248 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE.

five feet six inches; its fore legs are very short; its hind ones
very long. Its tail is from three to four feet in length, and its
strength is such, that a stroke of it will break a man’s leg.
The Kangaroo moves by great leaps or bounds of from twelve
to twenty feet. It is covered with a short soft fur, of a reddish
ash-colour. It feeds on vegetables, and has a pouch for its
young, like the opossum. Mr. Cunningham says: “The
Kangaroos make no use of the short fore legs, except in
grazing. When chased, they hop upon their hind legs, bound-
ing onward at a most amazing rate, the tail wagging up and
down as they leap, and serving them for a balance. They
will bound over gulleys and deep declivities, and fly right
over the tops of low brush wood.” There are several varieties
of this animal; one of which, called the Rat Kangaroo, is
only the size of a rabbit; another, called the Tree Kangaroo,
can hop about on trees in an extraordinary manner and is
furnished with curved claws, on its fore paws, similar to those
of the sloth, by which he can lay hold of the branches.
Kangaroo Kangaroo hunting is a favourite Australian sport.
Hunting. It is not unattended with danger either to dogs
or men, the sharp claws and powerful hind legs of the anima!
making it a formidable enemy at close quarters. Dawson in his
“Present State of Australia” says: “A full-sized ‘wool man’
at bay always sits on his haunches, and when he rises to
move forward, he stands four, or four and a half feet high.
In this manner, he will, when pressed, meet a man, and hug
and scratch him, if not.to death, in such a way that he does
not soon forget it. When hard pressed, and near to water,
the kangaroo always takes it; if it be deep water, and the
dogs follow him, one or the other is almost sure to be drowned.
If a single dog, the kangaroo is nearly certain to come off
victorious, by taking his assailant in his fore arms, and holding
him under water till he is dead; but, if he has two dogs
opposed to him, he is not left at liberty to hold either of
his opponents long enough under water to drown him, and