colour fully equals any examples I have personally observed in their native wilds, is now (1853) living in the Gardens of the Zoological Society in the Regent’s Park, and, although it has not yet attained the stature of a fully adult animal, forms an object of great attraction to the visitors, and particularly to those naturalists who take an interest in the singular Mammals of Australia. This fine example is the first that I have seen alive in Europe ; and it will be much to be regretted if a female cannot be procured, for in all probability the success which has attended the introduction of the Common Kangaroo and other members of the family would also wait upon the domestication of this noble animal, and ultimately lead to the perpetuation of its race in Europe; an object of the highest importance, since from the limited extent of its native habitat, daily encroached upon by civilized man, and the wanton manner in which it is unrelentingly killed, it is constantly becoming more and more scarce in the open plains and low grassy hills of its native land. The kind of country it frequents being of the utmost value to the pastoral portion of the Australian community, it is diligently sought for and occupied as soon as found, for depasturing their immense flocks and herds, in the stockmen and keepers of which, aided by their fleet, powerful, and well-trained dogs, the Red Kangaroo finds an enemy which at once drives it from all newly occupied districts, and which will ultimately lead to its entire extirpation, unless some law be enacted for its preservation; and to this point I would direct the attention of the present enlightened Governor and Assembly of New South Wales, who surely will not hesitate to make some provision for the protection of this noble animal, as well as for some other fine species of the family still inhabiting that Colony ; in fact, if this be not done, a few years will see them expunged from the Fauna of Australia.
The range of the Great Red Kangaroo, so far as it is yet known, extends over the plains of the interior of the Colonies of New South Wales, Port Philip, and South Australia; I have never seen a specimen from the country to the westward of the latter colony, or from the northward of the latitude of Moreton Bay ; the plains bordering the rivers Gwydyr, Namoi, Morumbidgee, Darling and Murray, and the grassy hills of South Australia, particularly those to the northward of Adelaide, are the districts over which it formerly ranged in abundance, and in which, notwithstanding the persecution to which it has been subjected, it may still be found, though in much smaller numbers. It does not so strictly affect the rich grassy plains as the Common Kangaroo (Macropus major), but evinces a greater partiality for the sides of the low stony hills and patches of hard ground clothed with box, intersecting those alluvial flats. In this part of its economy, as well as in the structure of its hinder feet, the greater length of its arms, the comparative nakedness of its muzzle, and in the much smaller size of the female compared with the females of the true Macropi, and in the difference in the colouring of the sexes, it is most-intimately allied to the Great Rock Walleroos, to which I have given the generic name of Osphranter, and hence I have been induced to associate it with the members of that genus, and to call it Osphranter rufus, which latter or specific name has the priority over that of deniger assigned to it by M. Gaimard, and under which it appears in my ‘“‘ Monograph of the Macro- podide.” It is to be regretted that the colouring of the fur of this fine animal cannot by any means be preserved after death if exposed to light; nothing can be more different than its colour on the living animal and that of the mounted specimens in the National Museum, which were procured by myself while in Australia; so great in fact is the difference, that they might readily be mistaken for two different animals. The beautiful pink hue of the throat and chest appears to be due to some peculiar exudation from the skin rather than to the colouring of the hair itself; for if those parts be rubbed with a white handkerchief, a pinky pollen-like substance will be found adhering to it: this tint is deeper at some seasons than at others, and is probably developed under some particular condition of the animal.
The female is still more gracefully and elegantly formed than the male, and has a very different style of
colouring, delicate blue being the prevailing tint in those parts which in the male are red, whence the colonial names for the two sexes of Red Buck and Blue Doe; the female has also been called the Flying Doe, from her extraordinary fleetness, which is in fact so great, that I have no hesitation in saying that on hard ground and under favourable circumstances she would outstrip the fastest dogs. Occasionally both sexes are run successfully, either from the chase being over soft inuddy soil, or from the female being encumbered with a large and heavy young one, which she has not been able to eject from the pouch, as she always will do if possible when hardly pressed ; the female specimen in the British Museum above alluded to was procured under these circumstances. Observing a pair sheltering from the heat of the sun under a small group of Myalls (Acacia pendula) on the plains near the Namoi, I succeeded in leading a fine dog to within seventy yards without being perceived ; the dog was so quickly at the heels of the female, which was carrying a large young one, that her escape was impossible: the male in the British Museum was also secured by a single dog, which, after a short chase, “ pulled” and kept him at bay until I came up and despatched him, after a fearful resistance. It weighed above two hundred pounds, and was killed while I was making a forced march between the River Murray and the City of Adelaide, at a time when our provisions were exhausted, and I can therefore speak with a lasting recollection of its flesh, which supported me and my party for four days.
The male has the head, all the upper surface and flanks rich orange-red ; a wash of grey on the outer side of the thigh ; sides of the muzzle as far as the angle of the mouth and the chin white ; intermingled with the white of the muzzle some interrupted rows of black hairs; ears white at the base, the remainder greyish brown, fringed with white; throat and chest delicate pink, deeper at some seasons than at others ; arms and legs tawny white; hands and toes blackish brown; under surface of the body and tail white, tinged with tawny.
The female is blue-grey where the male is red, but has a wash of red on the sides of the body and the haunches tinged with vinous; has a broad white mark. extending from the angle of the mouth under the eye, and the under surface of the body and the limbs pure white.
In the young animal the upper surface is nearly of a uniform blue-grey.
As a reduced figure can give but a faint idea of the size of this fine animal, I give the measurements of the male killed near the Namoi.
Total length from the nose to the end of the tail eight feet two inches ; of the tail three feet ; of the arm, hand and nails eighteen inches and a half; of the tarsi, toes and nail fourteen inches ; of the face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear eight inches; of the ear five inches and a half.
The drawing of the head, taken by Mr. Richter from the animal in the Gardens of the Zoological Society, is about two-thirds of the fully adult size.
, Gould.
US
OSPHRANTER ANTILOPIN
Hullrwandel & Woltorv, Imp.
JGodd andl CRichter, de. & lth,
OSPHRANTER ANTILOPINUS, Gouwid. Red Wallaroo.
Heap or a MALE, LIFE-SIZE, AND OF A FEMALE, REDUCED.
Tue Red Wallaroo, of the Cobourg Peninsula, a noble species, second only in colour and structure to the Osphranter rufus, must for ever form a conspicuous object among the indi- genous quadrupeds of Australia. Its bare muffile at once indicates it to be a less browzing animal than the Macropus major; while the structure of its feet and toes equally indicate that stony and rocky districts are the situations in which it is destined to dwell. Much disparity occurs in the size of the sexes, the female bemg very much smaller than the male ; the accompanying illustration, however, does not portray the head of the female so large as it really is; on the other hand, the head of the adult male is the size of life. Fierce, bold, and even dangerous is this powerful animal. Its native rocks afford it partial pro- tection; but it is one of the species which will soon be extirpated when Northern Australia becomes peopled by miners or stockholders.
The following Plate gives reduced figures of this fine species, and the accompanying letter-
press a detailed account of its history and economy.
hy a ea
OSPHRANTER ANTILOPINUS, Goud. Red Wallaroo. |
Osphranter Antilopinus, Gould in Proce. of Zool. Soc., Part ix. p. 80.—Ib. Mon. of Macrop., pl. .—Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 91.
Macropus (Halmaturus) Antilopinus, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 95.
Mar-ra-a-woke of the Aborigines of Port Essington.
From the period at which Australia was first visited by our enterprising navigators to the present time, our knowledge of its natural productions has been almost entirely confined to those of the narrow and limited tract of land bordering its eastern and southern shores ; and it may fairly be said, that the whole of the zoology of the vast range of country washed by the seas of Torres’ Straits is as much or more unknown than that of any similar extent of country in the world. In exemplification of what I have here asserted of our ignorance of the productions of that region, I may mention that the noble Kangaroo here figured is only one of many new and interesting animals I have lately received from these parts. It is very abundant on the Cobourg Peninsula, and I have no doubt that, when the country towards the interior is explored, it will there be found in great numbers.
Two very fine specimens, from which my figures and dimensions are taken, were collected by Mr. Gilbert while at Port Essington, and these in all probability are the only perfect specimens in Europe: the weight of the male was about one hundred and twenty pounds. Captain Chambers, however, late of H.M.S. Pelorus, has placed at my disposal, for the purpose of comparison, &c., several imperfect skins of this species, which clearly indicate that the animal frequently attains a much larger size; and that gentleman also assured me that he has himself seen examples weighing one hundred and seventy pounds; few species therefore exceed it in size, and certainly, with the exception of Macropus laniger, none in the richness of its colour and markings. Captain Chambers further informed me, that when hard pressed in the chase it becomes exceedingly fierce and bold, and while among the rocks a most dangerous animal to encounter, one of his finest dogs being tumbled over a precipice and killed by an old male: in this fierceness of disposition it exhibits a striking resemblance to the Black Wallaroo; they also closely assimilate in the diminutive size of their females.
Although fifteen years have elapsed since the above remarks were published in my monograph of the Kangaroos, no additional information or examples have been transmitted to this country. As I have given life-sized drawings of the heads of the other large Kangaroos, I have thought it necessary, for the sake of uniformity, to give a similar illustration of this noble species, of which specimens are to be seen in_the National Collection.
The male has the fur of the body rigid and adpressed ; general colour rusty red, becoming paler on the face and shoulders, and white or yellowish white on the throat, chest, abdomen and inside of the limbs ; hands and feet dark reddish brown, passing into black on the toes ; tip of the tail reddish brown.
The female has the fur less rigid and more loose than the male; general colour reddish sandy brown, passing into vinous grey on the shoulders, back of the neck and face; base of the ear externally dark brownish grey, passing into yellowish white towards the tips; immediately in front of the ear a conspicuous patch of yellowish buff; a light buff mark also extends from beneath the eye along the upper lip; throat, chest, abdomen and inside of the limbs pale yellowish white; hands and feet dark brown, becoming black towards the nails.
Male. Female. feet. inches. feet. inches. Length from the nose to the extremity of the tail Whe sae 3 5 6 Se a O IMU AIL Men ra ep tne rari, acy) ge oe ys ae ao BLP War vite, Deer a. O 23 %5 », tarsus and toes, including the nail . I 1 ll e »» arm and hand, including the nails So ones eel DR 11 = », face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear . . (i ie a 6 De ep IE 3c TG ca) oD as cc ain lic ea OS an ea At 3t
The first Plate represents the head of the male of the natural size; the second contains reduced figures of both sexes.
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IROBUSTUS , Could.
OSPHIRANTEFR
Hullmandel £ Walter, [rp
TGoutd and HC Richter, del. & lithr.
OSPHRANTER ROBUSTUS, Gouwid. | Black Wallaroo.
Heap or a MALE AnD or A FEMALE, LIFE-SIZE.
Ir there be any one of the Great Kangaroos the discovery of which afforded me more — pleasure than another during my sojourn in Australia, it is the Great Black Wallaroo of the mountain-districts of New South Wales. Surprising, indeed, it was that so large and conspicuous an animal had not been previously made known; and still more surprising is the fact that, from the period of my visit in 1838-389 to the present time, 1863, few if any skins of the animal have been sent to Europe. Still I can assure my readers that the existence of the Black Wallaroo is not a myth; for specimens of both sexes grace the collections at the British Museum and at Leyden. Like the O. antilopinus, the O. robustus becomes dangerous both to man and dogs when the rocky and sterile mountain elevations it frequents are traversed; for, like the Ibex of the mountain-ranges of the northern hemisphere, the old males will make a determined stand when assaulted and escape is impossible.
As is the case with the sexes of all the other members of this section of the Macropo- dide, the male and female of O. robustus differ considerably in size, the latter bemg much smaller and weaker than the former. |
As the districts inhabited by this fine species are fully described in the succeeding pages, it is unnecessary to mention them here. 3
A glance at the accompanying illustration, which represents a head of each sex of the
size of life, will furnish a just conception of the features of these animals.
Up age ae serie Rone
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OSPHRANTER ROBUSTUS, Goud. Black Wallaroo.
Macropus (Petrogale) robustus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part viii. p. 92.
Osphranter robustus, Gould, Mon. of Macrop., pl. .—Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 91. Macropus robustus, Waterh. in Jard. Nat. Lib. Marsupialia, p. 241.
Macropus (Halmaturus) robustus, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 100.
Black Wallaroo of the Colonists.
Sivce my return from Australia in 1840, I have in vain requested my numerous friends and correspondents to procure and transmit examples of this large and truly fine animal. I believe I was the first scientific man who visited the locality in which it dwells, as well as the first who made it known to science; and I may ask, is it not surprising that during the interval of fifteen years which has elapsed since the account of this species was published in my ‘“‘ Monograph of the Kangaroos,” no examples besides those I myself brought home should have been procured, and that no attempts to secure living examples of so conspicuous an animal should have been attempted? Indeed, were it not for my visit to its native haunts, it might have remained unknown to us even to the present time. This is the more to be wondered at, since the animal is found within the colony of New South Wales. Surely the exterminating hand of civilized man, so fatal to the animal productions of a new country, cannot have dealt out destruction so unsparingly as to have destroyed the entire race.
The following account of this species appeared in my Monograph of the group, and I regret that I have nothing to add to it.
The Black Wallaroo inhabits the summits of sterile and rocky mountains, seldom descending to the coverts of their sides, and never to their base ; few, therefore, have had an opportunity of observing it in a state of nature ; indeed there are thousands of persons in Australia who are not even aware of its existence. Although the south-eastern portion of the continent is, I believe, the only part of the country in which it has yet been observed, in all probability it has an extensive range northwards. It is tolerably abundant on the Liverpool Range, and I ascertained that it inhabited many of those hills that branch off on either side of this great mountain-chain, towards the interior as well as towards the coast. Its retreats are so well chosen among the crags and overhanging ledges of rocks, that it is nearly useless to attempt its capture with dogs. It is a formidable and even dangerous animal to approach, for if so closely pressed that it has no other chance of escape, it will rush at and force the invader over the edge of the rocks, as the Ibex is said to do under similar circumstances. Independently of its great muscular power, this animal is rendered still more formidable by the manner in which it makes use of its teeth, biting its antagonist with great severity.
The Black Wallaroo may be regarded as a gregarious animal, four, six, and even more being frequently seen in company. On one of the mountains near Turi, to the eastward of the Liverpool Plains, it was very numerous; and from the nature of this and the other localities in which I observed it, it must possess the power of existing for long periods without water, that element being rarely to be met with in such situations.
The summits of the hills to which this species resorts soon become intersected by numerous roads and well-trodden tracks, caused by its repeatedly traversing from one part to the other; its food consists of grasses and the shoots and leaves of the low scrubby trees which clothe the hills it frequents.
Although much shorter in stature, and consequently less elegant in form, the fully adult male of this species equals in weight the largest specimens of Aacropus major ; and so remarkable is the difference in the colour and size of the sexes, that, had I not seen them together in a state of nature, I should have considered them to be different species, the black and powerful male offering so great a contrast to the small and delicate female.
The male has the fur harsh and somewhat shaggy; general colour slate-grey, obscurely washed with brownish, and tinted with vinous on the outer sides of the thighs; feet dark brown, gradually passing into black on the fore part; upper part of the arm brownish; hands and wrists black ; inner surface of the ear white, the exterior brown ; muzzle and a patch on the chin blackish ; a line round the angle of the mouth
and the lower lip white; throat and fore part of the neck white, the hairs being grey at the base; under surface like the upper, but paler ; tail blackish brown above, paler beneath.
The female has the general colour silvery grey, obscurely tinted with purplish or vinous on the back ; under surface nearly white ; cheeks hoary, with a blackish patch on the chin; tail dirty white, slightly tinged with brown on the upper side; legs paler than the body; hands brown, becoming nearly black on the fingers ; toes brownish black above.
Male. Female. feet. inches. feet. inches. Ikeneth from themose to the extremityromthertall ge 2807, 0° 2 a0 co eh TORRE Hail nue ab Die, ieee, CR am ae PONE Bt » starsusvand toes,amcludmpethe mail Se ee ee al Ort Phere feri0: Bes 5» arm and hand, including the nails. ... . . . . VSS e os ee gi ie » face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear . 8 7 5 hist IKE CUIG leita aaeae ely landed eesti Sa cea eel MeL” adie Dla Se ae ee ee 3
The accompanying Plates represent the head of the male of the natural size, and whole but greatly reduced figures of both sexes.
ie
OSPHRANTER? PARRYI.
wd and HC Richter, del a bith Aullmandel & Walton, Imp.
Och
Jb
OSPHRANTER?P PARRYI. Parry’s Wallaroo.
LirE-sizEp Hrap anp Forr-ARMS OF BOTH SEXES.
Ir this be the least of the Wallaroos, it is one of the most elegant and chastely coloured species yet discovered. The rocky districts of the eastern portion of New South Wales are its true, and probably its restricted habitat; there it dwells among the precipitous rocks and sterile crowns of the mountains, feeding upon the vegetation peculiar to such situations. In most instances the Osphranters differ considerably in the colouring of the male and female, but in the O. Parryi this feature is less conspicuous than in its congeners. The more diminutive size of this species enables me to figure not only the head, but also a considerable portion of the fore quarters, of the size of life. On reference to the Plate, it will be seen that, as with the other members of the genus, there is much difference im the size of the sexes. Its muzzle, like that of O. rufus, is more hairy than that of O. robustus or O. antilopinus. .
