On Board The
Steamer They Had A Pair Of Tree Kangaroos Alive.
They differ
chiefly from the ground-kangaroo in having a more hairy tail, not
thickened at the base, and not used as a prop; and by the
powerful claws on the fore-feet, by which they grasp the bark and
branches, and seize the leaves on which they feed.
They move
along by short jumps on their hind-feet, which do not seem
particularly well adapted for climbing trees. It has been
supposed that these tree-kangaroos are a special adaptation to
the swampy, half-drowned forests of, New Guinea, in place of the
usual form of the group, which is adapted only to dry ground. Mr.
Windsor Earl makes much of this theory, but, unfortunately for
it, the tree-kangaroos are chiefly found in the northern
peninsula of New Guinea, which is entirely composed of hills and
mountains with very little flat land, while the kangaroo of the
low flat Aru Islands (Dorcopsis asiaticus) is a ground species. A
more probable supposition seems to lie, that the tree-kangaroo
has been modified to enable it to feed on foliage in the vast
forests of New Guinea, as these form the great natural feature
which distinguishes that country from Australia.
On June 5th, the coal-ship arrived, having been sent back from
Amboyna, with the addition of some fresh stores for the steamer.
The wood, which had been almost all taken on board, was now
unladen again, the coal taken in, and on the 17th both steamer
and tender left for Humboldt Bay.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 288 of 412
Words from 77516 to 77780
of 111511
