The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-18
a KANGAROO ROUND UP.
How Australian Farmers Slaughter the
Strange Looking Marsupials.

Strange Looking Marsupiais.
A reporter met gentleman recently who
has been largely identified with pastoral in
terests both In Australia and New Zealand
and from him some interesting facts were
ascertained IN connection with The efforts OF
antipodean agriculturists to combat the
plague OF the long cared pests.
The drive idea," said the gentleman, sis
not entirely new to Australians They have
for years employed a somewhat similar
method of Kidding pastoral lands Of the de-
structive kangaroo The usual way was To
build a capacious stock yard, with very high
fences, for your able bodied kangaroo Is no
souch at playing leap frog The location
generally chosen was on the fork OF q river.
for kangaroOs are not extra partial to water
Invitations TO the round up would then be
sent 10 neighboring farmers, and on a speci-
fed morning the farmers would all put in an
appearance, mounted, and accompanied by
whatever kangaroo hounds they CHANGED to
possess Dogs and owners would then get
away back and scatter out in skirmshng Or
der until a large section Of country was
covered, and then circumnavigation was In
order, the object point, of course, being the
lofty stock yard.
Pretty soon you would hear the baying Of
scores of hounds, and then the long jumping
marsupials would be seen leaping like gigan-
tic frogs, while the skirmishers would adj
vance and close in steadily and systematic
ally, controlling the hounds the while, so as
TO gradually direct the hopping kangaroos to
the desired point, When the mob, which OH
occasions numbered many hundreds, were
finally housed in the place Of slaughter, some
one was sent TO close the draw gate on them,
and the fun commenced The dogs were re
strained and family relics i'm the shape OF
blunderbus5es and ancient flint locks were
brought into requisition until the last grass
and crop despoiler had bitten the dust"
"Kangaroos make it rough for the hounds
on some occasions, do they not" asked the
reporter.
"You bet they do. An old man kangaroo
IS Just as tough a bit of mechanism as ever u
dog tackled When fairly cornered he will
place his back against tree or rock and in
vite the best dog III the pack to come on Old
dogs are wary Of them, Gpd use their best
endeavors to get an car or neck hold from
behind, but i young hound will frequently
rush INTO the baycd marsupials arms, so to
SPEAK, anu III Hc SclS away awe nc is lucky.
The kangaroo will balance himself firmly on
his tail, which is both powerful and springy
and will clasp the dog around the body with
his hind legs, while he will utilize the sharp
claws of his fore paws to tear the brute's
stomach into ribbons and haul his entrails
out.
II remarked before that kangaroos did not
take kindly to water, but when goaded to
desperation on plain where there are no
trees or rocks in sight TO back up against,
they will not hesitate TO flop into water
hole, and it is matter OF history that a kan.
CARGO thus placed has been known to grasp
an attacking hound and hold him under
water until drowned.
"The days of rounding up are pretty well
at an end now, as the governments of the
different Australian colonies pay so much q
scalp for kangaroos, and this has induced
numbers of hunters TO follow the business of
kangaroo shooting BY this means the
troublesome animals are kept down, and it is
only question of little time when they
Will be wholly exterminated. San Francisco
Examiner.