Like some of the larger Kangaroos, this fine animal requires protection, otherwise it will be speedily extirpated; its extreme agility among the rocks, and the sterile nature of the districts it frequents, will, however, tend somewhat to its preservation.
For a history of the species the reader is referred to the succeeding page.
pei Riceah Ore Nth Se aa Ay
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Lid, UCHOY p PRUPMP YT « YY 22 TEP SYR DH LLP PROD?
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- OSPHRANTER? PARRYI. Parry’ss Wallaroo.
Macropus Parryi, Bennett in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part II. p. 151.—Ib. Trans. Zool. Soc., vol. i. p. 295. pl. 37.
Macropus (Halmaturus) Parry:, Waterh. Nat. Lib. Marsupialia, p. 206. pl. 18.—Ib. Nat. Hist. of Mamm, vol. i, p- 113.
Halmaturus Parryii, Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, Part I1.—Gray, List of Mamm. in Brit. Mus., p. 89.
Macropus elegans, Lambert, Trans. of Linn. Soc., vol. vii. p. 318. pl. 16 ?
Tur known range -of this fine species extends along the east coast from Port Stephens to Wide Bay, a newly opened district to the northward of Moreton Bay. Mr. Strange informs me that it inhabits the rocky ranges of the Clarence, occasionally descending into the more open broken country, where it frequents the ledges of rocks at an elevation of 2000 feet; it is also met with between the open grassy hills trending upward to the main range. So fleet is this animal, that it is only with the assistance of the finest dogs that there is any chance of procuring examples ; it surpasses in fact every other animal in speed, and when fairly on the swing no dog can catch it. Their general contour, short and stout hind limbs and short blunt nails are all in accordance with their habit of frequenting rocks. Like most other members of its race, it is easily tamed, readily becoming familiar and docile.
A living specimen, presented to the Zoological Society of London by Captain Sir Edward W. Parry, R.N., after whom the animal has been named, “ was obtained at Stroud, near Port Stephens, in the latitude of about 30° south. It was caught by the natives, having been thrown out of its mother’s pouch when the latter was hunted. At that time it was somewhat less than a rabbit, but was full-grown on its arrival in England. It was never kept in confinement until it was embarked for England, but lived in the kitchen, and ran about the house and grounds like a dog, going out every night after dark in the bush or forest to feed, and usually returning to its friend the man-cook, in whose bed it slept, about two o’clock in the morning. Besides what it might obtain in these excursions, it ate meat, bread, vegetables, in short everything given to it by the cook, with whom it was extremely tame, but would allow nobody else to take liberties with it. It expressed its anger when very closely approached by others, by a sort of half-grunting, half-hissing, very discordant sound, which appeared to come from the throat, without altering the expression of the coun- tenance. In the daytime it would occasionally, but not often, venture out to a considerable distance from home, in which it would sometimes be chased back by strange dogs, especially those belonging to the natives. From these, however, it had no difficulty in escaping, through its extreme swiftness ; and it was curious to see it bounding up a hill and over the garden fence, until it had placed itself under the protection of the dogs belonging to the house, especially two of the Newfoundland breed to which it was attached, and which never failed to afford it their assistance, by sallying forth in pursuit of its adversaries.”
But little doubt exists in my mind that Lambert’s characters of his Macropus elegans were taken from an animal of this species, although neither his figure nor his description is sufficiently correct to determine this point with certainty.
Fur moderately long and soft; general colour silvery grey, the lower part of the back tinged with purplish © brown; muzzle deep brown inclining to black, gradually becoming paler on the forehead until it passes into the grey of the upper surface; a broad pure white mark extends from near the tip of the muzzle along the cheeks, and terminates a little beyond the posterior angle of the eye; below this a faint grey line; ears nearly naked within, but having a few small white hairs on the apical portion; externally they are clothed with blackish brown fur at the base, with adpressed white hairs in the middle, and with black hairs at the tip; chin, throat, inner side of the limbs, under surface of the body and under side of the basal half of the tail white; the tips of the hairs on the chest faintly tinged with grey; arms hoary grey; hands black ; tarsi and two inner toes white; the other toes black at the extremity, and with a mixture of black and white hairs at the base; tail nearly white, with the exception of the tip, which, with a fringe of long hairs on the
under surface of the extremity, are black. Male. feet. inches. Length from the nose to the extremity ofthe tall . . . .. . . . 5 5 53 Oita Oe ie ie eae ee 7 A pptagsuciand (ose includinenthe mail 99 94 ur 10 ‘ awa and handyemcindine the mails 9 5... 2. 3 8 2 », face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear. . 51 _ 2 Cle ee eee rie eee er Se rn ery OR 35
The head and fore-arm represented in the accompanying Plate are of the natural size, while the entire figures in the other are much reduced.
Pa | ad ero $253 144-6)
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ATT U IR OS
Tbotld ond HC Reckter del et leith
RU FIC
OUMUIS .
Lidl tarde d Nation Lp
HALMATURUS RUFICOLLIS. Rufous-necked Wallaby.
Heap anp ARMS OF BOTH SEXES, OF THE SIZE OF LIFE.
AN opinion exists among zoologists that the Halmaturus Bennett, which is exclusively confined to Tasmania, and the H. ruficollis of the opposite portion of the Australian con- tinent, are one and the same species, and that the difference in the colourmg of the two animals is merely the effect of climate; the full-sized heads, then, which are given as accessories to the reduced figures on the succeeding Plate will be of value as illustrative of the difference in question. Certain it is, that all the specimens from the continent (the H. ruficolis of this work and of previous authors) are much redder in colour, and have the white of the cheeks extending further on the breast, than the H. Bennetti procured in Tasmania. As these differences are carefully detailed on the succeeding page, it will not be necessary to enter into them here.
The accompanying Illustration represents the head and forearms of both sexes, as near
the size of life as possible.
a ' Huy URI Ni JOOUIPLYI IL UPY 18 72Y) AILYPLEL J | PUM POU SL?
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~~
HALMATURUS RUFICOLLIS. Rufous-necked Wallaby.
Kangurus ruficollis, Desm. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xvii. p. 37.—Ib. Ency. Méth. Mammalogie, p. 274.
Kangaroo a cou roux, F. Cuv. Dict. des Sci. Nat., tom. xxiv. p. 348.
Macropus ruficollis, Less. Man. de Mamm. p. 228.—Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, pl. .—Waterh. in J ard. Nat. Lib., Marsupialia, p. 216.
Kangurus ruficolis, Peron.
Macropus rufo-griseus, Waterh. in Jard. Nat. Lib., Marsupialia, p. 217.
Kangurus rufo-griseus, Desm. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. xvii. p. 36.
Halmaturus griseo-rufus, Goldf. in Oken’s Isis, 1819, p. 267
Macropus (Halmaturus) ruficollis, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. 1. p. 125.
Warroon, of the Aborigines of the Illawarra district.
Tue low table-lands of New South Wales, particularly those on which the Daveysia scrub abounds, are the favourite localities of this species of Halmaturus. 1 found it especially abundant on the fine estate of Charles Throsby, Esq., at Bongbong, immediately behind Illawarra, and ascertained that it ranges westward from thence nearly to Port Philip and eastward to Moreton Bay; it is also said to inhabit the larger islands in Bass’s Straits. Since writing the account of this species given in my Monograph of the Kangaroos, referred to above, numerous New South Wales specimens have been sent to me by my collectors, and many living examples have been forwarded to this country, one of which is now (1854) living in the Menagerie of the Zoological Society in the Regent’s Park. A careful examination of all these examples tends to strengthen the supposition that the present animal and the Halmaturus Bennetti of Van Diemen’s Land are quite distinct ; at the same time I cannot but admit that I am still in doubt as to whether this is the case, or if the differences they exhibit are due to local causes; under these circumstances, I have thought it best to figure both animals under the names by which they are respectively known, and leave the determination of these points to future research.
The specimens contained in the great collections of the Continent, particularly those of Paris and Leyden, are from the mainland, and not from Van Diemen’s Land, and have the names of ruficolis and rufo-griseus attached to them,—appellations which are not applicable to the Tasmanian specimens. I have observed that the mainland animals not only differ in colour, but are larger than those from the islands.
As is the case with most of the other species of the family, the male of the present animal much exceeds the female both in the size of the body and in the strength of the fore-arm.
Fur moderate as to length and softness of texture; general colour rusty brown pencilled with white, brownish grey at the base succeeded by rusty, broadly annulated with white near the extremity and black at the point; neck, shoulders and arms bright rust-red, pencilled with white; muzzle brownish black; on the upper lip a tolerably distinct white mark, running backward and terminating beneath the eye; apical half of the external surface of the ear blackish, internal surface of the ear white, narrowly margined at the tip with black; on the chin a patch of brownish black; throat whitish; under surface greyish white, the hairs being grey at the base and white at the extremity; hand black; tarsi clothed with hairs, which are brownish black at the base and white at the tip; toes covered with black hairs; tail hoary grey, with a pencil of black hairs at the tip.
The accompanying Plates represent the head of each sex of the natural size, and reduced figures of the entire animals.
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Melinda & Walton, Imp.
HALMATURUS BENNETTI. Bennett's Wallaby.
HEAD AND ForEeARM, OF THE SIZE OF LIFE.
TurEE species of the larger Kangaroos are indigenous to the Island of Tasmania, or Van Diemen’s Land, viz. Macropus major, Halmaturus Bennetti, and H. Billardiert. Of these the H. Bennetti is intermediate in size, and is the most important, since its flesh is a staple commodity as an article of food, and its skin affords no inconsiderable profit to the settlers, vast numbers of skins being annually sold.
The life-sized portrait of the upper portion of this animal will convey a just conception of its physiognomy, while the reduced figures, which are drawn to scale, will show how disproportionate in size are its hind quarters: it is these latter parts of the animal which are eaten by all classes, from the Governor of the colony to the stockmen. The relative weights and admeasurements of the two sexes are given on the succeeding page, to which
I must therefore refer my readers for further particulars respecting the species.
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HALMATURUS BENNETTL Bennett's Wallaby.
Macropus Bennettii, Waterh. in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part v. p. 103.—Ib. in Jard. Nat. Lib. Marsupialia, p. 211.
ple 19; (Halmaturus) fruticus, Ogilby, Ann. of Nat. Hist. 1838, vol. i. p. 219.
Halmaturus Ualabatus, Gray, Mag. of Nat. Hist. new ser. 1837, vol. i. p. 583. Bennettii, Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, pl. .—Wagn. in Schreb. Saug. Suppl. 111, 112. Heft, p. 115.—Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 89.
Macropus ruficollis, var. Bennettii, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 130.—Gunn in Proc. Roy. Soc. of Van Diem. Land, vol. ii. p. 88.
Halmaturus leptonyx, Wagn.
Brush Kangaroo, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
Tue native habitat of the animal here represented is Van Diemen’s Land and the larger islands in Bass’s Straits. It would be useless to attempt an enumeration of the localities in which it may be found, since its dispersion may be said to be general over the islands named, from the snowy summits of Mount Wellington and the hills of lesser elevation to the forests in the lowest valleys; it evinces, however, a decided preference to situations of a humid character, being seldom, if ever, seen on the hot and sandy plains: the localities it affects afford it a retreat, so secure as to preclude all chance of its extermiation, although many thousands are killed annually for the sake of its flesh, which is very generally eaten and highly esteemed, being delicate, juicy and well-flavoured; its skin also forms a considerable article of commerce, being largely exported from Van Diemen’s Land into England for the manufacture of the upper parts of boots and shoes, for which it is admirably adapted, besides being extensively used for the same purpose in the colony. I have read advertisements in the Hobart Town newspapers, stating that three thousand skins were immediately wanted, and which were quickly supplied by the settlers, servants and shepherds at the out-stations: the skins are generally taken off on the spot where the animal is killed, and afterwards stretched on the ground to dry; they are then sold for about fourpence or sixpence each to persons who visit the stock stations of the interior for the purpose of collecting them, and who retail them again in Hobart Town or Launceston to the advertiser or others for colonial consumption or for exportation.
The Bennett’s Wallaby is gregarious in its habits, and although truly a brush animal, does not confine itself so strictly to localities of that description as the smaller members of the genus, but frequently resorts to the thinly-timbered forests and the crowns of the low grassy hills, always, however, seeking security in the thick brush when pursued, or such steep rocky acclivities as present almost insurmountable obstacles to the pursuit with dogs. It is one of the most hardy members of its family, and would doubtless readily become acclimatized in this country, since the temperature of Van Diemen’s Land more nearly resembles that of the British Islands than does any other part of Australia, in proof of which I may mention that numbers have been bred in the Menagerie of the Zoological Society, in that of the late Earl of Derby, and others.
‘In a large piece of enclosed ground in his Lordship’s park,” says Mr. Waterhouse, “I had the pleasure of seeing many individuals of the Brush Kangaroo in a state of comparative freedom, and where they appeared to thrive well. When I entered the paddock in which they were kept, being all concealed beneath some heath, I was not aware of their presence until, on approaching their place of shelter, they suddenly elevated the fore part of their bodies and then darted off to a distant spot with great swiftness. When at rest they frequently assume a singular position; the fore feet are applied to the ground, and they at the same time sit upon their haunches, having the hind legs stretched forwards, and perfectly straight, as well as the tail, which lies between them. The young animal does not finally quit the pouch of the mother until some time after it has attained the size of a full-grown rabbit; at which time it does not differ in colouring from the parent.”
The full-grown male varies in weight from forty to sixty pounds: the haunch and loins are the only parts
that are eaten, and these are constantly exposed for sale in Hobart ‘Town, Launceston, and other parts of the country. The female closely resembles the male in colour, but is about one-third less in size.
Mr. Waterhouse, who gave the specific appellation of Bennetti to this animal, in honour of a late talented Secretary of the Zoological Society, is now inclined to consider it to be merely a local variety of the Halnaturus ruficolis of New South Wales, an animal which does not accord with it in colour, and which is of a somewhat larger size; it will be seen that I have treated them as distinct: in either case it becomes necessary, in order duly to illustrate the subject, to figure both.
Fur rather long and moderately soft ; general tint a very deep grey, inclining to black on the back ; somewhat paler on the sides of the body, with a rust-like tint on the back of the neck, base of ears, the haunches, shoulders, and in the region of the eye; under surface of the body and the inner side and fore part of the hinder legs greyish-white ; muzzle black ; crown of the head brownish-black ; an obscure whitish line extends backwards from the corners of the mouth, and becomes obliterated on the cheeks ; lips dirty- white; chin blackish ; ears white internally, black externally ; hands, toes, and outer side of the heel black ; hairs of the tail (excepting at the base, where they are of the same colours and character as those of the body) black, broadly annulated with white near the apex ; tip of the tail black, under side of the tail white ; the hairs on the upper part of the body are of a deep slate-colour at the base, the remaining portion of each hair is black, annulated with white, or more generally with pale rust-colour; on the under parts of the body the hairs are of a deep slate-colour, with the apical portion white.
The figure of the head is of the natural size; that of the entire animal is much reduced.
Cay
HALMATURUS GREYI,
Ppichter, del. et, bith.
Hullmandel & Walton. Imp.
LAE:
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FO
SG
HALMATURUS GREYIJ, Gray. Grey’s Wallaby.
Upper Haur or A Mate anp Heap or a FEMALE, OF LIFE-SIZE.
THe name of Sir George Grey must always be conspicuous in the annals of Australian history, whether we regard this enlightened and valuable public servant as an explorer or a ruler; and, for my own part, I am much gratified that so fine a species as the present should have been named in honour of the present Governor of New Zealand.
The Halmaturus Greyi, if not so beautiful as the H. manicatus, is very little inferior in this respect to that species. It will be seen that, while the forearm is as short as in that animal, the black colouring of the fore feet is not so sharply defined, and that on the tips of the ears this colour is wholly or nearly absent. South Australia is the native habitat of this fine animal; it therefore inhabits that part of the country lying between the eastern and western parts of the continent. Those who are not well versed in the Mammals of Australia may perhaps consider the variation in the shades of colour above mentioned insufficient to constitute a species; but I can assure them that such is not the case. The H. Grey is further distinguished from both the H. rujficollis and H. mancatus by having a more-lengthened-hairy or shaggy coat, by its nearly white tail, and
generally lighter colouring.
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HALMATURUS GREYI, Gray. Grey’s Wallaby.
Halmaturus Greyti, Gray, List of Mamm. in Brit. Mus., p. 90. Macropus (Halmaturus) Greyi, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 122.
Tus fine Wallaby was first sent to this country from South Australia by His Excellency Sir George Grey, after whom it was named. It is a species quite distinct from every other, but is perhaps most nearly allied to the Halmaturus manicatus, an animal inhabiting the country farther to the westward. Its powerful and finely proportioned hinder extremities, contrasted as they are with its slender and diminutive fore-arms, are indicative of a structure adapted for rapid movements, and, in strict accordance with this view, we find that it is one of the most fleet and agile members of its race. Its favourite places of resort are flats near the sea-shore, particularly low sand-hills and open grounds, where the surface is bare and unbroken, to which is doubtless to be attributed the circumstance of its claws being more attenuated and spine-like than those of any other species. In size the H. Grey rather exceeds the HZ. manicatus, but it is less than HI. ruficollis and H. Bennetti.
