Instances Are On
Record Of A Despairing Kangaroo Dashing Through The Dogs On The Approach Of
A Dismounted Hunter, And Severely Wounding Him.
The common practice when
the animal is brought to bay is to ride up and pistol him.
But, however he
may be killed, his useful qualities have by no means departed with his
breath. His skin, properly cured, will make good door-mats, boots,
saddle-cloths, stock-whips, gaiters, and numberless other useful articles.
His long and heavy tail is much valued for the soup it yields; and the hams
can be cured, and, thus preserved, find many admirers. The hind-quarters
of a large "boomer" will run little short of seventy pounds; and, with the
tail, form the only parts commonly eaten by Europeans.
The birds that we encountered were of every form and size; pigeons, some
coloured like parrots, others diminutive as sparrows, and of the same
sombre hue: pheasants, quail, every kind of feathered fowl that could
gladden the heart of the sportsman, were found in abundance, and amongst
these the scrub turkey and its nest. This latter bird is so little known,
that I am tempted to give a short account of it.
The Australian scrub turkey ('Tallegalla Lathami') is common in all the
thick jungles in the north of Queensland, and, though smaller than the
domestic bird, is sufficiently like it to be easily recognised, having the
same wattle, and neck denuded of feathers. The most remarkable feature
about this turkey is its nest, which is composed of sand, leaves, and
sticks, piled up into a great mound three feet or so in height, and ten or
more in diameter.
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