The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-01-14
Our 0liu.
The kangaroo.

known opossum Of the Southern States,
inhabitants of Australia and the Indian
Archipelago.
The popularity which gives the greatest
interest to this group of animals is the sin
gular pouch found in the female marsupials
! In this pouch the young pass the early
period Of their life. BY degrees, as they
grow older, they put their heads out of the
living cradle in order to survey the world
I at leisure. In few weeks more they gain
sufficient strength to leave the pouch en-
tirely, and to frisk about under the guard
I ianship of their mother. who, however, is
! always ready, if there is any rumor of dan
ger, to receive them again into their hiding
/ place and, if any necessity for flight should
present itself. she flies from the dangerous
] locality. carrying her young with her.
The largest of this class of animals Is the
I celebrated giant kangaroo of Australia.
4 The average dimensions of the adult male
are generally as follows The total length
| is about seven feet six inches, counting from
the nose to the tip of the tail the head
and body exceed four feet, and the tail Is
rather more than three feet in length; the
/ circumference of the tail at its base Is about
foot. When it sits erect after its curious
/ fashion, supported by its hindquarters and
I tail. its height Is rather more than fifty
I inches: but when it wishes 10 survey the
country. and stands erect upon It's toes, 1t
surpasses in height many a wellgTown
man.
( According to circumstances, these AMI
mails walk or leap and the tail in either
case plays great part. la walking they
+ FIRST place their feet on the ground then,
( leaning on those which are in front aud on
{ their tail stretched out ikea rigid bar they
raise their hinder parts, bringing up At the
same time their two hind legs close to their
two fore legs aud moving the latter for
ward to begin again the same maneuyer.
One can understand that they cannot
move very quickly in this way, and 50 they
have recourse to another expedient when
they are pursued. or when they want to leap
over any obstacle which they find IN their
way. The forelegs then remain unemploy
ed. hanging idly along the body. S9uatting
on it. hind legs, the tail stiff and leaning On
the ground ike prop, a It does when the
animal Is walking. the kangaroo bounds IS
If il were propelled forward BY a spring.
and alights a little farther on, where 1t be
gins the same exercise over again and thus
on indefinitely. tall It chooses 80 stop
The larger specics of kangaroo clear n
much a thirty feet in length in a singlc
bound. and can jump iTum seven TO eight
= I L. =
than 10 see them tEavcrsing space with rhc
rapidiiy of an srrow. and, ike the TItans
We read of in mythology. receiving fresh
yigor every time they touch the ground
As the kangaroo Is , valuable animal. nai
ouly for the sase Of il skin, but on aocoant
of its hesh.-which Is IN ssHne estimation
among the human inhabitants Of its native
land.-it j. eagerly sought after by hunters,
both white and black. and affords good
snort 10 both on acooant o. is speed. ~
vis,ur and is wariness. The native hupteT,
who trusts chiefly 10 his own cunning and
address far stealing unotSrrycd upon thc
animal and lodging spear IN IL body be
I fore il Is able to elude It's subtle enemy.
finds the kangaroo an animal which viii
test al his powers before he can attain has
object
The male kangaroo, or boomer. i =
dangerous antagonist 10 man and dog. and
+ unless destroyed BY missile weapons, viii
often prove none than = mafch fer ,he
combined efforts Of man snd beast When
the animal finds that it Is being run down
by the swift and powerful kangaroo does-
which are bred for the express purpose u
7 chasing this one kind of prey, IL turns sud
denly to bay, and placing IT. back against
tree trunk 20 that l. cannot b. attacked
from behind patigntly awaits the onset IT
is adversaries, Should an unwary dog ap-
preach within too close distance Of the
kangaroo the animal launches 50 terrible
blow with as hinier foot that the long and
pointed claw with which that Zoo, is armed
cuts ike knife, and has often laid open
the entire body of the dog with single
blow
FIGHT WITH a KANGAROO.
Mid and innocent as the kangaroo hooks,
Ia bring him to bay is only half way to-
wards eopauering him. He may take 10 a
water.hoie, and standing therein and sciEing
the dogs as they approach him, thrust them
under water, holding this one At the bottom
with his hinder feet, and this one hy the
mare Of the neck with his hand-like fore
paws. till death by drowning ,hins the pack
very considerably.
+ Should the hunter bring the kangaroo 10
+ bay on land, the animal viii fight desper
ately for his life Each of his hind legs Is
/ furnished with claw as Formidable as A
! boars tusk, and woe betide the dog that
comes within the range of lunge Of either
of them or, worse still if the kangaroo
should catch his assailant IN his fore-arms ;
there he win hold him till he Is Aayed from
/ chest To tail That even man may not at
tack the kangaroo with impunity may be
shown by the following incident:
had commenced the attack with my
dogs. one of which had been seized and
treated in the uneeremoni0us fashion above
noticed. Exasperated by the irreparable
loss of poor Trip, hastened to its revenge,
nothing doubling that with one fell swoop
I of nv formidable club my enemy would be
PROSTATE at my feet Alas decay and the
I still more remorseless white ants frustrated
my intentions, and all but left me victim
I to my strange and active foe
No sooner had the heavy blow | aimed
descended on his head than my weapon
shivered into thousand pieces (the heart
of it had been eaten out by the white ants,
"a customary practice with these interest
ing insects); and | found myself in the
giant embrace of my antagonist, who was
! hugging me with rather too warm dem
onstration of friendship and ripping at me
in way by no means pleasant My only
remaining dog, too, now thoroughly ex-
hausted BY wounds and loss Of blood, and
apparently quite satisfied of her masters
superiority, remained a mute and motionless
spectator of the new and unequal contest.
Notwithstanding my utmost efforts to
release myself from the grasp of the brute,
they were unayailing, and found my
strength gradually diminishing while, at
the same time, my sight was obscured by
the blood which now flowed freely from a
deep wound extending from the back part
of my head over the whole length of my
face. | was, in fact, becoming an easy prey
to the kangaroo, who continued to insert