Mr. Strange informs me that he met with this animal ‘“‘ between Lake Albert and the Glenelg. The kind of country in which it is found consists of large open plains intersected by extensive salt lagoons and bordered by pine ridges. On fine sunny days it is to be found in the salt-water scrub around the lagoons and amid the long grass of the plains. I never saw anything so swift of foot as is this species: it does not appear to hurry itself until the dogs have got pretty close, when it bounds away like an antelope, with first a short jump and then a long one, leaving the dogs far behind it. In wet weather it confines itself to the sand-hills. I have had twenty runs in a day with four swift dogs and not succeeded in getting one.”
The description of this animal by Mr. Waterhouse from Sir George Grey’s specimens so closely accords with my own, that I cannot do better than give it in his own words :—
‘General colour pale ashy brown, slightly tinted with yellowish; the pale tint of the upper parts of the body is produced by the mixture of white with pale rust-colour and black, the visible portion of each hair exhibiting these colours; on the under parts of the body the hairs are of a pale buff-yellow colour externally, and pale grey at the root; the head is grey above, obscurely tinted with rufous, and this latter tint is also observable on the back of the ears, as well as on the neck; immediately behind the naked tip, the muzzle is dusky black above, but the black hue is almost immediately blended into the general grey tint; on the sides of the muzzle are three longitudinal bands, of which the middle one, representing the ordinary pale cheek-mark, is pale yellow; the upper one almost black, but slightly pen- cilled with whitish, and the lower one is somewhat suffused with brownish ; ears well clothed internally with rich yellow hairs, but they are rather narrowly margined with black at the apex; externally, the black extends downwards from the point for about half an inch; behind the eye is a yellowish spot; the chin and throat are tinted with fulvous, and there is a greyish spot on the former; the chest is greyish ; below the chest the fur has a pale rusty grey hue; the arms are grey-white at the base, and of a very pale fulvous colour, or fulvous white beyond, and the hands are of the same colour, but the fingers are black, and the black extends slightly beyond the base of the fingers; the hind legs and feet are coloured in the same manner ; the thighs are somewhat greyish externally at the base, and the toes are black, with the exception of the long hairs which cover the nails, which are brownish ; tail well clothed with hairs of a very pale grey colour, washed as it were with yellow on the upper parts and brown-white beneath ; a considerable space at the apex covered with long dirty yellowish hairs.”
feet. inches.
Meuspin trom the mose to the root of the tails) ao. 35 2 8 Ore Ole Ulett rat ae ee ek De cena ie a nee es OR cB »» 5, tarsus and toes, including the nail gi ie »» arm and hand, including the nails : 61 os » face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear 52
ee
f 5s Cale
The head and fore-arm represented in the accompanying Plate are of the natural size, while the entire figures in the other are much reduced.
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HMALMATURUS MANICATU
:
J Could and HC Richicr, del et bith.
HALMATURUS MANICATUS, Gowa. Black-gloved Wallaby.
Heap, Neck, aNnp ForEARM OF BOTH SEXES, OF THE SIZE OF LIFE.
Every naturalist who has diligently worked out a monograph of any group of animals © must have observed that while some conspicuous feature, either of colouring or marking, pervades all the species, it is much more strongly developed in some of them than in others; in one, perhaps, it is only faintly indicated, while in another it is bold and decided. Now, there is a tendency in all the Wallabys to a blackish brown or black colouring on the hands or the tips of the ears: in some this colouring occurs on both; in others it is confined to the hands alone. The present animal, which is a native of Western Australia, may be cited as the species in which this character is carried to its maximum ; for if its fore feet and the tips of its ears had been carefully dipped in ink, they could not be of a blacker hue, nor could this colourmg terminate more abruptly. That there is no special end or purpose for the fantastic markings of the Kangaroos and many other animals, beyond mere ornament, I think there cannot be a doubt. Nature revels in variety, as may be seen in the stripimgs of the various species of Zebra, the fantastic markings of the Antelopes, the banding of the Perameles, and a thousand other creatures. I make no apology for giving full-sized heads of this very pretty species, the
peculiarity of whose markings is not so apparent in the reduced. figures.
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Fei pet
HALMATURUS MANICATUS, Gowda. Black-gloved Wallaby.
Macropus (Halmaturus) manicatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 127. Halmaturus manicatus, Ib. Mon. of Macropodide.
Macropus (Halmaturus) Irma, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 117 *. Goorh-a, Aborigines of Perth, and
Quar-ra, Aborigines of the interior of Western Australia.
Brush and Blue Kangaroo of the Colonists of Western Australia.
Iv must, I think, be admitted, that generally a degree of elegance and beauty reigns among the indigenous animals of Australia, and the present species may be cited as an instance in point; the size, form and colouring of this Kangaroo presenting a combination of elegance and beauty; while its jet-black hands and feet render it so conspicuous, that there is no other species with which it can be confounded, except its near ally the Halmaturus Greyi, from which, however, it may at a glance be distinguished by its darker- coloured face and nape. To what extent this pretty animal ranges over Western Australia has not been ascertained, but we know that it is very generally diffused over every part of the colony of Swan River, wherever sterile and scrubby districts interspersed with belts of dwarf Eucalypii exist ; from these retreats it occasionally advances to more open grounds, to feed upon the grasses which there occur in greater abundance than in the glades of the forest. -
Mr. Gilbert informs us that it may be ranked among the fleetest of its race; that it requires dogs of the highest breed to capture it, and that a full-grown male weighs nearly twenty pounds. The flesh forms an excellent viand for the table, and the skins manufactured into rugs are extensively used by those whose avocations and mode of life lead them to spend much of their time in the bush.
The sexes are alike in colour and similarly marked about the hands and feet, but the female is always much smaller than the male.
General colour of the upper surface of the body deep grey, produced by the admixture of black and white, the hairs being black at the tip, and annulated with white near the tip; sides and under surface of the body paler grey, tinted with buff-yellow; this yellow tint is almost pure on the abdomen between the hind legs, on the feet and inner side of the ears: the upper surface of the head and muzzle are of a soot-like colour, and the occiput and back of the ears, as well as the apical portion in front, are pure black; a yellowish white line is observable on each side of the muzzle, commencing at the tip, and running backwards beneath the eye; the fore half-of the hands and feet are pure black, appearing as if they had been dipped in ink or some other black liquid, the black not blending, as usual, with the pale colour of the hind part of the feet, but terminating in an abrupt line; the greater portion of the tail (which is well clothed with harsh hairs) is of the same black colour ; at the base, however, it is coloured as the body; and on the upper surface, for a considerable distance from the base, the black hairs are more or less annulated with whitish, producing a grizzled appearance: on the chin is a small black patch.
Female. feet. inches. length) fromthe nese! tothe extuemityy onthe tall.) 4 2. ab 0 ae Ob. Celbele sagen sees ath Yaka ; BP ay? aoa ae rages Na 3 > 95 tarsus and toes, heane ap wall Ke Nh gta Cape pat axa ats 88 »» 9, arm and hand, including the nails eat Rarer aes 5- »» 5, face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear 524 bye Amen MOLE ei marry ia: len nan Tinie ca MCO Retr tony ae ane Si nn Ia roe 3
In one of the accompanying Plates the head and fore-arm are represented of the natural size; while the reduced figures represent the entire animal.
* Mr. Waterhouse considers that the Macropus Irma of M. Jourdan may be synonymous with this species, but this is by no means certain ; for upon purposely visiting Lyons to clear up this point, I did not find the animal in the collection of that city, and M. Jourdan informed me that his description was taken from a specimen in the Museum at Paris, where also I could not find it.
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VALABATDUS.
HALMATURUS
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HALMATURUS UALABATUS. Black Wallaby.
Heap anp Fore QUARTERS, OF THE NATURAL SIZE.
Tuis huge Wallaby is an inhabitant of morasses, mangrove-swamps, and humid woods; and, so far as I am aware, New South Wales is the only part of Australia it frequents. Its characteristics are its black and rich rusty-red colouring, its shaggy thick coat, short. ears, and long swinging tail. It stands quite alone among the great family of Kangaroos, there being no other species with which it can be confounded. The weight of an old male is about sixty pounds, while that of the female is considerably less. Its flesh is eaten both by the natives and settlers, but, so far as I recollect, is not so palatable as that of H. ruficollis or H. Bennettz.
Very correct reduced figures will be found on the next Plate, and a full description on
the opposite page.
oye 2s pop insite secretes
HALMATURUS UALABATUS. Black Wallaby.
Kangurus Ualabatus, Less. et Garn. Zool. de la Coquille, tom. i. p. 161. pl. 7. Macropus Ualabatus, Less. Man. de Mamm., p. 227.—Waterh. in Jard. Nat. Lib. Marsupialia, p. 219. Kangurus Brunu, Desm. Ency. Méth. Mamm., p. 275. Halmaturus Lessonu, Gray, Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. i. new ser. p. 583. nemoralis, Wagn. in Schreb. Saug. Suppl., part 111-112. p. 114 (Waterhouse). Macropus (Halmaturus) Ualabatus, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 136.
Tuis well-marked species inhabits, with but few exceptions, all the thick brushes of New South Wales, especially such as are wet or humid. I hunted it successfully at Mlawarra, on the small islands at the mouth of the Hunter, and on the Liverpool ranges. In the former localities it was frequently found in the wettest places, either among the high grass and other dense vegetation, or among the thick mangroves, whose roots are washed by each succeeding tide. The islands at the mouth of the Hunter, particularly Mosquito and Ash Islands, are not unfrequently flooded to a great extent, yet it leaps through the shallow parts with apparent enjoyment, and even crosses the river from one island to the other. On the Liverpool range it as strictly keeps to such parts as are most humid—often near the crowns of mountains, which are frequently enveloped in fogs and dews. Over what extent of country this species will be found to range, it is im- possible to say; as yet, I have only observed it in the localities above mentioned ; the dense brushes of the Clarence, Manning, and, in fact, all the brushes from Western Port to Moreton Bay, are probably in- habited by it.
Independently of its dark colouring, lengthened tail, and stiff wiry hair, it may be readily distinguished from every other species by the jet-black spot immediately beneath the insertion of the arm. When full- grown, this animal is about the size of H. Bennetiu and H. ruficolis.
Fur long, harsh to the touch; general colour blackish-brown, pencilled with a lighter hue; under surface yellowish in some specimens, in others deep sandy- or rusty-red; ears clothed with dirty-white hairs internally ; a rusty patch surrounds their base, and is extended on the neck; cheeks pale brown, mingled with dirty-white ; upper part of the muzzle and round the eye blackish; lips and chin whitish; wrists and hand black ; immediately beneath the insertion of the fore-arm a jet-black patch; tarsi black; basal third of the tail like the body, the remainder black. )
Male. feet. inches.
Length from the tip of the nose to the extremity of the tail . . . 4 4 BATON Cal V0 | Senne en ang y gee Set 0a ba SR onc caer CaN lt ota cate | ey” |
» », tarsus and toes, including the nail . 84
»» 9, arm and hand, including the nails es 62
» 9 face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear. 44
35 cals 24+
The first Plate represents the head of the animal the size of life; the second, entire figures necessarily much reduced.
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HALMATURUS AGILIS, Gouia. Agile Wallaby.
_ Heap anv Fore Parr or tue Bopy, OF THE NATURAL SIZE.
Ir will be seen that Mr. Richter has indulged in a little variation as regards the opposite illustration; the animal, however, is faithfully portrayed, both as regards its form and colourmg and the texture of the short adpressed hair which covers its body. All these points are seen to much greater advantage than in the Jerboa-like reduced figures on the next Plate: it is, indeed, impossible to do justice to the appearance of these animals in such small representations of them.
It will be seen that the full-sized head and fore quarters are more darkly coloured than the reduced figures ; but as such differences really exist in the various specimens, no apology is necessary for the seeming discrepancy. The time, we may suppose, is not far distant when the northern part of the great southern continent will be peopled by our enter- prising settlers. That country contains the bones of my worthy assistant Gilbert, who fell a sacrifice to the treachery of the natives, while arduously prosecuting his researches for the advancement of science and the furtherance of the present work. It is. well known that he was in company with the celebrated explorer Dr. Leichardt, who, in like manner, found a resting-place in that terra meognita ; but it is still unknown in what precise locality his fate was sealed. This country of the Kangaroos is second to none in the sacrifice of valuable lives in the various attempts which have been made to unfold
the hidden. recesses of its treasures.
PPMOG *
HALMATURUS AGILIS, Goud. Agile Wallaby.
Halmaturus agilis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part ix. p. $1.—Ib. Monograph of the Macropodide, pl. — Hamb. et Jacq. Voy. au Pole Sud, pl. 19.—Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, pl. Biwnoe, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part x. p. 58.
Macropus (Halmaturus) agilis, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 108.
Tuts species of Wallaby may be readily distinguished from every other by its short, wiry, adpressed hair, and the almost uniform sandy-brown colour of the body; the male is also remarkable for having very powerful incisors, and for having the outer toe much developed, whence results a deep cleft between it and the middle one; the head is also longer and more pointed than in any other species which I have seen.
The Agile Wallaby appears to be abundant on all the low swampy lands of the northern coast of Australia. I have seen many specimens from the Cobourg Peninsula; and it is common both near the settlement of Port Essington and at Raffles’ Bay. I have also had others placed at my disposal for the purpose of describing by Mr. Bynoe of H.M.S. the Beagle, which were collected on the shores of Torres Straits. It is stated to be a most agile species, readily eluding the dogs employed in hunting it by its extreme activity in leaping among the high grass; when chased it frequently seeks shelter in the thick beds of mangroves, passing over the muddy flats in such a manner as almost to baffle pursuit.
In size, when full-grown, the male is nearly equal to H. Uadlabatus.
In some notes by Mr. John M‘Gillivray on the animals observed by him at Port Essington, it is stated that a young one, very large in proportion to the size of the mother, was taken from the pouch of a female shot by him at Barrow’s Bay, and that it did not differ in its colouring in any respect. He adds that the species is very common at Port Essington, where it frequents the tall grass of the low grounds, especially where the Pandanus-tree abounds, under the shelter of which it generally forms its lair. It is extremely active in its movements, and when pursued by dogs makes for the nearest jungle or mangrove thicket.
I now believe the Halmaturus Binoé, described by me as a distinct species in the 10th Part of the “Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London,” to be merely the young of this animal, and I have consequently placed that name among its synonyms.
Fur rather short, adpressed, and harsh to the touch; general colour sandy-yellow; the upper surface of the head and body freely pencilled with blackish, the hairs being of this colour at the point ; chin, throat and chest dull white; abdomen yellow, the hairs terminated with white; limbs pale sandy-yellow externally and white on their inner side, the arms externally pencilled with blackish ; tarsi nearly white, passing into rusty on the toes; lips whitish, and a whitish mark from the lip to beneath the eye, parallel with which is another of a dusky hue; ears white within, externally sandy-yellow at the base and broadly margined with black at the apex, and with a narrow black line along the inner edge; on each side of the rump an oblique whitish line; tail sparingly clothed with nearly white hairs, except at the base, which is like the body; the
tip of the tail black. Male.
feet. inches. Weneth- frome the noseto: theibase or thestalle 143 4 8 eo 3 See Ontario aie eae SA itn Nnwaiaiene PY, Auer, Sees rae ie try Del TG a See tarcnciandatoes, imclianment herman sues eyo toe. 10 prs ams ondehnanG,mcludimothesmalls fa flan we ss 9 » 9) face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear. . . 6
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The first of the accompanying Plates represents the head of a dead animal of the natural size; the second, reduced figures of both sexes.
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HALMATURUS DORSALIS, Gray. Black-striped Wallaby.
Heap Aanp Fore Parts, OF THE SIZE OF LIFE.
Tuts is one of the largest species of that section of the Halmaturi which comprises the H. Thetidis, H. Parma, and their immediate allies,—the old males frequently measuring from four to five feet from the nose to the end of the tail. As far as I am aware, it is con- fined to the interior of New South Wales; certain it is that I have not seen examples from the sea side of the ranges. Its distinguishing features are the red colouring of its fore quarters, its large ears, long tail, and a distinct stripe of black down the nape and back. Like many other kinds of Kangaroo, the male of this species appears to increase in bulk for several years; and hence, in a scrub frequented by this animal, males of various sizes may be found. The accompanying illustration of the head and forearm was taken from the largest male I have seen. The reduced figures will give an accurate idea of
the body-colours, and the annexed letter-press all that is known respecting the species.
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HALMATURUS DORSALIS, Gray. Black-striped Wallaby.
Halmaturus dorsalis, Gray in Mag. of Nat. Hist., vol. i. new series, p. 583.—Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, pl. Macropus (Halmaturus) dorsalis, Waterh. in J ard. Nat. Lib. Marsupialia, p. 230.—Ib. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 152.
Tuts fine Wallaby, which is distinguished from all other species by the greater length of its tail, and by the black mark which commences at the occiput and runs down the centre of the back, is an inhabitant of the interior, and is particularly abundant in all the scrubs clothing the sides of the hills that run parallel to the rivers Mokai and Namoi; and, although I cannot positively assert that such is the case, I have reason to believe that it inhabits all similar situations between the above-mentioned localities and the great Murray scrub in South Australia. I have never heard of its having been seen between the ranges and the coast, a circumstance that may be attributed to the brush being of a totally different character, and the vegetation more dense and humid than on the dry stony hills of the interior. Like the other members of the genus, it is strictly gregarious, and is so numerous, that I found no difficulty in procuring as many specimens as I pleased ; it was, however, more often shot as an article of food than for any other purpose. Its flesh is excellent, and when the vast continent of Australia becomes more thickly inhabited, it will doubtless be justly esteemed. The natives often resort to the haunts of this species, and commit great havoc among them, both for the sake of their flesh as food, and for their skins as articles of clothing. They have various modes of capturing them, sometimes making use of large nets ; at other times they are driven by dogs from side to side of the brush, which affords the hunters abundant opportunities of spearing or killing them with the waddy as they pass the open spots.
