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Kangaroo grazing peacefully in Australia.
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Kangaroo baby in pouch.
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The Kangaroo lives in Australia. It is usually found in small companies, and always in charge by a leader. The first European to see a kangaroo was Captain Cook, in New South Wales, in 1770, and it is said that when the sailors asked the natives the name of the strange animal they replied, "Kangaroo," which, as a matter of fact, meant in their language, "What do you say?" However, this name has remained unchanged ever since.
The skin of the kangaroo made a very fine leather, and its flesh was good to eat when it was hunted long ago. The native Australians said that it afforded the best hunting on the continent.
Perhaps the most wonderful part of the kangaroo is the pouch in which it carries its young. The baby kangaroo, when first born, is not much over an inch or two in length, and for about eight months it lives in this pouch, until it is strong enough to hop about beside its mother. The doe kangaroo is very watchful of her young, for at the least suspicion of danger, the youngster scrambles into the pouch, and away goes the mother in gigantic leaps. The kangaroo thrives well in other places. Quite a number have been brought from Australia, to other countries and are now to be seen in a variety of zoos and parks, hopping about quite comfortably. They breed freely, too, and appear to tolerate alternative damp climate very well. When Captain Cook first discovered the kangaroo, they roamed everywhere in great numbers from little ones, the size of a rabbit, to the old fellows, as tall as a man ; but now they are becoming very rare, and it looks as though many species might become extinct.
At present the kangaroo is limited to the less frequented bush lands, far from the towns in Australia.
The kangaroo can be taught to box with boxing-gloves. This was sometimes seen in circuses, but the show was always attended with some little danger, for the instant the kangaroo thinks it is getting the worst of it, it will kick, and a kick from a full-grown kangaroo meant great injury, if not death outright to a man.
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Kangaroos in danger of hitting trees.
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Description of a Kangaroo Hunt, Right.
The men ride on horse-back, while a pack of large, fierce hounds follow the kangaroo, which goes over the ground at a curious gait, consisting of a series of immense leaps. Its hind legs are of great size and strength, and when brought to bay the creature defends itself with kicks. The front legs are very small, and do not seem to be of much use except to convey food to the mouth. When a kangaroo is chased by hunters, it has an odd habit of looking back over its shoulder, and instances have been known where it has collided with a tree, and thus brought itself to an untimely end.
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