The kangaroo was entirely unknown to the civilized world until 1770, when Captain Cook put into the river Endeavor on the northeast coast of Australia. While he was delaying there to repair his ship which had been damaged by a storm, a number of large and singular animals appeared from the woods and stood erect, gazing at the men and ship with mild curiosity. They were too timid to permit approach, and darted away in long bounds across the grass when people went toward them. The natives, when asked about them, replied with a strange word which the Englishmen pronounced and spelled kangaroo, or kanguru. Such a word is now unknown in any native Australian dialect, and it is uncertain whether it was intended as the name of the creature in question, or merely signified “Don’t know.” However, the word has come into general use among all nations as the common name of this animal. Finally one of Captain Cook’s party, Mr. Gore, went out gunning and shot one of the strange creatures. Then several more were killed, and Captain Cook took home the skins. These were examined by naturalists of different countries, and Schreber, a German, pronounced them animals more closely allied to the American opossums than to any other creatures; for at that time opossums were the only known pouched animals. In his work on mammals Schreber called the kangaroo the gigantic didelphys. In 1791 Dr. Shaw, being better informed about the kangaroo, called it the giant macropus, or big foot, and that has since been its scientific name. The kangaroos are vegetable eaters, thus differing very greatly from the carnivorous opossums. They feed on grass, roots, and nearly all green herbs. Sometimes as they browse they get down on all fours and move slowly about in this position, which is as awkward to them as creeping is to a full-grown man. But while browsing in this posture, they frequently raise themselves on their hind-legs and look about to see if enemies are approaching; for they are exceedingly timid. When alarmed they take refuge in flight, being almost as inoffensive in their dispositions as sheep. The fore-feet of the kangaroo have five toes, each furnished with a large, strong nail; the hind-feet are exceedingly long and have but one really well-developed toe; this one corresponding to the fourth toe of a human foot. This toe is very large and strong and has a long curved nail, furnishing the kangaroo’s chief weapon. There is no great toe on the hind-foot; the second and third toes are very slim and small and are enclosed in a common sheath up to the nails. They are used only to scratch and clean, comb-wise, the animal’s fur. Just outside the large fourth toe is a smaller one which is serviceable in walking, and also in fur-cleaning.