Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1912-08-07

/ of South Australia it is recorded
thar when a party of explorers un-
der Flinders first landed on Kan
CARGO island, about Is miles from
Adelaide, they found great numbers
| of kangaroos which, never having
seen man before, were so tame and
Unsopbisticated that they simply
stood about and waited to be knocked
on the head, with the result that in
few hours 81 were killed, the small
est of which weighed 50 pounds. A
] continuance of these primitive con-
| Gltions would be highly appreciated
by the black fellow" who, naturally,
looks upon the kangaroo simply as
an animated bundle of meals The
mere slaughter of animals for food,
| however, does not constitute sport,
and your white settler of sporting
proclivities is better pleased with
| present-day conditions-that is to say,
In most districts of the common
wealth, where the kangaroo Is just
scarce enough and wild enough to
provide the necessary excitement and
uncertainty of the chase.
! Every up-country station keeps
couple of speedy hounds, very like
greyhounds in build, but bigger and
heavier They are the regular kan
| CARGO dogs, though used as stock
| dogs also. The modus operandi of
kangaroo-hunting with dogs resembles
| coursing in some respects. The
sportsman, mounted on a nag of met
| Ii rid iT1fO he OF "a
! trotting at his horses heels. Pres
emily, above the tall kangaroo grass
! or among the sandal-wood bushes he
sees the heads of kangaroo bobbing
! about perhaps a mob" of four or
! FIVE. A sharp word to the dogs and
| they dart forward silently. But the
quick ears and scent of the kangaroo
warn them of approaching danger
and they scatter in all directions. If
they get good start and one hap
pens to lag behind the others, the
two dogs may take after the one, in
which case the run is likely to be
short; but, as rule each dog selects
q particular victim and runs it to
standstill
Not a Coward.
When a full-grown male kangaroo
is rushed by a dog he will often make
a bolt for it, as would a frightened
doe; not because he is a coward, but
simply to avoid trouble, and as he
bounds away be might be saying:
I don't want to fight,
But by lingo if l do
I've got the arms, I've got the hands,
I've got the courage too.
No self-respecting kangaroo, however,
will allow himself to be pulled down
while on the run; consequently, as
soon as 1t becomes evident that in
spite of his huge leaps, the dog is
overhauling him, or if he is headed
off by another dog, he comes to a
halt and prepares TO fight for his life
like the gallant "old man" that ne is.
AS a matter of choice the fighting
kangaroo, when he is "bailed up,
likes to get his back against tree,
but when overtaken in the open he
Just makes the best of bad job.
At first sight one would think that
even the biggest and strongest 'old
man. kangaroo had not the ghost Of
chance when it came to g tussle
with a powerful animal such as the
regular kangaroo dog; and, as mat
ter of fact, when the said dog is an
old hand at the business and up to all
the tricks of the marsupial, the final
result is a foregone conclusion. The
kangaroo stands up to fight with his
forearms held forward and his five
fingered hands spread out ready to
clutch, much in the same way as does
a wrestler. The inexperienced dog,
guided only by his natural instincts,
circles round the kangaroo and, when
he thinks he sees an opening, flies
straight at his throat. But the willy
quarry by a skilful movement wards
of the threatening fangs and. at the
same time, imprisons the dog in a
vice-like grip with his forearms; then,
bringing up one of his hind feet-the
middle toe of which is armed with a
formidable toe-nail, strong and sharp
like a pruning knife-he Sits the I'M
fortunate dog open and the fight is
ended.
The well-trained and experienced
kangaroo dog. however, well knows
the peril of the kangaroo's embrace
and. watching his opportunity, makes
sudden spring. Selling one CT the
"old mans" forearrls In his powerful
laws. with a cruel wrench he breaks
the bone, and not until he has dis
abled the remaining arm does he at
tempt to pull down his victim by the
throat. With both forearms disabled,
the unhappy kangaroo, no longer
able to protect his most vulnerable
SPOT, is speedily pulled down, and his
frantic endeavorG to bring his cutting
toe into play are unavailing, and
xhethe. there be one or two dogs.