HALMATURUS AGILI S, Gould.
Agile Wallaby.
Spec. Char. Halm, filv u s , supra nigro adspersus, infra sordide albus ; aurium apicibus externis el margine antico nigris;
slrigd fuscescenle utrinque ab oculis usque ad nares producta, et infra hanc lined alba ; clunibus lined albidd notatis;
cauda longa pilis brevibus albidis, ad basin supra flavidis, ad apicem nigrescentibus, induta.
Descr. Fur rather short, adpressed, and harsh to the touch; general colour sandy yellow; the upper surface o f the
head and body freely pencilled with blackish, the hairs being o f this colour at the point; chin, throat and chest
dull white; abdomen yellow, the hairs terminated with white; limbs pale sandy yellow externally and white on
their inner side, the arms externally pencilled with blackish; tarsi nearly white, passing into rusty on the toes ;
lips whitish, and a whitish mark from the lip to beneath the eye, parallel with which is another o f a dusky h u e ;
ears white within, externally sandy yellow at the base and broadly margined with black at the apex, and with a
narrow black line along the inner edge; on each side o f the rump an oblique whitish lin e ; tail sparingly clothed
with nearly white hairs except at the base, which is like the body; the tip o f the tail black.
Male.
_ ' . feet, inches.
Length from the nose to the base of the tail ..................................... 5 3
„ of tail . ........................................................................................... 6
„ „ tarsus and toes, including the n a il............................ 10
„ „ arms and hand, including the nails........................... 9
„ „ face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear . . . 6
. „ „ e a r .................................................. 3
Halmaturus agilis, Gould in Proc. o f Zool. Soc., Part IX. p. 81.
1 h i s . new species o f Wallaby may be readily distinguished from every other by its short, wiry, adpressed hair, and the
almost uniform sandy brown colour o f the body; the male is also remarkable for having very powerful incisors, and also
for having the outer toe much developed, whence results a deep cleft between it and the middle one; the head is also
longer and more pointed than in any other species which I have seen.
The Agile Wallaby appears to be abundant on all the low swampy lands o f the northern coast o f Australia. I have
seen many specimens from the Cobourg Peninsula; and it is common both near the settlement o f Port Essington and
at Raffles’ Bay. I have also had others placed at my disposal for the purpose o f describing by Mr. Bynoe o f H.M.S.
the Beagle, which were collected on the shores o f Torres Straits. It is stated to be a most agile species, readily
eluding the dogs employed in hunting it by its extreme activity in leaping among the high grass; when chased it frequently
seeks shelter in the thick beds of mangroves, passing over the muddy flats in such a manner as almost to baffle
all pursuit.
In size, when full grown, the male is nearly equal to H . Ualabatus.