Page:Mammals of Australia (Gould), introduction.djvu/28

 of its parents; at length it drops from this lacteal attachment into the pouch, re-attaches itself when hunger prompts it so to do, and as often again tumbles off when its wants have been supplied. It is scarcely necessary to say that, after gaining sufficient strength, it leaves this natural pocket of the mother, leaps into the open air and sports about the plains or the forest, as the case may be, and returns again to its warm home, until at length the wearied mother denies it this indulgence and proceeds again to comply with the law which governs all creatures, that of reproduction. This is a very low form of animal life, indeed the lowest among the Mammalia, and exhibits the first stage beyond the development of the bird.

This description has reference not only to the Kangaroos, which mostly have but one young at a time, but is equally descriptive of the other members of. this group, some of which have two, while others have three or four, and others, the Phascogalæ for instance, eight or nine at a birth; but in all cases, even with these large numbers, the young hang to the mammæ in the way I have described.

Independently of the low structure of the brain and the low form of reproduction of the Kangaroos, I ought to mention that two little bones have been expressly provided for the support of the marsupium; there is also a considerable difference in the dentition, as well as in the form of the lower jaw, by which this group of animals may at all times be distinguished. I have not failed to observe much disparity in size in the Marsupiata; they seem to be always growing; for the males get larger and still larger for years, even long after they have commenced the duty of reproduction, and hence individuals of all sizes occur, and occasionally one extraordinarily large may be met with. I have observed this in all the Marsupials, but particularly among the Kangaroos. The great herds of the grey species, Macropus major, are frequently headed by an enormous male, or Boomer as he is called. Like the "rogue Elephants" of Ceylon, these patriarchs are often solitary, and are generally very savage.