Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-06-04


little known, except to those who have
been in Australial that q quite detailed
description of tile more prominent of
the numerous varieties of the species
and OF their characteristics and habits
rs seen in their native wilds-will I'M
doubtedly be gilmore than ordinary in
terest. Generally speaking, the animal
is timid and graceful, and from its nat
ural disposition, as well as from the
beauty and g,ace of the form and car
riagc Of its lead, one would be almost
persuaded teithink it belonged to the
''decr'' family. Its hearing and sight
are both cry acute; the forclegs are
very short and are used merely TO rest
upon when the animal lowers it's head
to feed. It is furnished with long and
powerfulhind legs or toes armed with
Formidable claws, and upon these, in
conjunction with its powerful tail, it rests
whenever alarmed and sitting upright.
The hid legs and the tail are also the
means of locomotion, the fore legs
hanging as useless appendages from
the fore quarters when the animal is
running, serving perhaps in some slight
degree rs balancing weights. Its speed
is great on level ground and in ascend
ing a hill equaling that of an ordinary
hound, but the animal is easily over
taken by dog or horse when descending
a declivitN though but a slight one.
A1ts running movement consists entirely
in a series of leaps or bounds, the full
grown kangaroo jumping about twelve
feet at one bound. The flesh of the
kangaroo is lean and insipid, not palat-
able to Europeans, but eaten with gusto
by the natives and bushmen. The car
cass oftentimes is found to weigh two
hundred pounds. The tail makes de-
licious soup, and as a rule is the only
part of the animal which is eaten by
Europeans. The sinews of the tail are
used by the aborigines as thread; some
of the bones as needles, and the teeth
either as ornaments for the hair, or as
barbs to "mutachs," the fishing spear
of the natives. THE aborigines also
utilize the feet of the kangaroo in many
ways. The hide of the animal is valu-
able, and often used by Europeans in
making fine boots and shoes, leggins,
pouches, mats and other articles requir-
ing strong and pliable leather. The
kangaroo family consists of many va
rieties. The great grey kangaroo and
the red kangaroo are the largest Of
all, some individual specimens of which
stand six feet in height. The adult
male members of the gray kangaroo
variety are styled by sportsmen and ma
tives fold men, and these old men,
when attacked by dogs and hunters,
fight iercely and desperately to the last.
OF the red variety, the male and female
are dlbbod respectively, fred soldier"
and 'sblue-tlier,' the former being of a
large size and good fighter, whilst the
latter is swiftest-footed of all the kanga-
roo tribe, it's nimblencss often putting
to severe test the speed of the best
kangaroo dog. The wallaroo is a large
specimen and very handsome. The fe-
male has a pretty coat Of dark red upon
the back, with light gray interblended
with Ted upon the belly, and a light
gray colored caudal a%ppendage. They
inhahit the rocks and rough sections of
the forests. The adult wallaroo, when
set upon by the hunters dogs, seldom
runs far, but turns short upon his pur-
spers and gives battle. His method of
fighting is Somewhat remarkable. Ow-
ing to the rocky nature of their habita-
tibn the great claws on the hind feet
ate worn away very blunt, and hence
they never attempt to rip open the dogs
after the manner of some of the other
kangaroos, but actually bite their
attackers. an anomalous pro-
cedure for a marsupial.
| On first coming to bay, the animal will
| either get into a waterhole o. back up
against some tree or rock, and with
great cilmness receive the dogs, and as
| they come on will strike down one or
two with his hind legs and hold them on
the ground, which if the ground hap
pens to be at the bottom of a water
hole usually browns them. The other
dogs will then be received by the two
little forepaws and be Rugged and Bit
ten savagely. The next in size is the
wallahy, a species of kangaroo that in
habits either rocky places or scrub
bush. The adult is a little larger than
a good-sized common house cat. 1t is
perhaps the prettiest of the family as to
color. The back is a handsome dark
chocolate, which gradually fades into a
light yellow upon the belly. The tail is
a black and covered with long hair. The
face with it's light yellow cheeks and
black forehead is prettily cortrasted
in colors. The rock wallaby and the
bush warlaby are easily captured in the
hunt, as they have a habit of standing
motionless and surveying the hunter,
apparently with an eye of curiosity,
before making off. This is also to some
extent q trait of most other varieties OF
the kangaroo. Closely allied to the bush
wallabyis the variety known IN the ma
tive %vernacular as "Paddy Mellow" a
corruption of "Paddy MALTA" a pc
culiar stick. two feet in length. with a
knob at one end, called nulla nul]a,
with which the aboriginees kill this kind
of kangaroo. ''Paddy Mellow" inhabits
the denser brush or jungles, and is more
easily obtained, by reason Of his slower
movements, than any of the other vari-
cites of the species. The native regard
him as a most savory article Of food in
deed; so highly is he priced in this re-
spect that they do not allow his skin
and e~ntrails to go to- waste, but cook
him whole. While thus cooking the
animal the natives sit around the fire,
the males nearest, with their gins
(wives), lubeas (single women) and
picoaninnies (infants) behind them, and