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OSPHRANTER? PARRYI.
Parry’s Wallaroo.

Macropus Parryi, Bennett in Proce. of Zool. Soc., Part II. p. 151.—Ib. Trans. Zool. Soc., vol. i. p. 295. pl. 37.

Macropus (Halmaturus) Parryi, Waterh. Nat. Lib. Marsupialia, p. 206. pl. 18.—Ib. Nat. Hist. of Mamm, vol. i,
p. 113.

Halmaturus Parryti, Gould, Mon. of Macropodide, Part I1.—Gray, List of Mamm. in Brit. Mus., p. 89.

Macropus elegans, Lambert, Trans. of Linn. Soc., vol. vill. p. 318. pl. 16 ?

 

Tue known range of this fine species extends along the east coast from Port Stephens to Wide Bay, a
newly opened district to the northward of Moreton Bay. Mr. Strange informs me that it inhabits the rocky
ranges of the Clarence, occasionally descending into the more open broken country, where it frequents the
ledges of rocks at an elevation of 2000 feet; it is also met with between the open grassy hills trending
upward to the main range. So fleet is this animal, that it is only with the assistance of the finest dogs that
there is any chance of procuring examples ; it surpasses in fact every other animal in speed, and when
fairly on the swing no dog can catch it. Their general contour, short and stout hind limbs and short blunt
nails are all in accordance with their habit of frequenting rocks. Like most other members of its race, it is
easily tamed, readily becoming familiar and docile.

A living specimen, presented to the Zoological Society of London by Captain Sir Edward W. Parry, R.N.,
after whom the animal has been named, “ was obtained at Stroud, near Port Stephens, in the latitude of about
30° south. It was caught by the natives, having been thrown out of its mother’s pouch when the latter was
hunted. At that time it was somewhat less than a rabbit, but was full-grown on its arrival in England. It
was never kept in confinement until it was embarked for England, but lived in the kitchen, and ran about
the house and grounds like a dog, going out every night after dark in the bush or forest to feed, and usually
returning to its friend the man-cook, in whose bed it slept, about two o’clock in the morning. Beades
what it might obtain in these excursions, it ate meat, bread, vegetables, in short everything given to it by
the cook, with whom it was extremely tame, but would allow nobody else to take liberties with it. It
expressed its anger when very closely approached by others, by a sort of half-grunting, half-hissing, very
discordant sound, which appeared to come from the throat, without altering the expressiow of the coun-
tenance. In the daytime it would occasionally, but not often, venture out to a considerable distance from
home, in which it would sometimes be chased back by strange dogs, especially those belonging to the
natives. From these, however, it had no difficulty in escaping, through its extreme swiftness ; and it was
curious to see it bounding up a hill and over the garden fence, until it had placed itself under the protection
of the dogs belonging to the house, especially two of the Newfoundland breed to which it was attached, and
which never failed to afford it their assistance, by sallying forth in pursuit of its adversaries.”

But little doubt exists in my mind that Lambert’s characters of his Macropus elegans were taken from an
animal of this species, although neither his figure nor his description is sufficiently correct to determine
this point with certainty.

Fur moderately long and soft; general colour silvery grey, the lower part of the back tinged with purplish
brown; muzzle deep brown inclining to black, gradually becoming paler on the forehead until it passes into
the grey of the upper surface; a broad pure white mark extends from near the tip of the muzzle along the
cheeks, and terminates a little beyond the posterior angle of the eye; below this a faint grey line; ears
nearly naked within, but having a few small white hairs on the apical portion; externally they are clothed
with blackish brown fur at the base, with adpressed white hairs in the middle, and with black hairs at the
tip; chin, throat, inner side of the limbs, under surface of the body and under side of the basal half of the
tail white; the tips of the hairs on the chest faintly tinged with grey; arms hoary grey; hands black ;
tarsi and two inner toes white; the other toes black at the extremity, and with a mixture of black and white
hairs at the base; tail nearly white, with the exception of the tip, which, with a fringe of long hairs on the

 

under surface of the extremity, are black. Male.
feet. inches.
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The head and fore-arm represented in the accompanying Plate are of the natural size, while the entire
figures in the other are much reduced.

 

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