The New York herald., 1922-06-18

hardest kind Of work. Traps must
be set for the smaller animals, the
homes of the lburrowing ones must
be dug out aid trees felled to get
the smaller tree dwelling animals
After the animals are obtained they
must be carefully measured. after
which they are skinned The skins
OF the smaller ones are then filled
out while the larger skins are cured
with salt. The flesh must also be
cut OF the skeletons. after which
they are dried.
OF course there Is q certain
amount of sport connected with the
hunting of the larger and more
dangerous animals, but where this
Is done day after day. year in and
year out, the sport Is minimized and
1t becomes hard work. However.
when this life once gets into the
blood Of man, despite its hardships
and dangers. he is seldom content ia
give it UP for the comparative ease
Of everyday life at home. for there Is
a responsiveness to the call of the
wild. handed down from our savage
ancestors, that lies dormant in every
man to-day.
A Description. Of Little
Known West Australia
The first camp that the writer
made was in the extreme southwest
ern part Of Australia, within four
miles Of the western coast. Here, ex-
cept for three mile fringe Of dwarf
scrub skirting the immediate coast,
the country was covered with forest
Of great eucalyptus. trees. towering
to a height Of 200 feet and more.
The country was Of limestone forma-
ton and in many places resounded
hollow to the tread of ones feet. In
the coastal scrub were found the
great gray kangaroo. standing to
height Of six feet, and also the curl
Gus little "guaggay or rat tailed
waliaby. little kangaroolike ami
NAL standing at a maximum height
of two feet. dark brown in color, With
long silky fur. short naked tail and
ears so short as to be scarcely
noticeable above the fur.
The first couple of, weeks that I
was in camp / used to hear noise
like the beating of a great drum,
which couldn't account for. but one
day I discovered its origin. It was
caused by the great gray kangaroo
standing on one of the hollow places
in the earth and beating the ground
with its tail. They would start
slowly at first. gradually increasing
the rapidity of the blows and then as
gradually diminishing them. and
would keep this up for five or ten
minutes at a stretch.
The hunting of these larger kanga-
roos, is not without an element of
danger, for when wounded they will
often turn at bay. and a large buck
is no mean adversary for man on
foot. In fighting, they will stand
erect and spar with their forelimbs,
the hands of which are armed with
strong sharp claws about an inch in
length. II hunted with a pack of
dogs it is very seldom that one is
killed without one or more of the
dogs being severely wounded, and if
the hunter is not right on the spot
a large buck will make short work
Of dog. Their favorite method Is
to seize the dogs in their forelimbs
and then rip them open with the long
central claw Of their hind feet.
1t is said by good authority that in
time of stress when no other way is
handy the kangaroo will often seize
the dog and carry him into the water
where it will hold him under with
the weight of its chest and drown
him. have never seen this myself,
but il it is true it is thing that
would well merit investigation as an
evidence of unusual reasoning power
in an animal that frequents wnter
so little as the kangaroo.
In the forest country are found
the phalanger opossums. marsupial