It is especially abundant at Brezi, to the northward of the Liverpool Plains, and I also found it extremely numerous in the Brigaloe brush on the Lower Namoi.
The female is distinguished by her smaller size, but in the markings of the two sexes no difference exists.
The full-grown males of this species weigh from twenty to twenty-five pounds.
Fur rather harsh to the touch; general colour brown, with a rusty tinge, produced by each hair being of a rusty-brown in the middle; upper surface and sides of the body freely pencilled with black and white; on the back of the neck, shoulders and outer side of the arms a bright rusty-red hue prevails, and the same hue is observable on the hinder part of the back, outer side of the hind legs (especially near the knee) and sides of the body, but is much paler; chin, throat, and all the under parts of the body white; tail clothed with very short, adpressed, grisly hairs, becoming longer and of a dirty-white on the under side of the apical half; upper surface of the muzzle dusky, with a white line on each side; ears black on the outside, and white internally; a black mark commences near the occiput and proceeds backwards; towards the tail it is broadest, most distinct on the middle of the back, and becomes obliterated as it approaches the tail; on the haunch a transverse white mark; hands and feet black.
Male. Female. feet. inches. feet. inches. Length from the nose to the extremity ofthe tail . . . . .. 4 Zi 3-10 peer OMM CONG eta Pea O Ss Pacepeisatl Vapi se Mie yaaa | P39 » 9, tarsus and toes, including the nail . 8 72 7 pvoumeancenand, including the nailses | 7) at 83 61 » 9, face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear 5 : 41 ” »» €aL 3 22
The figures in one of the Plates represent the entire animals, necessarily much reduced, and a head the size of life.
SCould ond HC Richiter del é hth.
ALALMATUOIRU SS IPAIKMLA., Could.
Hullnandd, & Walton, lop.
HALMATURUS PARMA, Gow. Parma Wallaby.
Halmaturus Parma, Gould in Gray’s List of Mamm. in Brit. Mus., p. 91. Macropus (Halmaturus) Parma, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 149.
Tue Halnaturus Parma is so very distinct from all the other small Halmaturt inhabiting New South Wales, that the aborigines who hunt these animals recognize it immediately by the native term I have selected as a specific appellation ; this remark applies more particularly to the natives of Illawarra, in which district I myself saw it in a state of nature. In these extensive brushes it doubtless still exists, as since my return other specimens have been sent to me from thence by the late Mr. Strange. How far its range may extend westwardly towards Port Philip, or eastwardly in the direction of Moreton Bay, I am unable to state.
The following note, by Mr. Waterhouse, may be quoted as confirmatory of my view of the specific value of this animal, the original description of which I intended to publish in the ‘‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London,” but by some inadvertence omitted so to do :—
“The Parma Wallaby, I think, merits the distinction of a species. It is intermediate between the HZ. dorsalis and the H. Derbianus, and may be distinguished from either by its deep reddish-brown colour, and the distinct large white patch on the throat and chest; the hairs forming this patch are white to the root, in H. Derbianus they are distinctly grey next the skin, and in H. dorsalis they are very slightly tinted with grey at the root in the same parts; and this circumstance, combined with the general form and superior size of H. Parma, caused me at first sight to think it might be a variety of the latter animal; I soon perceived, however, that it differed much from H. dorsaks in the form and size of its incisor teeth, and in the proportion of the tarsus, which is much shorter than in that species.”
The following is Mr. Waterhouse’s description of my original specimen, which now forms part of the Collection at the British Museum :-—
‘Fur moderate, both as to length and texture ; general colour deep reddish-brown, pencilled with white, and much pencilled with black on the back; on the sides of the body the white is less distinct, and as the black is wanting, or nearly so, the hue is paler; the fur on these parts is of a very deep grey next the skin; on the under parts of the body each hair of the fur has the basal half grey, and the external half whitish, but tinted with rust-colour; on the throat and fore part of the chest, however, the hairs are uniform white ; back of the shoulders and fore-legs brownish rust-colour ; in some specimens a narrowish longitudinal black mark extends from near the occiput along the back of the neck; in others this mark is not apparent ; head ashy-grey, tinted with rufous, and finely tinted with whitish; the pale cheek-mark is indistinct; chin brownish; back of the ears clothed with hairs like those of the head, the few hairs of the inner side are whitish ; feet brown, finely pencilled behind with very pale brown ; tail sparingly clothed, and excepting at the base the scales very distinct ; the small, stiff, scattered hairs of the upper surface are black ; quite at the root the tail is clothed with hairs like those of the body; on the under side the hairs are more numerous, and of a dirty white hue.”
The accompanying Plate represents the head of the animal of the size of life.
HALMATURUS DERBIANUS, Gray. Derby’s Wallaby.
Face anp Fore Part or aA MALE AND oF A FEMALE, OF THE NATURAL SIZE.
My figures of this animal were taken from specimens procured on Kangaroo Island, at the entrance of Spencer’s Gulf. I mention this particularly, because I have given the name of Halmaturus Houtmanm to an animal inhabiting the Abrolhos of Western Australia, which Mr. Waterhouse considers may be only a variety of the present species; but this is a point which time alone can determine. These insular animals are extremely puzzling, and con- siderable judgment is required in ascertaining their specific value.
The Halmaturus Derbianus is somewhat allied to the H. Parma; still they are unques- tionably distinct. They form, with H. dorsalis, a little section of the group quite different from that constituted by H. Thetidis, H. stigmaticus, H. Billardiert, and H. brachyurus.
The H. Derbianus is very numerous in all the thick brushes of the islands on which it has been found. It is bustling and quick in all its actions; and it is only by the aid of dogs that it can be forced from its retreat, or to lene the numerous runs formed by it beneath the underwood in all directions.
For the pleasing life-like representation of this species, much credit is due to Mr. Richter ; for nothing could be more faithful.
The reader is referred to the description accompanying the reduced figures given on the
next Plate for a full account of this animal.
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HALMATURUS DERBIANUS, Gray. Derby’s Wallaby.
Halmaturus Derbianus, Gray in Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. i. new ser. p. 583.—Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, pl. — —Gray, List of Spec. of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 91.
Macropus (Halmaturus) Derbianus, Waterh. in Jard. Nat. Lib. Marsupialia, p. 234, pl. 21.—Ib. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 154.
Halmaturus Houtmanni, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., pt. xii. p. 31 ?.—Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 156 ?. Eugen, Less. Man. de Mamm., p. 227 ?. Emilia, Gray, List of Spec. of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 90°.
Bangap, Aborigines of Perth in Western Australia.
Auruouex the name of Derdianus is retained for this small species of Halmaturus, 1 am by no means certain that it has any claims to priority; in all probability the older name of Eugenw had reference to this animal ; Mr. Waterhouse also is of opinion that an animal which I have called Howtmanni is merely a variety of the same species. Before me at this moment, while writing the present article, is my type specimen of Hout- manni from Wallaby Island, Houtmann’s Abrolhos, and two specimens of Derdzanus from Garden Island lying about five miles off the mouth of Swan River; now the former certainly differs from the latter in being of a darker colour, in having less rufous on the shoulders and rump, and in having stouter legs and feet ; notwithstanding I bow to Mr. Waterhouse’s opinion, and regard them as local varieties of one and the same species ; and I incline to do so the more readily from feeling convinced, after having for a series of years paid considerable attention to these and other nearly allied species, that there is an animal of this family peculiar to the scrubby islands lying off the southern and western coasts of Australia, and one only, and that that one is the species under consideration, whatever its specific name may be. Up to the present time I have never seen examples from the mainland, the brushes of which lying between the mountain ranges and the coast are all tenanted by their own peculiar species, such as Thetidis, Dama, &c., whilst the Brigaloe brush of the interior has also an animal of this section peculiar to it—the H. dorsalis. The H. Derbianus, then, inhabits all the islands lying off the west coast, and extends round to those of the south-west as far as Kangaroo Island in Spencer's Gulf, where it is abundant.
Like many others of the small Wallabies, the present species loves to dwell among the densest under- wood: hence the almost impenetrable scrub of dwarf Eucalypt:, which covers nearly the whole of Kangaroo Island, will always afford it a secure asylum, from which in all probability it will never be extirpated,—the vegetation being too green and humid to be burnt, and the land too poor to render it worth the expense of clearing. It is very abundant in the ravines and gullies, through which it makes innumerable runs; and such is the dense nature of the vegetation, that nothing larger than a dog can follow it ; still it is taken by men residing on the island in the greatest abundance, both for the sake of its skin and its flesh: they procure it principally by snares, a simple noose placed on the outskirts of the brush; but they also shoot it when it appears on the open glades at night.
Considerable difference exists in this, as well as in the other allied species, in the colour of the hair, which varies very much, not only in the intensity of its hue, but also in being much redder in some specimens than in others. ;
Fur long and moderately soft; face grizzled grey, reddish and dark brown ; on the upper lip a buffy-white mark which extends backwarks under the eye, and blends with the general colour of the face; back of the neck, shoulders and arms rufous; a blackish mark commences at the occiput, and continues downwards until it becomes lost in the colouring of the back, which is grizzled black and dull white, caused by the middle portion of each hair being dull white, and the tips black, the base of all the fur bemg deep-blue grey; rump, base of the tail, hind legs and tarsi grizzled with rufous and black, the former colour pre- dominating; throat, chest and all the under surface buffy white ; arms the same as the tarsi, but rather darker; under side of the tail buff.
Male.
feet. inches. Lenathwinomythe nose tothe extremity on the tail } 95355... . 3 1
PO etallec granny deere era eS i es ig ang | ll 1L be tonclssand tocsemelidimerthe mail. 9. 52 | ss 6
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»» 9 face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear . . . AL
Spy eggs CORN 2 og es Bacan! Na ae asia area ere ea Cer REA ae ce era er Une ene 24
One of the accompanying Plates represents the head and fore quarters of the natural size, the other the entire animal much reduced.
HALMATURUS THETIDIS , # (aw & Geoff
LGould und H.C Tuchter, del.et lath Hullrandeh & Walton, Imp.
HALMATURUS THETIDIS, F Cw. et Geoff. Pademelon Wallaby.
Heap anp Fore Parts, OF THE SIZE OF NATURE.
THE accompanying life-sized head represents the common Pademelon of the colonists, a shy and timid creature, which bounds away on the least disturbance. It runs in the same brushes with the H. Ualabatus and H. Parma; and every extensive district of this kind, from Illawarra to the Clarence, was tenanted by great numbers of it at the period of my visit to New South Wales. Its flesh is good, and is frequently eaten by the settlers and the aborigines. Considerable difference occurs in the colouring of this animal,— specimens obtamed in one locality having the red hue of the neck predominating over the brown, while in those from another the contrary is the case.
The front figure represents a moderate-sized adult male, of the size of life, while the distant figure of the female is a trifle less. A more lengthened description, and reduced
figures of the entire animal, will be found on the next Plate and page.
SS
HALMATURUS THETIDIS, F cw. § Geog. Pademelon Wallaby.
Halmaturus Thetidis, F. Cuv. et Geoff. Mamm., tab. 56.—F. Cuv. Less. Zool. de M. Bougainville’s Journ. de la Navig. autour du Monde de la Frigate Thetis, &c., tom. i. p. 305. pl. 37.—Gould, Mon. of Macro- podide, pl. nuchalis, Wagn. in Schreb. Saug. Suppl., part 111-112. p. 128 (Waterhouse).
Macropus (Halmaturus) Thetidis, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 144.
Pademelon of the colonists of New South Wales.
Or the smaller species of Wallaby inhabiting New South Wales, the present is perhaps the one best known to the colonists, inasmuch as it is more abundant than any other. It is strictly a brush animal, and consequently only to be found in such localities. All the brushes I have visited from Illawarra to the Hunter, as well as those of the great range which stretches along parallel with the coast, are equally favoured with its presence; I have also received specimens from Moreton Bay. It is not unfrequently found running in the same locality, and even in company, with the H. Ualabatus, although the very humid parts of the forest appear to be less suited to it than to that species.
As an article of food, few animals are so valuable, its flesh being tender and well-flavoured, and more like that of the common Hare than that of any other European animal I can compare it with.
The sexes are precisely alike in colour, but the female is smaller than the male.
The species appears to have been first brought to Europe by the French navigators, who applied to it the inappropriate term of Thetidis (after their vessel), which, however, it would not be right to alter. Having seen the original specimen in Paris, which is said to have been brought from Port Jackson, I am satisfied of its identity with my own specimens. I mention this circumstance, particularly as the name of Thetzdis has been placed as a synonym of Eugenii, an animal brought home by Peron, and which I now believe to be identical with A. Derbyanus.
The H. Thetidis must be classed among the smaller Halmaturz, being scarcely so large as H. Derhyanus or H. Billarderi.
Fur rather soft; general colour deep brown; shoulders, sides and back of the neck rusty-red; ears fur- nished internally with moderately long dirty-white hairs ; upper lip dirty-white; chin and throat white; remainder of the under surface dirty-white; arms greyish; hands brown; tarsi and feet uniform dark brown ; tail brownish-grey above and dirty-white beneath; on the sides of the tail the hairs are scanty, and the scales covering the tail are very apparent.
Male. feet. inches.
Length from the tip of the nose to the extremity of the tall . . . 3 0
ba Ok fall Ay peo ny oie eee i 0
0 y barsiis and toes, mcludimesthesmallig (0. sf es 53
»» 5 arm and hand, including the nails Bil denen a 5
» 5 face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear. . 41
Veneer eaiay fy May: (Sie Rar 78, a iloat ia teal ea aie cei h altar Mcrae apelabaaalhiyig st 2
The accompanying Plates represent the head and shoulders of the size of life, and reduced figures of the entire animal.
Iboudd and Ue Fichter, del of loth
HALMATURUS STIGMATICUS, Gowd
Mullard & Walior, trp
HALMATURUS STIGMATICUS, Gowda. Branded Wallaby.
Heap AND ForE QUARTERS, OF THE SIZE OF NATURE.
Ir will be seen that this new species has the facial aspect of the Halmaturus Thetidis and H. Billardieri; and it does, in fact, belong to the same section as those Brush Kan- garoos, but, as a species, it is doubtless quite distinct. In size it exceeds both the above- mentioned animals, and differs, in its rich red colouring, from all the other members of the genus. At present only a single specimen has reached this country: its capture was effected under somewhat singular circumstances, and tends to prove the probability that other species of this great group of Marsupials will yet be discovered when the naturalist has an opportunity of exploring the extensive forests of the north-eastern coast of Australia, which at present is impossible, or not to be done without great risk of encountering the treacherous aborigines.
Full details respecting this species will be found in the letter-press accompanying the
following Illustration, on a reduced scale, of the entire animal.
2 oa Py "SO ORLVNILLS SOW LWT VI
HALMATURUS STIGMATICUS, Goud. Branded Wallaby.
Halmaturus stigmaticus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Nov. 13, 1860.
A stnexe and very fine specimen of this new Hadmaturus was obtained by Mr. John Macgillivray at Point Cooper, on the north-east coast of Australia, in the month of June 1848; this specimen is now deposited in the British Museum collection. I cannot refer this animal to any described species, but I observe that it is very nearly allied to the Halmaturus Thetidis. Now it is well known that this latter animal is strictly an inhabitant of the humid brushes of the south-eastern coast, and that it never leaves them for either the drier hills or the adjacent plains; and the present species may be regarded as its representative on the north-eastern coast, which is, I believe, clothed with brushes of a similar character.
The Halmaturus Thetidis and the H. stigmaticus are very similar in the smallness of their heads, the comparative shortness of their ears, and their adpressed, short stiff fur ; but the latter differs from the former in being of a somewhat larger size and in the more rufous colouring of its fur (particularly of that clothing the legs), and in having a broad brand-like mark of buff on each haunch; similar marks, it is true, exist in some other species of Kangaroo, but in none of them is it so conspicuous as in the animal under con- sideration ; hence the specific name J have assigned to it.
In the ‘Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake,’ vol. i. p. 92, Mr. Macgillivray says :—‘ Near this place, while tacking in-shore, a native dog was seen by Lieut. Simpson in chase of a small Kangaroo, which, on being close pressed, plunged into the water and swam out to sea, when it was picked up by the boat, leaving its pursuer standing on a rock, gazing wistfully at its intended prey, until a musket-ball, which went very near its mark, sent it off at a trot. The Kangaroo lived on board for a few days, and proved to constitute quite a new kind, closely allied to Halmaturus Thetidis.”
Face, sides of the body, outer side of the fore limbs, and the flanks rufous, more or less interspersed with whitish, the tips of the hairs being of that hue, and their middle portion rufous ; outer side of the hinder limbs rich rusty red; occiput dark brown, interspersed with silvery-tipped hairs; ears clothed with long black hairs externally, and narrowly fringed with white on the front edge ; all the upper surface of the body blackish brown, interspersed with numerous whitish-tipped hairs, gradually blending with the rufous hue of the sides and flanks; down the back of the neck an indistinct line of a darker or blackish hue ; across each haunch a broad and conspicuous mark of buff; upper lip, chin, all the under surface of the body, and the inner side of the limbs dirty white; hands and feet dark brown; upper surface of the tail dark brown; on the sides the hairs are less numerous, and the scaly character of the skin becomes conspicuous.
feet. inches.
