The Kangaroos vary considerably in size and in the form of their teeth; and the smaller species are generally furnished with strong canines. Some of them have prehensile tails, and they can ascend small trees; others have long pliable tails and very short tarsi; these are known as Rock-Wallabies or Rock-Kangaroos, and frequent mountain districts. Others again possess short stiff tails and long heads; they resemble in appearance the Bandi-coots, and where on the one hand the prehensile-tailed group of Bettongs approaches the Phalangers we observe on the other side, in the Rat Kangaroos, an inclination to the Bandicoot family in their elongated skulls and stiff and short tails.

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Space will not permit to go into detail, and we divide the family as follows :—

A.—Large Kangaroos with small premolar teeth, which are soon lost.

Macropus.

a. Male and female, uniform in colour.

M. major. Southern and Eastern Australia.

M. ocydromus. West coast.

M. fuliginosus. South Australia.

M. antilopinus. North Australia.

M. Isabellinus. North-west Australia,

M. Parryi. Eastern Australia.

b. Female, different in colour from the male.

M. rufus. Plains of the interior.

M. robustus. Rocky districts of the East coast.

In both these animals the female is of a much lighter colour, sometimes almost white.

The large Kangaroos attain a weight of 200 lbs. and more.

B.—Kangaroos of smaller size, with permanent premolar teeth; weight of adult up to 50 lbs.

Halmaturus.

H. dorsalis. New South Wales and Queensland.

H. ruficollis. New South Wales.

H. Bennettii. Tasmania.

H. Ualabatus. New South Wales.

H. Mastersii. New South Wales and Queensland.

Ruficollis and Bennettii are stated to be varieties of each other; so are Ualabatus and Mastersii, though very different in colour. H. agilis is also a large species from the north-east coast.

Animals up to 30 lbs. weight.

H. Greyi. South Australia,

H. manicatus. West Australia.

H. Derbianus. South Australia.

H. Hautmanni. Hautmann's Abrolhos, W.A.

H. Billardieri. South coast districts and Tasmania.

"Pademelons," or small Kangaroos, and from 10 to 15 lbs. in weight.

H. parma. East coast of N. S. Wales.

H. dama. West Australia.

H. Thetidis. Coast districts of New South Wales.

H. stigmaticus. North-east coast.

H. brachyurus. West Australia.

H. Wilcoxi. Clarence District and Southern Queensland.

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These animals inhabit the mountain districts near the coast, and are seldom, if ever, found on the plains of the interior.

Rock-Wallabies or Rock-Kangaroos, with long pliable tail not incrassated at the base, inhabiting mountain districts on the southern, eastern, and western coast-line. Weight of animal up to 30 lbs. :—

Petrogale penicillata. Eastern parts of New South Wales.

Petrogale inornata. Eastern parts of New South Wales.

Petrogale xanthopus. South Australia.

Petrogale brachyotis. West and north-west coast.

Petrogale lateralis. West and north-west coast.

Petrogale concinna. West and north-west coast.

Strong-armed Kangaroos or Tree-Kangaroos.

Dendrolagus.

D. ursinus. New Guinea.

D. ursinus. New Guinea.

These animals ascend trees, and are distinguished by their powerful fore-limbs and long pliable tail, which resembles that of the Rock-Wallabies. A third species, Dorcopsis Bruni, also inhabits New Guinea, but is terrestrial, though the fore-legs are more strongly developed than is usual in Kangaroos. The weight of these animals we should judge to be about 30 lbs. The D. Bruni was the first Kangaroo ever discovered, many years before Cook's voyages.

Silky-haired or Nail-tail Kangaroos.

Onychogalea.

O. unguifer. North-eastern parts of Australia.

O. frænata. Plains of the interior of New South Wales and Victoria.

O. lunata. Plains of the interior of South and West Australia.

This group comprises the small silky-haired Wallabies or Kangaroos of the interior; they weigh seldom more than 8 or 10 lbs., and are about the size of a common hare. Their light-grey fur is of a peculiar softness; the tail has a bare nail-like tip. This and the following genera possess more or less developed canine teeth.

Hare Kangaroos.

Lagorchestes.

L. fasciatus. West Australia.

L. hirsutus. West Australia.

L. conspicillatus. West Australia.

L. leporoides. Plains of New South Wales, South Australia, and "Victoria.

L. Leichardti. North-east coast and Victoria,

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The Hare-kangaroos, so called from their resemblance to that well-known rodent, are the fleetest of the whole tribe, and though they do not exceed a common hare in bulk, they will make clear jumps of 8 and 10 feet high; their arms are exceedingly short, and when progressing cannot be noticed, as they are pressed close to the body and are hidden by the long fur; the hind legs are very long and slender, and the tail rather short and stiff and not incrassated at the base; the canines are well developed.

Bettongs or Jerboa Kangaroos.

Bettongia.

B. cuniculus. Tasmania.

B. Graii. New South Wales, South and West Australia.

B. campestris. South Australia.

These three species of Bettongs resemble each other very much, and are probably nothing but local varieties. The western and southern animal, that is, B. Graii and B. campestris, form extensive burrows which the Tasmanian species does not; their tails are more or less prehensile; weight, 8 to 10 lbs.

B. penicillata. Interior of New South Wales.

B. Ogilbyi. West Australia.

These two animals also resemble each other; they are very small, probably not more than 4 or 5 lbs. in weight; their tail is prehensile, and they can climb well. We have seen them get over a close palisade-fence 8 feet high. This group connects the Kangaroo-tribe with the Phalangers.

Rat Kangaroos.

Hypsiprymnus.

H. murinus. New South Wales.

H. apicalis. Tasmania.

H. Gilberti West Australia.

H. platyops West Australia.

The true Rat-Kangaroos approach the Bandicoot-tribe, and some of the best naturalists nave classed them as Bandicoots when the skull could not be examined; their limbs are of more equal length; and the tail is like that of the Bandicoots,—short and rather stiff; the head of the Rat-Kangaroo is elongate (that of II. platyops excepted), and the canine teeth are strongly developed.