BETTONGIA RUFESCEN S, Gray.
Rufous Jerboa Kangaroo.
Bettongia mfmeau, Gray, Mag. Nat. Hist. 1837,vol.i.p. 584—Gould, Mon. of Macropodid», pi. —Gray, List
of Mamm. in Coll. Brit. Mus., p. 94.
Hypeiprymms rufesceia, Waterh. in Jard. Nat. Lib. Mamm., vol. xi. (Marsnplalia) p. 188.—Ib. Nat. Hist, of
Mamm., vol. i. p. 196.
_________ melanotis, Ogilby in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part vi. p. 62.
T hese will be but little difficulty in distinguishing thi« species from every other member of the genus
Bettongia yet discovered. It is the largest and most powerful of its tribe, and this remark applies particularly
to its strong hind feet and legs : the hair with which it is clothed is also more harsh and bristly than
that of its allies; again, the hack part of the ears is nearly black, and the back and upper surface generally
are strongly suflused with chestnut-brown, with which the stiff silvery-white interspersed hairs present a
strong contrast. The south-eastern portion of the continent is its true habitat; and it is almost universally
dispersed over New South Wales, both on the sea and interior side of the mountain ranges. I found it
very abundant on the stony sterile ridges bordering the grassy flats of the Upper Hunter, and in all similar
situations. It constructs a warm nest in which it lies coiled up during the day, the nests being placed
under the shelter of a fallen tree or some scrubby bush: it sometimes sits in a form like the Hare
Kangaroo, but never sits out on the open plains like that species: on being startled, it runs for a short
distance with remarkable rapidity; but, from its invariably seeking shelter in the hollow logs, easily falls
a prey to the natives, who hunt it for food. In size it fiilly equals that of a full-grown rabbit: its food
consists of roots and grasses. There is no material difference in the colouring of the sexes; hut in size
the female is somewhat smaller than the male.
Fur harsh and wiry; general colour grizzled-grey and rufous, the latter hue predominating on the back ;
ears black externally and huffy-white internally; under surface greyish-white, slightly tinged with buff; tail
strongly prehensile, covered with short wiry grizzled-grey hairs, becoming whiter towards the tip, where
they are much lengthened; under side of the tail, throughout its whole length, dirty-white; hands grey;
nails white ; tarsi and feet greyish.
The figures are about the size of life.