Length from the tip of the nose to the extremity of the (aljius le ees 4 cry THOME MeL Gallen teh rere oA MO fae a nse apne oink heap ate oats ian he eis AD 4 », of tarsus and toes, including the nail . 52 ~) Okanmeanc handsmcludimes the mails 0's) 74) 72. 64 » of face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear 42 3 ~. Of ear 2
The accompanying Plates represent the head of the natural size, and a reduced figure of the entire animal.
ed
Wests
HALMATURUS BILLARDIERI,
Lbouddand hl Pichier, del 2 loth Culiruandil b Walior, [rp-
HALMATURUS BILLARDIERL. Tasmanian Wallaby.
HEAD AND FORE PARTS, OF THE SIZE OF LIFE.
As the Rabbit is to us one of the commonest and most numerous of our native quadrupeds, so is the Tasmanian Wallaby to the colonists of Van Diemen’s Land. Exceeding a Hare in size, this useful animal is most numerous in all the scrubby and humid situations of the island. Its physiognomy, which is striking and singular, is well portrayed in the ac- companying illustration, while the reduced figures will give a just idea of the entire animal. It will be seen that this species is much darker in colour than most of its allies, and that its coat is longer and more shaggy—a character of fur which is well adapted to its more southern, wetter, and colder climate, while its hue is in unison with that of the herbage amidst which it dwells. The interior of the forest, amid stranded trees and rank vegetation, are the situations in which this animal forms its runs, and from which it is not easily driven; but for these and for all other details respecting the species
the reader is referred to the page accompanying the reduced figures.
a Ne a al Sct
a
Aimee a ia
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HALMATURUS BILLARDIERI. Tasmanian Wallaby.
Kangurus Billardierti, Desm. Mamm., Suppl. p. 542.
Macropus (Halmaturus) rufiventer, Ogilby in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part vi. (Feb. 1838) p. 23; and in Ann. of Nat. Hist. for May 1838, vol. i. p. 220.
Halmaturus (Thylogale) Tasmanei, Gray in Ann. of Nat. Hist. for April 1838, vol. 1. p. 108.
Macropus (Halmaturus) Billardiert, Waterh. in Jard. Nat. Lib., Marsupialia, p. 227.
Halmaturus Billardiert, Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, pl. .—Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 159.—Gray, List of Spec. of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 90. brachytarsus, Wagn. Schreb. Saug., Nos. 111, 112. p. 121, November 30, 1842.
Wallaby, Colonists of Van Diemen’s Land.
I wave but little doubt that the habitat of this Wallaby is limited to Van Diemen’s Land and the larger islands in Bass’s Straits, in all which localities it is so numerous that the thousands annually destroyed make no apparent diminution of its numbers. In consequence of the more southerly and therefore colder latitude of Van Diemen’s Land, the vegetation is there much more dense and humid than on the continent of Australia; indeed the sun never penetrates into many parts of its forests, and accordingly we find this species clothed with a warmer and more sombre-coloured coat. It is consequently of a more hardy nature than any of its congeners, and with care and a slight degree of perseverance it might be easily naturalized in England; indeed I feel confident that if a sufficient number were introduced in a suitable locality, as in some of our forests and large estates of the nobility and gentry, the experiment would be attended with complete success. Independently of the novelty of a species of this singular tribe ranging at liberty in our woods, its flesh could not fail to be highly esteemed for the table. Being one of the best-flavoured of the small Kangaroos, it is very generally eaten in Van Diemen’s Land.
The Tasmanian Wallaby may be regarded as strictly gregarious, hundreds generally inhabiting the same localities ; the situations which it frequents are gullies, and the more dense and humid parts of the forest, particularly those that are covered with rank high grass, through and under which it forms numerous well- beaten tracks. From these coverts it seldom emerges, and never even approaches the outskirts of the forest except at night: hence it is seldom seen by ordinary observers. It is very easily taken with snares, formed of a noose placed in its run; and thousands are captured in this way, solely for their skins: the sportsman also may readily procure it by stationing himself in some open glade of limited extent, accom- panied by two or three small yelping dogs, before which it keeps hopping round and round, and thus affords him an opportunity of shooting it as it passes; for, like the common rabbit, it never quits the locality in which it is bred.
Much diversity of colour is observable in different specimens, some having the throat and under surface deep reddish buff, while others have the same parts much lighter. Its usual weight is from fifteen to twenty pounds, although many are smaller.
This species is readily distinguished from the other small members of the group by its short ears, long, dark-coloured fur, and the rufous or yellow tint of the under surface of the body.
Fur very thick, the hairs blue-grey at the base, buffy brown in the middle, the tips, which are much pro- duced, ending in black ; face and all the upper surface very dark brown, approaching to black, particularly on the shoulders and back, where the hairs become much lengthened ; arms and tarsi greyish brown ; lips, throat, chest and under surface reddish buff; in some specimens these parts are grey tinged with buff; ears dark brown tinged with buff; upper side of the tail dark brown, under side dirty white.
feet. inches.
length fromthe nose tojthe extremity of the tail) 9s 4°. 2 3 6
Be Ofelia eaear ep oles Nya eo onl, cA in Oe amar ee apap ns Wigan So a 1 » of tarsus and toes, including the nail . 6 oe Ol aEmeandhand.includime themails) - . 4: . % 5L », Of face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear 42 oo Olcak 24
The accompanying Plates represent the head of the natural size, and reduced figures of the entire animals.
HALMATURUS BRACHYURUS.
Lcubdund HC huchier, deb cb titty Silimeaniel & Wadton, Lp.
HALMATURUS BRACHYURUS. Short-tailed Wallaby.
Kangurus brachyurus, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de l’Astrolabe, Zoologie, tom. i. p. 114. pl. 19. Halmaturus (Thylogale) brevicaudatus, Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus. p. 90. Macropus (Halmaturus) brachyurus, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm. vol. i. p. 162. Ban-gup, Aborigines around Perth in Western Australia.
Quak-a, Aborigines of King George’s Sound.
Berore my visit to Australia, this animal was extremely rare in the collections of Europe; indeed the example in the Paris Museum was the only one then known. The specimen alluded to was said to have been picked up dead at King George’s Sound, and there also my specimens were procured. Even now it is still a rare animal, those examples introduced by myself being, so far as I am aware, all that have been trans- mitted to Europe.
In his notes respecting this species, Mr. Gilbert states that besides meeting with it at King George’s Sound, he found it abundant in all the swampy tracts which skirt nearly the whole of Western Australia at a short distance from the sea, and that at Augusta, where its native name, Quak-a, is the same as at King George’s Sound, it inhabits the thickets and is destroyed in great numbers at the close of the season by the natives, who, after firing the bush, place themselves in a clear space and spear them as they attempt to escape from the fire: it is also caught by the settlers with springes placed in their little covered runs beneath the scrub. Mr. Gilbert adds, that he had not heard of its being killed to the eastward of the Darling range.
Mr. Waterhouse has given the relative admeasurements of the Paris specimen, and of an example in the British Museum which had been procured by Mr. Gilbert; the latter is considerably smaller than the former ; but I have since received a specimen from the same locality which considerably exceeds both in size, its admeasurements being as follows :—
Length from the nose to the root of the tail . . 1 foot 10 inches. yo ORGIES tre TG iat ts Mae eo fata oh SS oe se Om 4 s ya eamsus,. toes, ald nails ..neee. fs". 41 ,, $ sian Coleg Boe: iiceas Ser, Sue. 7 ee aa li ,,
This animal differs from all the other Aadnaturi in its short bluff head, diminutive ears, and extremely short tail; it is also clothed, especially about the face, with thick, stiff, and wiry hairs ; which, combined with the general character of the fur, would lead to the inference that it resorts to more humid and secluded situations than those frequented by the other members of the genus.
The short and rounded ears, which are much hidden by the long fur of the head, are well clothed with hairs, those on the inner side being yellow, while externally they are of the reddish-brown tint which pervades the head and back of the neck, but which is somewhat brighter in the region of the ears; the hairs of the back are grey next the skin, broadly annulated with yellow towards the pomt, and black at the extremity ; the back is also beset with numerous long, interspersed, almost entirely black hairs, which, bemg most plentiful in the middle of the back, give that part a deeper hue; the hairs of the sides of the body are similar, but the yellow portion is paler and the tips are brownish; on the under surface the hairs are grey next the skin, with a pale yellow external tint; feet deep brown; tail sparingly clothed with small stiff hairs, between which rings of small blackish scales are very perceptible.
Of this rare species I have given two illustrations ; one representing the entire animal, much reduced, and the other, the head, tail, and foot, of the natural size.
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HALMATURUS BRACHYURUS. Short-tailed Wallaby.
Heap, Arms, Hinp Foor, anp Tail, OF THE SIZE OF NATURE.
Tue most remarkable feature in the zoology of Australia is, undoubtedly, the great number of the Kangaroos, and the diversity of their characters, some being conspicuous for their great size, others for their banded or crescentic markings, and others again for their sombre hues and their diminutive sizes. Of that section of the family to which the generic appellation of Halmaturus has been assigned, the Short-tailed Wallaby is the smallest. Its nearest ally is the H. Billardieri, to which it assimilates not only in the shortness of its ears and the shaggy character of its fur, but in its still more sombre hues, which latter feature indicates that it dwells among grassy and dense herbage, in swampy and humid situations.
The H. brachyurus is a native of Western Australia, the H. Thetidis of New South Wales, and the H. Billardieri of islands of Tasmania and Bass’s Straits; and thus we find these little Wallabys distributed along the whole of the south coast, from east to west. The exact localities frequented by these animals will be found in the pages accompanying
the entire representations of each of them.
Mould and HC Richter del ct fith
Minllorendel &
Werktors inp
PETROGALE PENICILLATA, Gray. Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby.
Upper Har or trHe ANIMAL, OF THE SIZE OF LIFE.
Ir is not a little interesting to observe how varied are the forms of the various species of Kangaroos, and how well each is suited to the physical conditions of that great southern land of our antipodes, Australia,—the plains, the forests, the rocks, and the trees, each being tenanted by members of this exianeue family. Of: these the Rock- Wallabys constitute a well-defined section, the species of which are active in the extreme among the haunts they affect.
The P. pemeillata, the Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby of the colonists, is an inhabitant of New South Wales. A more detailed account of the situations it frequents will be found
in the page accompanying the Plate with the reduced figures.
POLL FL APL PL PP LLP OLE
PETROGALE PENICILLATA, Gray. Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby.
Kangurus pencillatus, Gray, in Griff. Anim. Kingd., vol. iii. pl. opp. p. 49.
Macropus penicillatus, Benn. in Proc. Zool. Soc., part iti. p. 1—Waterh.in Jard. Nat. Lib. Mamm., vol. xi. (Mar- supialia) p. 243. pl. 22.—Benn. Cat. of Australian Museum, Sydney, p. 6. no. 27.
Kangurus Pencillatus, Gray, in Griff. Anim. Kingd., vol. v. p. 204.
Petrogale penicillatus, Gray, in Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. i. new ser. p. 583.
Heteropus albogularis, Jourd. Compte rendu de VAcad. des Sci. Oct. 9, 1837, p. 552 ?, et Ann. des Sci. Nat. 1837, tom. Vill. p. 368 ?
Petrogale penicillata, Gould, Mon. of Macropodide.—Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 92.
Macropus (Heteropus) penicillatus, Waterh. Nat. Hist. Mamm., vol. i. p. 167. pl. 1.
Tue Colony of New South Wales, or the south-eastern portion of Australia, is the native habitat of the Petrogale penicillata ; it must not, however, be understood that it is universally dispersed over this part of the continent, for the situations it affects and for which its structure is especially adapted are very peculiar, and do not occur in all parts of the colony; those portions of the mountain ranges stretching along the eastern coast from Port Philip to Moreton Bay, the character of which is rocky and precipitous, are among the localities in which it is to be found; hills of a lower elevation than those of the great ranges, and the precipitous stony gullies between the mountains and the sea, are also situations it inhabits ; my own speci- mens were collected in various parts of the Upper Hunter district, both on the Liverpool Range and on the low hills which spur out in a southerly direction. Agile and monkey-like in its actions, few animals are more active among their native rocks; it readily evades the pursuit of the Dingo or native dog (Canis Dingo) by leaping from one rocky ledge to another, until, arriving at the edge of the cliff, it is secure from its attacks ; it also ascends trees with facility, particularly those the half-prostrate position of which offer it a ready means of ascent; but it more particularly loves to dwell among rocks abounding with deep and cavernous recesses, into which it plunges on the slightest apprehension of danger, when both the natives and its natural enemy the Dingo are generally foiled ; at the mouths of these caverns, and for a considerable distance down the hill-sides, regular, hard, well-beaten tracks are formed, which, on the one hand, serve to facilitate the retreat of the animal to its secure asylum, while, on the other, they indicate its proximity. I have used the words “ monkey-like” when speaking of its actions ; and to show that they appeared as such to others as well as to myself, I may mention that in a note by Capt. Sir Edward W. Parry, R.N., published in the part of the Proceedings of the Zoological Society above referred to, it is stated that ‘the first inti- mation received of these animals was that monkeys were to be seen in a particular situation ; and the manner in which they jumped about when a number of them were approached left that impression on the mind. They were so wild that it was impossible on the first attempt to obtain a specimen, and one which was wounded escaped into its hole.” Sir Edward adds, ‘‘ As several were seen together on more than one occasion, they appear to be gregarious.” It must be regarded rather as a local animal than otherwise, as it is never to be found but in districts similar to those described. Although strictly nocturnal in its habits, individuals may frequently be seen during the day sunning themselves on the face of a rock or on half- prostrate trees. At such times they may be easily crept upon and shot; it was in this way that I procured numerous specimens for my own collection.
Several examples of this species have from time to time lived in the Gardens of the Zoological Society in the Regent’s Park, and when placed in a proper inclosure displayed all the actions and attitudes they assume in their native wilds. A fine male now (October 1853) living in the Society’s Menagerie formed the model from which Mr. Richter took the correct delineation given on the accompanying Plate; it was an excellent sitter, for it remained perched on the stem of a large tree for hours together. Great diversity of colouring occurs in different individuals, some being much darker than others ; again, some have the breast and under surface rich rust-red, while in others the same parts are of a much paler hue, or inclining to buff.
The Petrogale penicillata may be regarded as the largest species of the well-defined genus to which it
belongs, its entire length from the nose to the end of the tail being three feet ten inches, the tail measuring twenty-three inches ; the arm, hand and nails six inches; the tarsus, toes and nail six inches and a half; the face from the tip of the nose to the ear four and a half inches, and the ear two inches. Of its flesh as an article of food I can speak most highly, having frequently partaken of it in the bush and always found it excellent. ; yt
The fur is long and rather harsh to the touch; its general colour is a dusky brown tinged saith purple, passing into deep rusty red on the rump, the base of the tail, the hinder part of the thighs and the abdomen ; face dark grey; along the face from the lip to the ear a dusky white mark; a narrow dark line runs from the middle of the forehead nearly half way down the back; shoulders and flanks vinous grey, separated from the general tint of the upper surface by an indistinct line of a lighter tint, scarcely to be distinguished in some specimens ; a narrow white line passes from the throat down the centre of the chest; ears black, passing into grey at the base, and having in some specimens a band of rufous along the outer edge; arms and hands, tarsi and feet rusty red, deepening into black on their extremities.
The two sexes when adult are nearly alike in size and similar in colour.
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PEIRAIGIGS , Goudd.
Milpea & Welton, Limp.
PETROGALE LATERALIS, Gowda. Stripe-sided Rock-Wallaby.
Uprrer HALF oF THE ANIMAL, OF THE SIZE OF LIFE, AND A REDUCED FIGURE IN THE DISTANCE.
Tuts is the West Australian representative of the P. penicillata of New South Wales; in > size it is somewhat smaller than that animal, but its markings are more strongly defined. In the colony of Swan River, rocky districts alone are the places of its resort. In their dispositions and general economy the P. lateralis and P. penicillata are very similar. I always observed that the furry coat of the former is thicker or more dense than that of the latter; this difference, however, cannot be depicted, but is readily seen when skins of the two animals are seen side by side. |
The reader is referred to the page accompanying the succeeding Plate for a more de-
tailed account of this species.
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PETROGALE LATERALIS, Gouwid. Striped-sided Rock Wallaby.
Petrogale lateralis, Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, pl. Macropus (Heteropus) lateralis, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 172. Mos-roo-rong, Aborigines of the Perth and Toodyay districts of Western Australia.
Tuis conspicuously marked species is very abundant in all the rocky districts of Swan River, particularly the Toodyay, and I have little doubt that the whole of the line of coast of Western Australia will hereafter be found to be inhabited by it, wherever the character of the country is suitable. Independently of the difference in its markings and the more woolly texture of its fur, it is a much more diminutive animal than the P. penicillata; the crania of the two animals also exhibit sufficient differences to satisfy the most sceptical mind of their being specifically distinct ; in their disposition and economy, however, but little variation is found to exist.
