The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1884-10-03
WHOLE NO. 795
AUSTRALIAN SPORTS.
Hunting the Kangaroo and Horse
Racing, Shooting, and Coursing.


by Jove! look at that fruit stand"
said A. A. Clayton. of Melbourne, to a
Chronicle reporter the other day. I'VE
have no such display as that anywhere
in the colonies. The first thing that
struck me on my arrival here was the
wealth Of your fruit market. Oh, Ger.
tainly we grow good fruit The or
ange groves of Paramatta, in New
South Wales, are famous ali over the
colonies, and there is tremendous ex-
port from Port Jackson to all parts of
the continent. They were tried in
Victoria, but orange culture proved a
failure in that colony. Do think we
would import oranges from California?
No; decidedly not. Good oranges sell
there for 20 cents q dozen, and we can
afford that"
"a very dismal picture was drawn
OF the colony of New South Wales a
short time ago. Is it really in a bad
wayp"
'.It is. The interests there are of
wool, and a friend of mine tells me it
was perfectly pltiable to see the vari.
Gus stations. Men were continually
riding round shooting sheep, in order
to put them out of their misery. Thou
sands were dying for want of water,
and in many instances they were driven
long distances for water. The country
for miles was as bare rs the palm of
your hand"
What is your most interesting sport
in Australia"
"Kangarooing. 1t Is one of the most
xciting sports in the world. Large
meets are organized, parties of from
twenty to thirty joining in these hunts.
They ride to the kangaroo grounds,
and one is sighted, the dogs are releas.
ed and the horses are given their
heads. If the Australian horse is well
up in his business. and if you let him
take you instead of you trying to take
him, he will carry you safely, avoiding
the trees and underbrush. A good
strong kangaroo will give you long
chase, and very often the dogs cannot
follow him. In this case, when the
horseman gets up TO the kangaroo, he
takes off his stirrup and strap and
knocks the animal over the head. which
ettectually stuns him. He is then kill
ed and skinned. The hindquarters are
given to the dogs. Yes. it is good
enough eating. but too strong to be
palatabie TO those of delicate taste.
The tail, on the contrary, is considered
by epicures to be delicious when made
into SOUP"
Does the kangaroo ever kill the
dogsP"
Yes; the kangaroo is very powerful
with his hind legs, and will strike at
the dogs with them. cutting them into
pieces. You know the spring they
make is from the tail and the hind legs.
They are wonderful creatures, for they
travel just as rapidly when they carry
their young with them in the pouch"
"How high are theyp'
"Ihe average size is about four and
half feet high, but the 'old-man
kangaroo is often six feet high, and is
very fierce when cornered, and is
known to have ripped men open with
single kick from one of his hind legs.
You know we imported foxes from
home into Victoria, just for sport, and
they have become horrid nuisance,
especially around Geelong and Ballar-
at, and the most ardent votaries of
sport have no hesitation in shooting
them whenever they have q chance"
do you ever shoot tho kangaroosp"
YES, sometimes; but of course
there is not so much sport as there is
in riding. We take well-trained dogs,
which round them and run them past
you; then we have the opportunity to
fire at them, aiming at the head, for il
you strike them elsewhere it does not
take much effect, and besides it spoils
the skin"
"What do you do with the skinP"
The skin is very useful. 1t makes
good rugs, and boots and shoes are al
so made from it. tell you, there is
another sport that is largely INDUCED
in, and that is swan shooting. We 90
out rs much for the flesh, but it is
rather strong eating. There are any
amount of black swans to be found
in the colonies, but the white variety is
somewhat of a rarity. Occasionally
we 60 in for pelican shooting, bat the
bird is dying out and in few years I
do not think we will have any left.
The greatest sport think we have ia
hare coursing. The dogs are trained.
and we have regular meets. We have
a man whom we call the Slipper who
has the dogs in leash and Is on foot.
The judge. who is mounted, follows
close on his heels. They 60 along I'M
til the hare is started, but both dogs
must catch sight of the hare before
they are slipped. so as to give them
both n fair chance, They are then,
loosed, the Judge follows, and the
dog that oftenest turns the hare wins
the prize. You know that often the
dog which kills the hare loses the prize.
Should the hare come on fence, the
dog that jumps it gets the prize, even
though he may not have turned the
hare as many times as his rival"
"How do the Americans compare
with the English in the coloniesp''
''By Joye! you are looked on as q
very smart race. Everything or any
thing that is American is regarded as
something extraordinary. You know
we took the idea from you of having
trotting matches; before we did only
races. But Miller. q pugilist,
brought over trotting horse from the
United States, and since then-that is
three years now-trotting has become
somewhat fashionable. and am really
Of opinion that soon they will be
patronized fully as we'll as our running
races. You should see how our ladies
20 to the races. They dress then more
than they do for ball or u court re-
,eption. know of one lady who had
her dress beaded with diamonds and
lad it deposited in the bank for safety