SUB-FAM. 1. MACROPODINAE.--The genus _Macropus_ includes not only the Kangaroos but also the Wallabies, which are really indistinguishable, though they have sometimes been placed in a separate genus _Halmaturus_. The genus thus enlarged contains twenty-three species. It may be thus characterised: the ears are long, the rhinarium is usually naked, but in _M. giganteus_ and others a band of hairs descends to the upper lip; a naked band extends from the ankle to the pads on the digits, which is interrupted in _M. rufus_ by a band of hairs just in front of the digits. The mammae are four. The tail is not bushy, {133} but is crested in _M. irma_. They are for the most part found on the Australian continent, but some species are found in the islands to the north which belong to the Australian region. Thus _M. brunii_, which is of interest as the first Kangaroo seen by a European, is a native of the Aru islands. A specimen of this animal, which was then living in the garden of the Dutch governor of Batavia, was described by Bruyn in the year 1711. _M. rufus_, the largest member of the group, is remarkable for the red secretion which adorns the neck of the male. It is caused by particles which have the appearance and colour of carmine. _M. giganteus_ is not, as its specific name might imply, the "giant" of the race; its dimensions are given as 5 feet, while _M. rufus_ is said to attain a length of 5 feet 5 inches, exclusive (in both cases) of the tail. The account which Sir Joseph Banks gives[78] in his diary of the Kangaroo is interesting, since he was one of the first naturalists to see that creature. In July 1770 it was reported to him that an "animal as large as a greyhound, of a mouse colour, and very swift" had been seen by his people. A little later he was surprised to observe that the animal "went only upon two legs, making vast bounds just as the jerboa does." The second lieutenant killed one of these Kangaroos, of which Sir Joseph Banks wrote that "to compare it to any European animal would be impossible, as it has not the least resemblance to any one I have seen. Its fore-limbs are extremely short and of no use to it in walking; its hind, again, as disproportionately long; with these it hops seven or eight feet at a time, in the same manner as the jerboa, to which animal indeed it bears much resemblance, except in size, this being in weight 38 lbs., and the jerboa no larger than a common rat." The beast was killed and eaten, and proved excellent meat. Sir Joseph Banks' observations upon the leaping of the Kangaroo are of interest, because it is often asserted that the tail is largely made use of as a third foot or as a support. Mr. Aflalo declares in the most positive way that after repeatedly examining the tracks upon soft sand immediately after the animal had passed, not the very faintest trace of the impression of the tail could be discovered. The leaps of a big Kangaroo seem to be somewhat greater than is recorded {134} by Banks. It is