Mr. Gilbert states that “the Petrogale lateralis is only to be met with in the rocky parts of the interior intersected with caverns. It is a remarkably shy and wary animal, feeding only at night in little open patches of grass, and never, from all that I have been able to observe, going more than two or three hundred yards from its rocky retreats. When alarmed, it leaps most extraordinary distances from rock to rock and point to point with the utmost rapidity. When running along a level surface, its tail is very much curved upwards like that of a greyhound, and the best way to procure specimens is to walk over the rocks without shoes, and station yourself within gunshot distance of the principal entrance to their caverns, when, on making their appearance in the middle of the day for the purpose of sunning themselves, they are easily shot.”
Fur shorter and much softer than that of P. penicillata; general colour reddish-brown, passing into silvery-grey on the neck and shoulders ; basal half of the tail brownish-grey, the remainder black, with a brush at the end; face greyish-brown ; a distinct white mark from the tip to the base of the ear; a black mark between the ears, extending in a distinct narrow line half-way down the back; ears dark brown, becoming of a light sandy colour at the base ; a deep rich brown mark extends from behind the shoulders, down the back of the arm, along the flanks and down the inside of the thigh; this mark is separated from the general colour of the back by a very distinct stripe of white; chin, throat, chest and abdomen sandy- red; under sides of the neck grey; arms light sandy-red, passing into black on the hands; tarsi reddish brown, passing into blackish-brown on the toes.
Male. feet. inches. Length from the tip of the nose to the extremity of the tail . . . 3 5 Wee a Olen Caller tale mg Mit ees Se eatin ee ng Gee Rie aay ae ee ale Ul 5 »» 99 tarsus and toes, including the nail 51 is, », arms and hands, including the nails . ... . 48 ss », face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear 4 sa 59 CNP 1z
The first Plate represents the head of the size of life; the second, reduced figures of the entire animal.
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PETROGALE XANTHOPUS, Gowda. Yellow-footed Rock-Wallaby.
A SINGLE FIGURE OF THE ENTIRE ANIMAL, OF THE SIZE OF LIFE.
Two reasons have induced me to give double figures of this animal—one to show its peculiar brushy tail and richly coloured ears, of the size of life, while, in the scenery accompanying the reduced figures, I have endeavoured to portray the kind of country inhabited by this new and very fine species. It was one of the last discoveries made by one who sacrificed his life in the pursuit of natural history on the east coast of Aus- tralia; and it would have been well if the name of Frederick Strange had been associated with the species. Dr. Gray has, however, seized upon a good specific character in the. name of wanthopus, which will for ever serve to distinguish this fine species of the
genus Petrogale.
PETROGALE XANTHOPUS, Gray. Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby.
Petrogale «anthopus, Gray in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Nov. 14, 1854.
Aux that is known respecting this fine animal is, that two examples, a male and a female, were collected on Flinders’ Range in South Australia, and sent to this country by Mr. Strange, and that they were subse- quently purchased by Dr. Gray for the British Museum collection, wherein they are now deposited.
The Petrogale xanthopus is a typical example of the genus to which it belongs, and may be regarded as one of the finest species of the form yet discovered. Its large size and rich colourmg render it very conspicuous, while the buffy hue of the ears and legs at once distinguishes it from the whole of its congeners.
The habits, actions and economy of the Petrogale xanthopus are doubtless as similar to those of the other members of the genus as it is like them in form, but on these points nothing is at present known.
Fur long, soft, and yielding to the touch; face, head, and all the upper surface vinous brown-grey, becoming greyest on the rump; a narrow line of dark rich brown extends from the crown of the- head down the centre of the back; on each cheek a distinct mark of white; eyelashes full, prominent, and brownish-black ; behind each arm a large patch of reddish-brown, separated from the general tint of the upper surface by a streak of buffy-white ; ears ochre-yellow, becoming lighter at the base, fringed internally with white, and tipped externally with brown; front of the arms bright buff; hands rich dark brown; outer side of the legs light ochreous-brown, fading into white on the inner side, and passing into the rich dark brown of the toes; throat and under surface white; tail ochreous-brown, irregularly barred with a darker tint, and ending in a conspicuous tuft which is rich brown above and ochreous below.
Of so fine a species I have considered it desirable to give two illustrations,—the entire animal, necessarily much reduced, and a foreshortened figure of the size of life. Nor must I omit to call attention to the interest which would attach to the introduction of living examples to our menageries, and to the acquisition of additional examples for our museums.
Lbould und Ml Lechter, del. litte
PETROGALE INORNATA, Gad
Lullnartlil 4 Wilbon, Lr.
PETROGALE INORNATA, Gowda. Unadorned Rock-Wallaby.
Urrer Haur or THe ANIMAL, OF THE SIZE OF LIFE.
Tue northern as well as the southern portions of the Australian continent are evidently tenanted by members of that section of the Kangaroos to which the present species belongs; for although a single example only has yet reached me from the north coast, it is sufficient to show that such is the case.
The P. inornata is a true Petrogale, and, like the P. concinna, merely differs from its congeners in the total absence of stripes or markings on its sides.
This plain-coloured but rare species is one I would recommend to the notice of the naturalists and explorers who may visit the north coast of Australia, where it was dis- covered by Mr. Bynoe.
Avery reduced figure of the entire animal will be found on the next Plate.
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-ETROGAL
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L futlimandel In Y
PETROGALE INORNATA, Gouwid. Unadorned Rock Wallaby.
Petrogale inornata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part x. p. 5.—Ib. Mon. of Macropodide, pl. .—Gray, List of Spec. of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 92. Macropus (Heteropus) inornatus, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 175.
Tus new species, tor which I am indebted to the kindness of B. Bynoe, Esq., of H.M.S. Beagle, differs from all the other members of the genus in the unusual uniformity of its colouring. Mr. Bynoe collected it on the north coast of Australia. In size it is about equal to the P. dateralis of the western coast, to which, as also to P. penicillata, it is very nearly allied, but differs from them both in being destitute of any markings on the sides, in the absence of any dark colouring behind the ears, and in the light colouring of the arms and tarsi.
During the interval of nearly twenty years which has elapsed since I first characterized this animal, no additional examples of this, or any other mammal of the rarely visited part of Australia it inhabits, have reached this country; but when the north coast of Australia shall have been thrown open to the settler, it will doubtless be found that the Petrogale inornata is as abundant in the rocky districts of that part of the country as the P. penicillata is in the brushes of New South Wales.
General colour of the upper parts sandy grey, grizzled over the shoulders, and becoming much lighter on the flanks; an indistinct line of a lighter hue along the face under the eye; a dusky red patch behind the elbow; under surface sandy white, inclining to rufous on the lower part of the abdomen; arms and tarsi sandy grey, passing into dark brown at the extreme tips of the toes ; basal half of the tail sandy brown, the remainder black, the former colour extending along the sides of the tail for some distance towards the tip; ears sandy grey, bordered by a very narrow line of dark brown on their inner edge ; a dark patch at the occiput, passing into a dark line down the forehead.
Female. feet. inches. Length from the tip of the nose to the extremity of the tail . . . . . . 38 2 = WEEE ROL SU nse 0S. oy, 2 Vin) go MRM 7 A anor eg eee ee a | on oy 4) Olgtarsus; and: toes, ine uding: thermally em em Nau sys ee caf 7s ab » of arm and hand, including the nails Be ape DL ON Sanaa sa aed 5 » of face, from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear . . . . . 44 or Ol ears 13
The accompanying Plates represent the head of the natural size, and a reduced figure of the entire animal.
aie l
Leet ae
PETROGALE BRACHYOTIS, Goud
< ‘ < ~ N . S x
Leib rll Titifbe7, il 1 lel
PETROGALE BRACHYOTIS, Gouwid. Short-eared Rock-Wallaby.
Macropus (Petrogale) brachyotis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part viii. p. 127.—Ib. Mon. of Macropodide, ple: brachiotis, Waterh. in Jard. Nat. Lib. Marsupialia, p. 247. (Heteropus) brachiotis, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 176.
Petrogale brachyotis, Gray, List of Spec. of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 92.
Tue discovery of this species of Rock Kangaroo is due to the researches of His Excellency Sir George Grey, the present (1859) Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, who procured it on the North-west coast of Australia, near Hanover Bay, on the 29th of December, 1837. The two specimens, a male and a female, then obtained, which appear to be fully adult, are in the British Museum, and are at present unique. Sir George Grey states that the animal “ is excessively wild and shy in its habits, frequenting in the day-time the highest and most inaccessible rocks, and only coming down to the valleys to feed early in the morning and late in the evening. When disturbed in the day-time it bounds among the roughest and most precipitous rocks, apparently with the greatest facility, and is so watchful and wary that it is by no means easy to get a shot at it. How it can support the excessive heat of the sand rocks amongst which it always lies is to me truly astonishing, the temperature there during the hottest part of the day being frequently 136°. I have never seen this animal on the low land or the plains, and I consequently believe it to be entirely an inhabitant of the mountains.”
No other species of Rock Kangaroo has yet been discovered with such short and scanty hair as the Petrogale brachyotis, which scantiness of covering may be due to the great heat of the latitudes it inhabits, and the peculiar localities to which it resorts—hard craggy rocks exposed to the burning sun. In confirmation of this being a genuine species, Mr. Waterhouse remarks :—
“The Short-eared Rock Kangaroo is readily distinguished from the pentcillatus and Jdateraks by the absence of the black band on the sides of the body, the only remains of this dark hue being confined to a patch immediately behind the base of the fore leg ; its general colour is paler, and the fur is much shorter ; the tail is less bushy ; its bulk is moreover inferior, and the proportionately small size of the ears is an important distinguishing character ; in its smaller size and in the reddish hue of the upper parts of the body, it approaches to concinnus ; but besides other differences, that animal does not possess any dark mark or spot on the sides of the body.”
Fur short and rather close to the body ; general colour of the upper surface greyish brown, suffused with rust-colour; under surface dirty yellowish white; head pale brown, with a dirty white mark on each side ; cheeks almost white; ears pale internally, dusky externally; a rusty black patch on the body, immediately behind the base of the fore leg ; fore feet brown ; nails of the toes very short and scarcely projecting beyond the fleshy portion, which is extremely rough beneath ; tail moderately bushy, coloured at the base like the body, but the apical third dusky black.
Male. feet. inches. Length from the nose to the extremity of the tal . . . . . . . 3 0 PC) ret Le a ge ac eae a ames eee a bas; »» 5, tarsus and toes, including the nail . 0 5 »» 595 arms and hands, including the nails ee 0 31 » 5» face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear 0 33 i a cals 0 12
The larger figure is about the size of life.
A, Goud,
c
ROGALE CON
i
PE,
Hullmandd & Walton, Imp
Lbould and HC Richtor, del. & lith.
PETROGALE CONCINNA, Gowda. Little Rock Wallaby.
Petrogale concinna, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part x. p. 57.—Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 92. Macropus (Heteropus) concinnus, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 177.
Many parts of Australia are even yet almost unknown both to travellers and naturalists; particularly the countries bordering its northern and north-western coasts—not to mention the distant interior; and in all these parts, numerous new species of quadrupeds, birds, and other classes of natural history are in my opinion to be discovered. The north-west coast has, it is true, been visited by the officers of H.M. Surveying Ship Beagle, and such species as fell in their way have been collected by them, but their official duties prevented them from giving that attention to the subject that could be desired. . Nearly all they did collect proved to be new to science. The present interesting Little Rock Wallaby may be cited as a case in point, having been one of the specimens thus procured and brought home by Lieut. Emery, R.N. The single specimen obtained by this gentleman, and which is now in the British Museum, is fully adult, and is remarkable for its brilliant colouring and diminutive size. Mr. Waterhouse remark, that ‘‘it may be readily distinguished from its congeners, not only by its small size and bright, colouring, but by the absence of any black spot behind the base of the fore-leg.”
Fur moderately long and somewhat soft to the touch; general colour bright rusty-red; head palish ash- colour, slightly suffused with rust-colour, which tint is most conspicuous above the eyes ; cheeks rusty-white, with an indistinct greyish-brown mark extending forwards from the front of the eye; ears very pale brown externally, and lined with a few white hairs internally; fur on the back grey next the skin, and this tint at the root of each hair is followed by brilliant rusty-red, then a broad space which is white, and lastly, the tip is deep rusty-brown; on the under parts of the body the fur is grey next the skin, and yellowish-white on the visible portion; fore-legs rusty-white; hands brownish-white; hind-legs pale rust-colour externally ; tarsi brownish-white, slightly pencilled with brown; on the back of the neck an indistinct trace of a mesial darker mark ; tail clothed at the base with fur like that of the body ; beyond this the hairs are of a harsher nature, at first about half an inch in length, and on the apical third about : an inch and a half, of a brownish- white, tipped with black.
The accompanying Plate represents the animal about the natural size.
EM
i Fehrs
Sbndd and ILC Richter, del. lith
DEN DROLAG
US WIASIND:
x)
9 Mult.
Hiudinucndel & Walton, Finp.
DENDROLAGUS URSINUS, miu. Black 'Tree-Kangaroo.
Dendrolagus ursinus, Mill. Zoogd. van den Indischen Archipel., part iv. pl. 19; pl. 22. fig. 1, head ; pl. 23. figs. 1-3, and pl. 24. fig. 1, skull; figs. 2 & 3, bones of hind-leg.—Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, pl. One Waterh. Nat. Hist. Mamm., vol. i. p. 185.—Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 87.
As an evidence of how little we know of the productions of New Guinea, and of the infrequency of our intercourse with that country, I may state, that, although twelve years have elapsed since the publication of the second part of my ‘“‘ Monograph of the Macropodide, or Family of Kangaroos,” I have not been able to obtain any information respecting the history and habits of this singular animal beyond the meagre account there given, the substance of which I here repeat.
Both the Dendrolagus ursinus and the D. inustus are natives of New Guinea, where they inhabit the trees, and feed upon the bark and leaves of the smaller branches, fruits and berries. They were discovered in Triton Bay by Dr. M. S. Miller, who states that they also frequent the interior of the country: in all probability they are generally dispersed over the forests of that ¢erra incognita. What a field for enterprise here presents itself to the notice of the scientific explorer ! .
The specimen from which my former illustration was taken, and which was then in the Royal Museum at Leyden, now forms part of the fine collection at the British Museum; the half-figure, of the size of life, on the accompanying Plate was also taken from the same example.
The following accurate description of this animal is transcribed from Mr. Waterhouse’s ‘“‘ Natural History of the Mammalia,” a work of great scientific value, which it is to be regretted has been discontinued for want of a due appreciation of its merits on the part of the public :—
“This animal has received the specific name of wursinus, no doubt on account of a certain superficial resemblance it has to a small Bear, arising in a great measure from the nature of its fur, which differs much from that of the ordinary Kangaroos, not only in being harsh and glossy, but in being composed of one kind of hair only; it would appear that that kind of hair which forms the chief clothing in the ordinary Kangaroos is here entirely, or almost entirely, wanting ; and that the hairs representing the longer interspersed hairs in the fur of those animals, here forms the entire coat. With all the essential characters of the true Kangaroos, we find, in these tree-climbing animals, the limbs modified for their different mode of life: the long hind-legs of the Kangaroo proper are replaced by comparatively short legs, and the fore-legs are but little inferior in size to the posterior limbs; the strong fore-feet are armed with stout and long claws, com- pressed and much curved, and fitted for clinging to the inequalities of the bark of the trees. The enormously long tail no doubt helps to balance the animal whilst on the branches of the lofty trees which it ascends in quest of food.
‘On the upper parts and sides of the body, as well as the limbs (excepting at the base internally), the fur is black and glossy, and very nearly uniform to the skin, an indistinct brownish hue being only obser- vable at the roots of the hairs; tail densely clothed throughout, and black, but tinted with brown at the roots of the hairs; ears densely clothed with very long hairs which completely conceal them; the hairs springing from the top of the ears are brown, but the rest are black; the head in front of the ears and the whole of the under parts of the body are brown, but varying in intensity in parts, being darker round the eye and on the muzzle, and yellowish on the cheeks; the belly is also yellowish, whilst the chest assumes a | deeper hue; the muffle appears as if naked, but has in fact very minute hairs scattered over it.”
Sh milan
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INUSTUS, Mi
DROLAGUS
DEN
Hudimanutel & Waliory Lop
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fe
anh ACF
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DENDROLAGUS INUSTUS, Muu.
Brown Tree-Kangaroo.
Dendrolagus inustus, Miill. Zoogd. van den Indischen Archipel., part iv. pl. 20; pl. 22. fig. 2, head; pl. 23. figs. 4-6, and pl. 24. fig. 4, skull; figs. 5 & 6, bones of hind-leg.—Gould, Mon, of Macropodide, pl. —-Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 188.
Since the appearance of the second part of my “Monograph of the Macropodide, or Family of Kan- garoos,” in which I published a reduced figure of this animal, taken from a preserved specimen in the Royal Museum at Leyden, a living example has been transmitted to the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London, and lived there for some years. In disposition it appeared to be more slothful than the ter- restrial Kangaroos, as it spent the greater part of the day on the large branch of the tree placed in the cage in which it was kept, and there it would sit for hours together in a moping, sleepy attitude, with its great brush tail coiled round the front of its body; at other times it was somewhat more active, and would then sit erect, with the tail hanging down nearly straight, much after the manner of the Monkeys.
The Dendrolagus inustus is a native of New Guinea, where it was discovered by Dr. W. S. Miller in Triton Bay. The description of the habits of the animal, so long promised by this gentleman, has not yet, I believe, appeared ; at least I am unable to find it in any of the great works on the Dutch possessions in the Indian Archipelago, to which-I have access.
