Page:The mammals of Australia Gould vol 2.djvu/20

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 M. 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 considered 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 being 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 unfrequently 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."