BBTTOJTGIA PENIC]I]LJLATA* Gray.
BETTONGIA PENICILLATA, Gray.
Jerboa Kangaroo.
Spec. Char.— B e tt. fusca, ferrugineo-albo irrorata, corpore subtus sordide albo; auribits brevibus, rotundatis, et intus
pilis breoibuefimis indutis ; tarsis pallide fuscis ; cauda ferrugineo-fusca superne ; apice, per partem quartern longi-
tudinis to tins, pilis Juseo nigris, Jloccosis, instructa.
Descr.—Fur moderately long, and not very soft to the touch; general colour brown; the hairs on the upper surface grey
at the base, pencilled with rusty white near the tip, and black at the point; under surface dirty white; internal
surface o f the ear yellow; feet very pale brown; tail rich rusty brown above and pale brown beneath, the
apical quarter clothed with brownish-black hairs, which are longer than those o f the other parts o f the tail, and
form a kind o f tuft.
Male. Female.
feet, inches. feet, inches.
. from the nose to the extremity of the t a i l ...................... . 2 0
. 1 1 . . m
„ tarsus and toes, including the n a i l ................................ 4
„ arm and hand, including the n a i l s ................................ 3-i-. . 2A
„ face from the tip of the nose to the base of the ear . 34-. . 3
„ ear . . . ...................................................................... It • ■ 1
Bettongia penicillata, Gray in Mag. Nat. Hist, for Nov. 1837, vol. i. New Series, p. 584.
Hypsiprymruts murinus, Ogilby, in Proc. o f Zool. Soc. Part VI. p. 63.
A l l my specimens of this little animal were collected in the interior, both on the Liverpool Plains and to the northward
of them; I even found it plentiful on the Lower Namoi; but whether it does or does not inhabit the coast side o f the
ranges, and over what extent o f the Australian continent it is found, I am unable to state, as I only saw it in the
localities above-mentioned.
Like the other members o f the genus, this species constructs a thick grassy nest, which is placed in a hollow
scratched on the ground for its reception, so that when completed it is only level with the surrounding grass, which it so
closely resembles, that without a careful survey it may he passed unnoticed: the site chosen for the nest is either at
the foot o f a bush or any large tuft o f grass; during the day it is generally tenanted by one, and sometimes by a pair o f
these little creatures, which lying coiled in the centre are perfectly concealed from view; there being no apparent
outlet, it would seem that after they have crept under they drag the grass completely over the entrance, when, as I have
before stated, the whole is so like the surrounding herbage that it is scarcely perceptible. The natives, however, rarely
pass without detecting its presence, and almost invariably kill the sleeping inmates, by dashing their tomahawk or heavy
clubs at it. The most curious circumstance connected with the history o f the Jerboa Kangaroo is the mode in which it
collects the grasses for its nest: these, as may be seen in the accompanying Plate, are carried with its tail, which is
strongly prehensile, and, as may be easily imagined, their appearance when leaping towards their nests with their tails
loaded with grasses is exceedingly grotesque and amusing: this curious feat is even exhibited in a state o f confinement,
the Earl of Derby having a pair o f them in his Menagerie at Knowseley, which evince the same natural habits, and
which frequently load their tails with the hay o f their nests, and carry it round the cage in which they are kept. The
most usual resorts o f the Jerboa Kangaroo are low grassy hills and dry ridges, thinly intersected with trees and bushes;
and although not strictly gregarious, numbers may be found in the same locality. It is a nocturnal animal, lying curled
up in the shape of a ball during the day, and sallying forth as night approaches in quest o f food, which consists of
grasses and roots, the latter being procured by scratching and burrowing, for which their fore-claws are admirably
adapted, and their vicinity is frequently indicated by the little excavations they have made. When startled from their
nest they bound with amazing rapidity, and always seek the shelter o f a hollow tree, or a small hole in a rock, etc.