The following note, respecting the living specimen above mentioned, occurs in Mr. Mitchell’s “ Popular Guide to the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London,” p. 58 :—
«The Tree-Kangaroo (Dendrolagus inustus) has only in one instance been brought alive to Europe. This specimen was presented to the Society by Lieut.-Col. Butterworth, C.B., Governor of Singapore. The beautiful modification of structure in the extremities, by which it is enabled to ascend the straightest palm- trees, presents a most instructive contrast, when compared with the same organs in the Kangaroos, which ’ bound in leaps of twenty feet along the ground.”
The accompanying drawing, which represents half of the animal of the size of life, was made by Mr. H. C. Richter, from the living example in the Society’s Gardens. The entire figure, from the Leyden specimen, is much reduced.
The following is Mr. Waterhouse’s careful description of this species, which I transcribe rather than give one of my own, as the animal mentioned was somewhat out of condition when it died :—
«This species is about the same size as D. ursinus, from which it differs not only in being of a brown colour, but in having the muzzle and tarsi rather more elongated, and the ears less densely clothed with fur: the hairs of the back do not so distinctly radiate from a poimt, rather behind the shoulders, as in D. ursinus ; over the shoulders, however, the hairs are directed outwards, and on the back part of the neck they are directed forwards, but are semi-erect, and those of the head are directed backwards. The fur is rather less harsh than in D. ursinus ; its general hue is deepish brown on the upper parts of the body, but here each hair is brown at the base, shaded into brownish-black externally, whilst at the point they are of a very pale brown inclining to white; on the under parts of the body, the exposed portions of the hairs are white, or very nearly so, but in the middle they are of a very pale brown, at the base still paler, and nearly white in some parts; the sides of the head are pale brown, and the upper surface dusky-brown ; the muzzle is clothed with very short hairs; the ears tolerably well clothed with longish hairs, brown on the inner side, and dusky on the outer; the limbs are brownish-white, but the hairs on these parts are brown at the root; the hinder part of the haunches and the under surface of the base of the tail are whitish ; the tail is well clothed with longish harsh hairs, partly brownish-white and partly pale brown, the general hue being paler than that of the body; all the feet are dusky-brown, pencilled with whitish on the hinder parts.”
JS Gotde ant Ckichter, del. & bith.
Fiullrandd & Walton, frp.
ee eee
Pie heey
Saat
i
DORCOPSIS BRUNI. Filander.
Filander, Le Brun, Voy. par Muscovie, en Perse, et aux Ind. Orient., tom. i. p. 347. f. 213. 1718.—Ib. Edition of 1725, vol. v. p. 45. pl. at p. 43. Didelphis Brunii, Schreb. Saug., tom. iil. p. 551. pl. 153.—Gmel. Edit. of Linn. Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. 109.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. i. p. 480.—Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de l’Astrolabe, Zool., p. 116. pl. 20. Asiatica, Pall. Act. Acad. Sci. Petrop. 1777, pt. 2. p. 229. tab. 9. figs. 4, 5. Javan Opossum, Penn. Hist. of Quad., p. 305. Halmaturus Bruni, Il. Prod. Syst. Mamm. et Av., p. 80. Macropus veterum, Less. Man. de Mamm., p. 227. - Brunu, Fischer, Syn. Mamm., p. 283. Hypsiprymnus Brum, Miill. Zoogd. der Indesch. Archipel., pt. 4. pl. 21; head, pl. 22. fig. 3; skull, pl. 23. figs. 7 and 8, and pl. 24. fig. 7; bones of hind leg, pl. 24. figs. 8, 9. Halmaturus Asiaticus, Gray, List of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 91. Macropus Brunu, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 180. Dorcopsis Bruni, Mill. Verh. Zool. Mamm., p. 131. pl. 21.—Sclater in Journ. of Proc. of Linn. Soc., Zoology, vol. ii. p. 154.
Berne desirous of rendering my account of the Kangaroos as perfect as possible, I have considered it advisable to figure and describe in this work the species of that group of animals inhabiting New Guinea, in addition to those found in Australia and Van Diemen’s Land. Independently of the two species of Dendro- lagus, this contiguous island presents us with another animal belonging to the same family, which is rendered especially remarkable from the circumstance of its being the earliest known species of this singular group of quadrupeds ; its discovery dating as far back as 1711, long before the geographical limits of Australia had been ascertained, or its productions become known to us. But, although so long a time—nearly one hundred and fifty years—has elapsed since its discovery, little or nothing is known of its habits and economy, and specimens are still rarely to be found in our own museums or those of the Continent. In his work on “‘ The Natural History of the Mammalia,” Mr. Waterhouse states :—
“This singular animal is the first of the Kangaroo family with which naturalists became acquainted, being imperfectly described, but better figured, as early as the year 1711, by Le Brun; its characters were sub- sequently more carefully pointed out by Pallas, and it is upon the accounts of these two authors that all the various descriptions and notices in systematic works, chiefly under the specific names of Filander and Brunii, have been founded until a comparatively recent period. Several specimens of the Filander were seen, in a state of captivity, at Batavia by Le Brun; these, however, must have been transported from New Guinea, whence it has since been procured during the French expedition of the Astrolabe, and still more recently by the naturalists sent out by the Dutch Government, to whom we are indebted for many important additions to our knowledge of the natural-history productions of the islands of the Indian Archipelago. One of the specimens of this last-mentioned expedition is now in the British Museum, and enables me to give an original description.”
The following quaint note is a translation of the passage referring to this animal in Le Brun’s “ Voyage par Muscovie, en Perse, et aux Indes Orientales,” published in 1725 :—
‘“‘Bemg at the country-house of my general in Batavia, I there saw a certain animal which is called Filander, and which is something very singular. There were several of them which ran about with the rabbits, and had their burrows under a little hill surrounded by a balustrade. This animal, which I have represented in the plate, has the hind-legs much longer than those of the front, and is nearly of the size and texture of hair of a large Hare ; it has a pointed tail, and the head approaches that of a Fox; but the most singular thing about it is, that it has an opening under the belly in the form of a bag, in which the young enter and go out again even when they are tolerably large: one may often see the head and the neck out of this bag; but when the mother runs, they do not appear to keep at the bottom of the bag, because she jerks strongly in running.”
The following is Mr. Waterhouse’s description of the specimen in the British Museum, which was formerly in my own possession, I having received it from the late M. Temminck, of Leyden :—
“The Filander, like the Tree-Kangaroos, has the fur radiating from a point rather behind the shoulders, and the hair on the neck directed forwards as in those animals. The fur is remarkably short, rather soft,
and has very little gloss ; on the crown of the head the hairs have their points directed inwards and back- wards, and there meeting the hairs of the neck, which have the points directed forwards, a small tuft is formed at their point of junction on the back of the head. The general tint of the animal is brown, slightly inclining to greyish brown on the back; the sides of the body are of a somewhat brighter colour, being slightly tinted with yellowish ; the whole of the under parts, as well as the fore-legs and feet, are of a dirty yellowish white; the hind-legs are of the same tint externally as the sides of the body, but paler on their inner sides; the tarsi are of a uniform pale brown. ‘The ears are rather small, rounded at the tip, and clothed externally with short and almost velvet-like black hairs; internally the hairs are few in number and of a greyish hue; the tail is well clothed with short and soft hairs, brown on the upper surface, and brownish white beneath; on the sides of the tail the hairs, instead of pointing backwards as usual, are directed upwards; the tip of the tail is almost destitute of hair (apparently worn off by friction), and exhibits the scales very distinctly. The head is of a pale brown colour, and the muffle is naked.
inches. lines.
“ Length from the tip of the nose to the root of the tal . . . . 29 3 cok alll a5 See aa © URI a cog ee nS 3 si 55 UIESUUS — 6 0 , from nose to ear 5 1 0. Olean: = A ay AN, ster im ae co ] 10 ,, fore-arm, from elbow to ends of fingers . vi 6.”
The Plate represents the fore part of the animal of the natural size ; and complete figures in the distance,
which are necessarily much reduced.
pete Se a
disc
5 a 4 om i
ONYCHOGALEA UNGUIFER, Gon.
Heidlenarte 4 Welton bap
I bould and H.C Lechter, del ot litho.
ONYCHOGALEA UNGUIFERA, Gowda.
Nail-tailed Kangaroo.
Heap, Arms, AND Tip or THE TAIL, IN TWO POSITIONS, OF THE SIZE OF NATURE.
A more singular Kangaroo than the present does not exist among the known species of this great family of animals, its whole contour being characterized by a degree of elegance seldom seen among the Mammalia; but its most peculiar feature is the well-developed but somewhat flat nail at the end of the tail. It is said that the Lion has this organ terminating in a spiny hook; and here we find an analogous feature among the Kangaroos. From the discovery of Australia to the present time (March 1863), the single specimen of this animal in the British Museum is the only one that has been sent to Europe. It will be seen by the accompanying illustration, that the appendage which renders this species so remarkable is covered and protected by a well-developed tuft of lengthened hairs. Reduced figures of the entire animal will be found on the succeeding Plate, and
a more lengthened description on the accompanying page.
a es scaricare Pe TON VAIVIOHIENO | . ~———
ONYCHOGALEA UNGUIFER, Gowda.
Nail-tailed Kangaroo.
Macropus unguifer, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part viii. p. 93.—Ib. Mon. of Macropodide, pl. .—Gray, List of Spec. of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 88.—Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 75.
Tuts very elegant little Kangaroo, of which I have only seen a single example, was liberally placed in my hands, for the purpose of being described and figured, by Mr. Bynoe, of Her Majesty’s Ship the Beagle, who had obtained it on the north-west coast during the present expedition of that vessel, whose captains and other officers, not only in this, but in her former voyage, have so largely extended our knowledge of the zoological productions of the little-known countries they have visited in the course of their explorations.
This animal peculiarly attracts our attention by the circumstance of its possessing a character not found in any other known member of its family, namely, a broad flattened nail much resembling that of the finger, situated at the extremity of the tail, but which is not ordinarily observable, from its being hidden in the tuft of long black hairs clothing the apical portion of that organ. It is true that a somewhat similar character exists in the Onychogalea frenata, but in that species it is merely rudimentary.
The foregoing remarks were published in my Monograph of the Kangaroos, and although nearly twenty years have since elapsed, no additional information has been obtained, nor has any other specimen than the original one in the British Museum been procured ; it consequently still remains unique. It may be as well, however, to add Mr. Waterhouse’s opinion respecting this animal, since it tends to establish a species dependent upon the skin of a single specimen; though no doubt could, I should suppose, be entertained by any one on this point, since the extreme elegance of the animal, both in shape and colour, and its lengthened tail terminated with an extraordinary-shaped nail, serve to distinguish it from every other known species.
“The muffle in O. unguifer,” says Mr. Waterhouse, ‘is covered with hair, with the exception of a very narrow margin next the nostril-openings: the foremost of the three incisor teeth on either side of the upper jaw is distinctly the broadest, the other two are very nearly equal in width; the hindermost has a strong oblique external fold ; these teeth are small compared with the incisors of most Kangaroos. A canine tooth is present, but it is very small. The tarsi are very long and slender; the ends of the nails of the double inner toe terminate 2+ inches short of the end of the nail of the great central toe, and the tip of the nail of the outer toe is 1} inch short of the same point; the nails of the two larger toes are long, narrow, and much compressed above. The nails of the finger are rather short and broad.”
Fur very short and moderately soft; general colour buffy yellow, extending on to the outer side of the legs and the base of the tail, and gradually passing into the all but pure white of the head, ears, legs and under surface; on each side of the body just before the knee a pale rusty patch; a brownish mark com- mences about the middle of the back, runs backward over the rump, and extends to about four inches along the upper surface of the tail; arms and tarsi cream-white ; an indistinct yellowish-white mark, curving upwards, crosses the thigh at the base; middle portion of the tail brownish, the tip being clothed with a long black tuft, in the centre of which is a thinnish black nail half an inch in length and a quarter of an inch in breadth, convex above and concave beneath, considerably resembling the nail of the human finger.
feet. inches.
Wenothitrometie nOselto) therextrenibty Of tne tallies. eee gt a 4 Sem Oat cllne Sak as sen barr te ISD Serr ain pay ene eines Ea ie mesh uemend Cerna Oe, ef 2 0D) » 5, tarsus and toes, including the nail . Fat ys, arm and hand, including the nails se CY 5 » >, face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear. . a = 99 CBNE 24
One of the accompanying Plates represents the head and fore part of the body, and two views of the extremity of the tail, all of the natural size; the other Plate, reduced figures of the entire animal.
Mince & Wabton inp.
Hii
ONYCHOGALEA FRANATA, Gowa.
Bridled Nail-tailed Kangaroo.
Macropus frenatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 92.—Ib. Mon. of Macropodide, pl. .—Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 77. Onychogalea frenata, Gray, List of Mamm. in Brit. Mus., p. 88.
Tue large ears, full eyes, delicate limbs and lengthened tail of the Onychogalea frenata, conjoined with the - soft grey fur of its face and body, beautifully relieved by diverging lines of black and white, render it one of the most graceful objects that can be conceived. In its disposition it is_timid, peaceful and shy in the extreme, and the faculty of hearing, as indicated by the great development of its ears, being remarkably acute, it is exceedingly difficult to procure. It is a native of the south-eastern portions of Australia, and the locality nearest to the colony of New South Wales in which I observed it was Brezi, on the river Mokai, whence it extended into the interior as far as I had an opportunity of proceeding; Mr. Gilbert sub- sequently discovered that it was common in the thick patches of scrub which are dispersed over all parts of the Darling Downs. It inhabits all the low mountain ranges, the elevation of which varies from one to S1x hundred feet, and which are of a sterile character—hot, dry, stony, and thickly covered with shrub-like stunted trees. These situations are also the abode of the Hadmaturus dorsalis, with which I sometimes found the Onychogalea frenata associating ; but it differs from that species, which is strictly an imhabitant of the brushes, in frequenting the more open parts, and occasionally even the plains. When started from its seat, which is formed like that of a hare, beneath the shelter of a tuft of grass or a small bush, it bounds away with remarkable fleetness, generally giving the best dogs a sharp run, and frequently making its escape by gaining the thick part of the brush, or the hole of a decayed tree; one of those I procured, on being sharply pressed, mounted the inside of a tree, to an opening nearly fifteen feet from the ground; whence it leaped down before the dogs and succeeded in reaching the hollow of a fallen trunk, from which it was finally taken by the hand.
In the neighbourhood of Brezi the natives hunt this species with dogs, and often kill it with spears, bommerengs and other weapons; at Gundermein on the Lower Namoi I found myself among a tribe of natives who succeed in capturing them with nets, which, although rudely constructed, are very well adapted to the purpose. On being made acquainted with my object, they were easily induced to accompany me to a “ Brigaloe brush,” in which the present species and the Ha/maturus dorsalis were very abundant. Arriving at the skirts of the brush, the oldest men of the tribe separated from the rest, each two taking a net about twenty-five yards long by three and a half feet wide, with which they proceeded to those parts where the runs of the animals were most frequent, while the rest of the natives entered the brush on the opposite side, and with loud shouts and yells drove the Kangaroos towards the nets; by this means in a single afternoon they obtained for me as many specimens as I desired.
Its food consists of grass and various kinds of herbage, and its flesh, like that of the other small Kan- garoos, is excellent, and when procurable was eaten by me in preference to other meat.
Some diversity of colour is found to occur in examples from different localities ; those obtained by Mr. Gilbert on the Darling Downs being of a much browner hue than those I procured on the Mokai and Namoi.
Fur short and soft, general tint grey, being finely penciled with black and white; under surface of the body and inner side of the limbs white; on the cheeks a white mark, beneath which is a dusky line; ears clothed externally with grey hairs, edged with black at the apex and lined internally with white hairs ;
a
muzzle blackish in front of the eye; from the occiput two conspicuous white marks run backward, and diverging, pass one on each side over the shoulder, and recurve at a short distance behind the insertion . of the fore-leg ; the space between these lines is black on the occiput, and brownish black on the back of the neck; sides of the neck suffused with pale ochreous yellow; tarsi and arms nearly white; hands and toes dusky, but most of the hairs round the nails of the former white ; tail coloured like the body at the base, but black along the upper surface of the apical third, and at the point where the hairs being longer than elsewhere, hide a small horny tubercle with which the tail is terminated ; under surface of the tail dirty yellowish white.
The female is not distinguished by any difference in marking; the stripes are quite as intense as in the male, and are even apparent in the foetus. .
Considerable variation occurs in the weight of individuals, and particularly in the size and weight of the sexes, fully adult males weighing from ten to twelve pounds, while the females do not exceed four or six.
The following are the admeasurements of the largest specimens I have seen ; ordinarily they are about one-fifth smaller :—
Male. Female. feet. inches. feet. inches.
length fromthe mose to the rootyot the tall 5) vase 2 3 4 2 8t Sop OTOP REMO MU AML a7 mal gtielna’ sgt Lage Rigs ON ec eet Rin Miler aeas Sika a 1 i 1 3 3 ,», tarsus and toes, including the nails 0 64 0 5 i », arm and hand, including the nails atreae 0 5 0 4
4 ,, face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear . 0 oe 0 on
os by CBU 0 3t 0 34
The Plate represents a male about three-fourths of the natural size.
a Reg
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a Clk
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ONYCHOGALEA LUNATA, Gould.
