The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-07-07

10 SEE If tho i1S-s coast Is clear, It Leaves inc
pouch only when IL weighs eight or ten
pounds. Mt which time II becomes too heavy
for the mother TO carry.
kangaroos Which Live in Trees.
Until within few years the kangaroos
were supposed TO be confined to the plains.
They were looked upon as grass feeders.
Carl Lumholtz was the first to discover
variety Of these animals which lives IN
trees. Ile found them through the blacks
Of North Queensland. and through them
was able to get several specimens l saw
some in the museum at Sydney and am told
that others have heen sent TO the museums
of Cnristlana aud London. The tree kan.
red kangaroos II mas head like a SOUR
rels. and a body which Is better proper
toned than thar Of the kangaroos Of tho
plains. II has arms and legs about eight
or ten inches long. a tan about two feet
four Inches long and trunk two feet long
| spends the most of the time IN the trees
sleeping there In the daytime and coming
down only q night, Its food Is tree leaves
ahd 1t seldom comes out of the tree except
for water This animal Is esteemed a great
deilcacy by the blacks. They spend mucu
time hunting It, and have SO trained the
dingoes or native dogs that they VIII track
II and tree II. After the kangaroo has beeh
freed the natives climb not only tho tree
upon which II Is, but all the others nearby
lL order TO catch 1t II II Jumps from branch
There IRE 4 score or so Of small kan
garoos In oil parts Of Australia. One OF
the most common is the Wallaby, which
Is Killed for It's skin as are many other
varieties. There is a great demand for
Kangaroo leather for bags, shoes and other
things, and quite lot Is yearly exported
20 the United States The musk Kangaroo
is so small you can put II In your pocket.
There Is a kangaroo, which looks like
rabbit known as tine hare kangaroo. and
another Ike an enormous rat, which IL
called the rat kangaroo.
This Animal Lays EGGS.
The eggs Of the United states are laid
by fowl, FISH tortoises and reptiles Down
here there Is curious little beast which
produces It's young in this way. Have you
ever heard Of the platypus? It is the con.
Meeting link, between the mammals, birds
and reptiles, having some features common
to all. It has bill like a duck. and its
feat are covered with webbing. So that Il
can swim through the water u snckles
its young Ike mole, II Is usually found
along the fresh water streams VT Tgama.
MIA and Vio=rrla. II lives in little tunnels,
one Of the openings Of which is below the
water and the other In the land above II,
The platypus has two doors TO his house
one of which leads into the stream and
| the other out into the ocean. Its nest IS
| IN the tunnel, h9lf way between the two.
| Here II lays and matches its young, laying
! two eggs for each setting aud setting on
| them as birds do.
The fur Of the piatypus Is very beautiful
although the animal Is so scarce that II Is
hardly an article of commerce. ! have a
skin about twelve inches wide by eighteen
inches long. which cost me 81. The fur is
as soft and smooth as nioleskn, but The
| bill and legs are as bard as horn The skin
! is sometimes used % make rugs. good
/ platypus rug being worth AZ least sl25 The
| platypus feed upon small water Insects
/ she'll FISH. beetles and vegetable particles.
/ They are sometimes speared by theSblacks.
ana the whites sometimes catch them
| with aight lines.
Where the Mermaids Come From.
Some Of the qneerest things Of this con.
tinent are found along the coast You can
see pengulns on some of the islands Of the
/ far south, and the big-billed pelican Is com
mon. especially In the coral reefs on
| Queensland There are also seals and a
] sort of sea COW. which excited great inter.
! est some years ago on account OF It's like
ness to the fabulous mermaid. iU the hrst
| days Of Australia a fisherman who was one
I Of q party collecting beche-de-mer on
/ North Queensland imagined be saw some
! of these wonderful creations, half -woman
| half-ish. He came running 20 the boat,
saying that he had seen q party OF mer-