[Illustration: GIANT KANGAROOS.]
The Kangaroos vary in size, some being, when erect, as tall as a Man,
while others are not so large as a Rabbit. They are remarkable for the
small size of their fore-legs in proportion to their hind ones, and the
slender make of the fore parts of their body. When eating, their
fore-feet are placed on the ground, but they usually sit upright,
resting entirely on the hind-feet and tail, with the body slightly bent
forwards.
There are a few species, however, in which the body is in better
proportion. In the Tree Kangaroos of New Guinea, for instance, the tail
is very bushy, and the fore-legs almost as long as the hind ones.
The Great Kangaroo inhabits New South Wales, and Southern and Western
Australia. It lives on low grassy hills and plains in the open parts of
the country, feeding upon the low bushes and herbage, and sheltering
itself in the high grass during the heat of the day.
The Jerboa Kangaroo is so called on account of the length and
slenderness of its hind-legs similar to those of the Jerboa Rats.
“Like other members of this family, the Jerboa,” says Mr. Gould,
“constructs a thick grassy nest, which is placed in a hollow, scratched
in the ground for its reception, so that when completed it is only level
with the surrounding grass, which it so closely resembles that, without
a careful survey, it may be passed unnoticed.
“The site chosen for the nest is the foot of a bush, or any large tuft
of grass. During the day it is generally tenanted by one, and sometimes
by a pair of these little creatures, which, lying coiled in the centre,
are perfectly concealed from view. There being no apparent outlet, it
would seem that after they have crept in, they drag the grass completely
over the entrance, when the whole is so like the surrounding herbage
that it is scarcely perceptible. The natives, however, rarely pass
without detecting it, and almost invariably kill the sleeping inmates,
by dashing their tomahawks or heavy clubs at the nest.
“The most curious circumstance connected with the history of the Jerboa
Kangaroo is the mode in which it collects the grasses for its nest,
carrying them with its tail, which is strongly prehensile; and, as may
be easily imagined, their appearance when leaping towards their nests,
with their tails loaded with grasses, is exceedingly grotesque and
amusing.
“The usual resorts of the Jerboa Kangaroo are low grassy hills and dry
ridges, thickly intersected with trees and bushes. It is a nocturnal
animal, lying curled up in the shape of a ball during the day, and going
forth as night approaches in search of food, which consists of grasses
and roots; the latter being procured by scratching and burrowing, for
which its fore-claws are admirably adapted. When startled from its nest,
it bounds with amazing rapidity, and always seeks the shelter of a
hollow tree, a small hole in a rock, or some similar place of refuge.”