Lunated Nail-tailed Kangaroo.
Macropus lunatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 93.—Gray, List of Mamm. in Brit. Mus., p. 88.— Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 79.
Wuen writing upon the Birds of Australia I frequently had occasion to allude to the very remarkable manner in which different species of the same form represent each other on opposite parts of the conti- nent; and that a similar law of representation exists among the Mammals, is evidenced by the present and preceding species, which, although most nearly allied, inhabit portions of the country as widely apart as if seas had flowed between, as at some distant period was probably the case. We have no evidence that they approach each other in the interior of the country, as neither of them have yet been discovered within the limits of the intervening colony of South Australia; consequently they must be regarded as beautiful repre- sentatives of each other in the respective countries they inhabit.
Although assimilating in form and markings to the Onychogalea frenata, the present species is certainly less ornamental, and is also much smaller in all its dimensions. The habits and economy of the two species are very similar; both exhibit a remarkable degree of shyness and timidity, and seek safety in flight upon the slightest alarm. I had no opportunity of observing it in a state of nature myself, but Mr. Gilbert’s notes inform me that “ the aurong,,” by which name it is known to the natives, ‘is found in the gum forests of the interior of Western Australia, where there are patches of thick scrub and dense thickets, in the open glades intervening between which it is occasionally seen sunning itself, but at the slightest alarm imme- diately betakes itself to the shelter of the thick scrub; the dogs sometimes succeed in driving it out to the open spots, when, like the Kangaroo rats, it runs to the nearest hollow log, and is then easily captured. I remarked, that when sitting quietly cleaning itself, there was a constant twitching of the tail in an upward direction; an action which I have never seen performed by any other Kangaroo. I was not sufficiently near to ascertain whether this motion of the tail had any connection with the claw or nail at its extremity, but I think it not improbable. The aurong makes no nest, but forms a hollow in the soft ground beneath a thick brush in which it lies during the heat of the day.”
Fur soft and of moderate length; general tint ashy grey, finely pencilled with dusky and yellowish white ; back of the neck and shoulders vinous rust-colour; a short distance behind the base of the fore-leg a distinct curved white mark; under surface of the body pale grey, the hairs tipped with dirty white; on the sides of the body a faint rusty tint, more distinct in some specimens than in others; around the eye a ring of pale rust-colour, and the muzzle suffused with the same tint; ear clothed with long white hairs within, and externally with very minute dusky hairs finely freckled with yellowish white; on the hinder half the hairs are longer and almost white, at the apex a delicate fringe of blackish hairs; fore-feet in some speci- mens brown, in others dirty white; tarsi chiefly dirty white, but the sides of the toes suffused with pale brown; tail clothed for the most part with short adpressed hairs, having a general greyish tint; on the upper surface the hairs are somewhat lengthened, and on the apical portion they form a slight crest which is usually blackish ; at the tip of the tail is a small conical horny appendage like a nail, of about an eighth of an inch in length.
Male.
ft. in.
Length from the nose to the root of the tail 1 8 5, of the tail Sere Gir Mamcre ane 0 12 Bs », tarsus and toes including the nails 0 48 oe yo anm aud: handancludine: the nailsy 0 4) 5 4) © 0 a
5 » face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear . 0 3 29 29 ear 0 QL
It is to be regretted that this as well as all other Kangaroos lose the delicate tints of their colouring on exposure to light; so much so in the present instance, that Museum and recent specimens could scarcely be considered as identical.
The Plate represents the two sexes rather under the natural size.
LAGORCHESTES FASCIATUS.
Banded Hare-Kangaroo.
Kangarus fasciatus, Péron et Lesueur, Voy. aux Terr. Aust., tom. i. p. 114. pl. 27.—Desm. Mamm.., part i. p. 274. Halmaturus elegans, Cuv. Regne Anim., tom. i. p. 187.
Bettongia fasciata, Gould, Mon. of Macropodidz, pl.
Lagorchestes albipilis, Gould, Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist., vol. x. 1842, p. 2.
Macropus (Lagorchestes) fasciatus, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 87.
I pevieve that this beautiful species is noticed for the first time in the Voyage of the celebrated Dampier, but MM. Péron and Lesueur are undoubtedly entitled to the credit of making it known to science. _ It was during their voyage to the ‘‘ Terres Australes,” and while exploring the western coasts of Australia, that they met with it on Dirk Hartogs and the neighbouring islands, where it was found among the impenetrable low thickets formed of a species of Mimosa; “from these bushes,” says MM. Peron and Lesueur, “ it cuts away the lower branches and spines so as to form galleries communicating one with another, in which it takes refuge in time of danger. The females bring forth but one young one at a time. Although abundant on the islands, none were to be found on the main land. These little Kangaroos, like all feeble animals which have neither the power of attack nor of defence, are extremely timid. The slightest noise caused them to take flight to the thick brushwood in which their galleries are constructed, and where it is impossible to pursue them; hence, although very common, they are difficult to procure.” Although the above-mentioned naturalists were unable to discover the animal on the main land, the researches of more recent travellers, aided by the facilities afforded by the colonization of the country, have shown that it is not only abundant there, but enjoys a most extensive range. Mr. Gilbert found it far in the interior of the Swan River Colony, and Mr. Eyre, one of the most indefatigable of Australian explorers, states that he frequently observed it in the Murray Scrub of South Australia; here then we have a range of many thousand square miles of country as the known habitat of this beautiful species, and we may consequently infer, that every intermediate district between Southern and Western Australia favourable to its habits is tenanted by it. Mr. Gilbert states that it is called MJarnine by the natives of the interior of Western Australia, and is only to be found in densely thick scrubs, on flats and on the edges of swamps, where the small brush JJe/aleuca grows so thickly, that it is almost impossible for a man to force his way through; its runs being under this, the animal escapes even the quick eye of a native. The only possible means of obtaining it is by having a number of natives to clear the spot, and two or three with dogs and guns to watch for it.
During an excursion into the interior Mr. Gilbert was so fortunate as to cross one of its haunts, but so dense was the vegetation, that after three days of severe toil, he was only able to secure a single specimen ; he adds, that it appears to run in company with the Damas, which being more numerous were continually presenting themselves and disappointing him, the vegetation being much too thick to distinguish the one from the other until after they had been shot. The natives are in the habit of burning these thickets at intervals of three years, and by this means destroy very great numbers ; and this, in fact, appears to be the only plan they could very well adopt for capturing both the Aarnine and the Dama, for the mere treading down an open space, as is done at King George’s Sound, will not answer here: the specimen he procured was a male, and weighed three pounds and three-quarters.
From the period of MM. Péron and Lesueur’s Voyage in 1800—1804 until 1842, when M. Priess, a German naturalist, visited Western Australia, no example of this little Kangaroo was sent to Europe. The specimens from which the description published by the former gentlemen was taken, still form part of the collection of the ‘ Jardin des Plantes” at Paris, but from long exposure to a powerful light, and their muzzles having in the course of time become denuded of hair, their appearance is so much altered, that I was induced to believe that the animal brought home by M. Priess was both generically and specifically distinct ; and therefore, while, from their apparently naked muzzles, I placed the Paris animals in the genus Bettongia, 1 referred the recently received specimen to the genus Lagorchestes, and gave it the name of L. alvepilis; this error has been corrected by Mr. Waterhouse, who, after a careful examination and
comparison of specimens, satisfied himself that they were identical,—an opinion in which I now entirely coincide.
The flesh is said to resemble that of the rabbit, but has a slight aromatic flavour, arising probably from the nature of the plants on which they feed, nearly all of which are fragrant.
When MM. Péron and Lesueur visited the islands, all the females carried young in their pouch, and the devotedness with which they sought to save their offspring was truly admirable; although wounded they flew with the young in the pouch, and never left them until, overcome with fatigue and loss of blood, they could no longer carry them; they then stopped, and squatting themselves on their hind-legs, helped the young to get out of the pouch by means of the fore-feet, and sought to place them in a situation favourable for retreat.
Mr. Gilbert states that it makes no nest, but when on the plains squats precisely like a hare.
‘The sexes are very similar, and may be thus described :—
The fur is very long and soft; its general colour greyish, variegated with black, white, and rusty red, the latter colour being most conspicuous round the eyes; on the back are numerous narrow, transverse black bands; these are somewhat irregular and not well-defined; the spaces between the bands are partly of a rusty red, and partly whitish; the white joins the dark band, and is gradually shaded into the rusty red, to be followed by the next dark band; over the whole of the upper surface, sides and cheeks are numerous very long interspersed hairs, which have the exposed portion white, but, like the ordinary fur, are nearly black at the root; under surface dirty white, with a considerable admixture of grey; the ears are clothed with lengthened Aine hairs internally, and externally with short hairs finely freckled with brownish black and white; fore-feet dirty rust-red ; tarsi pale rusty red penciled with blackish; sides of both tarsi and toes pale brown; tail tolerably well covered with short adpressed brownish grey hairs; on the under side the hairs are somewhat longer and of a brownish white; on the upper surface is a narrow blackish streak, and on the apical third the hairs are lengthened, and form a small dark crest at the point; they are sometimes an inch in length.
The Plate represents an adult male about the size of life.
he a ne ANN 0 SERRE D LITLE OL OED:
pmo © SACIOUO TAT Sa S AHO WOOVT
LAGORCHESTES LEPOROIDES, Gowda.
Hare Kangaroo.
Macropus Leporides, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part viii. p. 93.—Waterh. in Jard. Nat. Lib. M arsupialia, p. 204.
Lagorchestes Leporoides, Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, pl. .—Gray, List of Spec. of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 95.
Macropus (Lagorchestes) Leporoides, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 82.
Tue name of Hare Kangaroo has been given to this species, as much from the similarity of its size and the colour and texture of its fur, as from its habits assimilating in many particulars to those of that animal. I usually found it solitary, and sitting close in a well-formed seat under the shelter of a tuft of grass on the open plains. For a short distance its fleetness is beyond that of all others of its group that I have had an oppor- tunity of coursing ; its powers of leaping are also equally extraordinary, in proof of which I may mention an incident connected with the chase of the animal which occurred to myself. While out on the plains in South Australia I started a Hare Kangaroo before two fleet dogs; after running to the distance of a quarter of a mile, it suddenly doubled and came back upon me, the dogs following close at its heels ; I stood per- fectly still until the animal had arrived within twenty feet before it observed me, when to my astonishment, instead of branching off to the right or to the left, it bounded clear over my head, and on descending to the ground I was enabled to make a successful shot, by which it was procured.
Considerable diversity of colour is observable in different specimens, some being much redder than others ; but the sexes are scarcely distinguishable in size.
I have but little doubt that this animal enjoys a wide range over the interior of New South Wales ; it certainly inhabits the Liverpool Plains as well as those in the neighbourhood of the Namoi and the Gwydyr, from all of which localities I have received numerous examples ; it is equally certain that it is found on the grassy plains of South Australia, for I not only found it there myself, but specimens have since been sent to me from thence by the late Mr. Strange. Now as the character of all these districts is very similar, it is probable that the Hare Kangaroo is equally abundant in the intermediate countries as it is in those above mentioned ; as yet, I have never seen specimens in collections from the Northern or Western portions of Australia.
The following is Mr. Waterhouse’s description of the character of the fur and the colouring of this animal, which being taken from my own specimen, and more minute than that given by myself in the «« Proceedings of the Zoological Society,” is here transcribed.
‘Fur long and soft ; on the upper parts of the body variegated with black, rust-colour and rusty white, the white most conspicuous and the rust-colour but little seen ; the back of the neck and shoulders, and a considerable space round each eye tinted with palish rust-colour, sometimes inclining to buffy yellow; sides of the body and haunches suffused with rust-colour ; under parts greyish white tinted with rust-colour, but nearly pure white between the hind legs; fore legs with a more or less strongly marked black patch, at the base externally (or behind the elbow), but the hairs on this part are pencilled with white; fore arm and hand with short brown hairs, pencilled with very pale brown; on the middle of the tibia is a dusky patch ; tarsi impure palish rust-colour finely freckled with brown ; toes brownish ; tail clothed throughout with small adpressed hairs, which are partly black and partly white ; beneath brownish white ;” nails of the hind feet very long, pointed, and jet-black.
The figure is about the natural size; if at all different, it is a trifle less.
FEET IS RRS At Res ee mri ars tS
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AMY, VOU BP POPUP UY VY
-LAGORCHESTES HIRSUTUS, Gow.
Rufous Hare Kangaroo.
Lagorchestes hursutus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc. 1844, p. 32. Macropus (Lagorchestes) hirsutus, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. 1. p. 92.
Aut the examples I have seen of this species, some of which are at the British Museum, and the remainder in my own collection, have been procured in Western Australia, whence they were sent to this country by Mr. Gilbert; judging from the size of Lagorchestes fasciatus, 1 should suppose that the present animal would weigh about four or six pounds, the weight of a moderate-sized hare. The lengthened shaggy reddish hairs, which are abundantly distributed over the lower part of the back, and particularly near the base of the tail, at once distinguish it from all the other members of the genus. The only note trans- mitted by Mr. Gilbert, respecting the habits of the species, is as follows :—
‘Tt has a hairy muzzle: in its habits it assimilates in an equal degree to those of the Bettongie and the Lagorchesti. Yt constructs a burrow, open at both ends, with a seat at the side of the entrance, from which it plunges into the burrow the instant it is alarmed. It feeds on the open country adjacent to the thickets, where there is a low thick scrub about two feet high: when running, and particularly when hunted, it utters a singular note, resembling the syllable mg rather quickly repeated. Some slight difference is found to exist in specimens from various localities, which I presume must be regarded as due to the difference of situation, and nothing more.” He adds, that it is called Wo0-rup by the Aborigines of the interior of Western Australia, who appear to give the name of Mor-da to the animal during the period of immaturity; at all events, the young example sent by him with that name attached to it, is undoubtedly the young of the present species. Both the adult and the young were procured in the Walyemara district.
Mr. Waterhouse having given a very accurate description of this animal from the specimens in the British Museum, I take the liberty of transcribing it :—
‘The fur is long and moderately soft; the upper parts of the body grey, much tinted with rufous brown and freely pencilled with white; the sides of the body, rump, hind- and fore-legs are of a bright rust-red, deepest on the hinder and palest on the fore-legs; the throat, chest and mesial line of the belly rusty white ; crown of the head grey; a broad space around the eye is of a bright, but palish rust-red, which tint extends on to the muzzle; a whitish line on the upper lip runs back past the angle of the mouth; ear clothed inter- nally with somewhat lengthened white hairs, externally they are pencilled with rusty yellow and dusky, the former being, however, the prevailing tint; the hinder half is almost entirely clothed with small white hairs ; the fore-feet are clothed with glistening yellowish white hairs; the tarsus is almost entirely of a pale rusty red, but is of a rusty white towards the hinder part, and the toes are obscurely suffused with brownish rust-red ; the tail is clothed throughout with short, stiff, adpressed hairs, scarcely hiding the scaly skin ; they are finely pencilled with black and rust-red at the base of the tail, but on the upper surface they assume an uniform brownish black tint, which is continued to the point; on the under surface they are of a dirty pale rust-red, and towards the apex is a naked scaly space of about an inch in length; the fur of the back is nearly black next the skin, but a considerable portion of each hair is of a brownish rust-red; near the point the hairs are broadly annulated with white, and at the point they are dusky or black ; on the belly the fur is ashy grey next the skin.”
The figure is rather less than the natural size.
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LEAL EL Lars
EL LEL SM LLL L
LLL] UL, P PLPLOLLTZPLY
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LAGORCHESTES CONSPICILLATA, Gouid.
Spectacled Hare Kangaroo.
Lagorchestes conspicillatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part ix. p. 82.—Ib. Mon. of Macropodide, pl. — Gray, List of Spec. of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 95. Macropus (Lagorchestes) conspicillatus, Waterh. Nat. Hist. of Mamm., vol. i. p. 85.
I nave again to offer my thanks to the Officers of H.M.S. Beagle for subjects they have contributed to my illustrations of Australian zoology, and especially for the loan of two fine specimens of this highly interesting Lagorchestes, the second species yet discovered of this beautiful form. It is to Capt. Wickham and Mr. Bynoe that science is indebted for its discovery. It was procured on Barrow Island, which lies off the north-western coast of Australia, about thirty miles from the main land. The two specimens collected’ by those gentlemen are fortunately male and female, and hence the subject is rendered so much the more complete. The specimen sent me by Captain Wickham has, by his desire, been presented to the national collection at the British Museum, and his example will, I feel assured, be followed by my esteemed friend Mr. Bynoe, as no exertion should be spared to render that collection, already so fine, as complete as possible.
This species is rather less in size than the Lagorchestes Leporoides, from which it is distinguished by its fur being more dense and harsh to the touch, by the extreme blackness of the basal part of the hair, by the shortness of its ears, by the want of the black patch at the base of the arm, and by the red colouring around the eyes being of a more brilliant rusty hue than in that animal.
The sexes are alike in colour and size.
The above was published in my ‘Monograph of the Macropodide ’ nearly twenty years ago ; and, as Barrow Island has not been visited since, we have not received any additional examples of this very distinct species of Lagorchestes. Both the specimens above alluded to are in the British Museum.
Fur very long, dense, and rather soft to the touch; on the back it is of a black colour next the skin, yellowish white towards the apex, shaded into deeper yellow still nearer to the point, and black at the point ; on the lower part of the back the portion of each hair which is yellow on the back is