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Show 476 MR. HILL ON THE REPRODUCTION OF KANGAROOS. [May 9, " Many people in this country still entertain the popular tale that the young of the Kangaroo is formed and grows on the teat, and cheat themselves into the belief that it is a truth. Others more industrious still disseminate the tales of stock-men, who broadly assert that they have watched the development, and have killed hundreds of adults with the young in that state. Backed by the fact that these young bled at the mouth when forced from the teat, it is very easy to swell the ranks of believers in these popular notions, but difficult to get any one to search out the truth or to alter their expressed opinions. "Hunting on the mountains at the time referred to, about 100 miles from Sydney, for the double purpose of getting specimens of the Wallaroo (Macropus robustus) for our Museum, and entertaining a couple of friends in the sport, I was quietly ensconced under shelter of some rocks, waiting for any game which might be disturbed from the back country by m y aboriginals, who were sent around for that purpose as soon as we had taken up our proper position to receive any coming within range. I had not been placed half an hour before I heard the well-known sounds of game, and immediately afterwards saw in the van a fine doe Wallaroo, followed at some distance by half a dozen others of both sexes. " I was perfectly secure, and down wind, and almost sure to get a shot, but desired to have a large black male, which I saw among the troop. So soon, however, as the doe came within 30 yards she sat up for a moment, then squatted and put her head towards the ground, and picked up, as I thought, a piece of stone with her lips ; in an instant, with her hands back to back, she seized her pouch, stretched it open and inserted her head, ears and all, to the very neck, in which position she remained half a minute, then, withdrawing her head and looking all round (the companions had halted in the distance at the same time as herself) and seeing all safe, put her head in again as before. Suddenly there was a move among the lot, and to all appearance they were for another direction. I at once shot the doe, examined the pouch, and found that her care and solicitation had been bestowed on the young, just born, which had been conveyed to the pouch by her lips. " That, however, was not conclusive to one of m y friends. In the grey of the following morning, not far from our camp, very quietly on a ledge of rocks sat a Wallaby (Halmaturus) engaged at her pouch : it was shot; the young evidently had only just been conveyed there, and had not hold of the nipple. In the course of the day fourteen others were added to our bag, two females of which I dissected and found a young one, or foetus, in each. This was conclusive. " Believe me, "Very faithfully yours, (Signed) " E. S. H I L L ." [If reference be made to the ' Proceedings' of our Society for November 26th, 1833 (vol. i. p. 132), the conclusions from trie experiments on Macropus major there recorded were "that parturition |