Kangaroo dog

“ We know that the native dogs of this country hunt and kill the kangaroo; they may be more fierce, but they do not appear to be so strong as our large greyhound; there was one not long ago seen in pursuit of a kangaroo, by a person who was employed in shooting, who mistaking the two animals as they passed him to be of the kind he was looking for, he fired at the hindmost and brought him down, but when he came up it proved to be a native dog. ”

“ The largest of the kangaroos are the red and the gray varieties, which are found all over Australia. Horses and dogs are bred for the sport of hunting them. The dogs are a cross between the greyhound and the deerhound, fleet of foot and very fierce. When brought to bay, the big kangaroo is dangerous and will attack a dog or a man. With its back against a tree it waits for its enemy. A dog that comes too near is grasped in the kangaroo’s forearms, hugged tightly to its breast, and disembowelled with a rip of one of its clawed feet. ”

“ While usually mild and timid the kangaroo, especially the adult male, or the mother with a little one in her pouch to fight for, will arouse herself to great courage and give battle. At such a crisis the kangaroo will seize a dog in its fore-paws and squeeze it to death, or tear it to pieces with the large toes of the hind-feet. A kangaroo is also able to wield its [Pg 186] tail with the strength and precision with which a man uses his arm. When chased by dogs the kangaroo will sometimes, with this long, heavy tail, strike its pursuer a blow so severe as to stun or kill it. ”

“ A well trained dog, in coming along-side of a kangaroo, springs on that animal whilst in the air, seizing it near the root of the tail; the weight of the dog, brings him to the ground, when the former instantly lets go the tail and festens on the throat. In effecting this manoeuvre, an awkward dog is frequently torn, or ripped open, by the kangaroo's hind legs, which are armed with hooked claws of great size. It is no uncommon occurrence for him to stop and stand at bay against a tree; when a dog ventures to attack the kangaroo whilst in this position, he generally suffers for his temerity ”

“ Fortunately, not a dog was killed or injured; rarely does a hunt terminate without some one or more of the dogs receiving a scratch, and nearly every kangaroo-dog in the country has a scar or two to show as evidence of his experience and prowess. ”

“ A single dog has no chance at all. With a stroke of its powerful hind leg, the kangaroo attacks, and lays it dead at its feet, or, seizing it with its fore limbs, it hugs the dog, and leaps off with it to the nearest water-hole, where it plunges it underneath, holding it down until the dog is drowned. A man is just as completely at its mercy. The kangaroo is a capital swimmer, and has been known to swim for a mile against a strong head wind, but under favourable conditions as to weather it can cover a much longer distance ”

“ Once the dog has thrown his kangaroo, he makes for the throat, which he gripes firmly, while at the same time he is careful to keep his own body as far as he conveniently can from the quarry's dangerous hind quarters. In this position dog and kangaroo work round and round for some time until one or the other of the combatants is exhausted. It is noteworthy that the kangaroo will only make use of its sharp teeth in cases of the direst extremity. On such occasions, however, it must be conceded that the bite is one of a most formidable character—one not to be any means underrated or despised. ”

“ If you take a new and inexperienced dog into your hunt after an old man, he invariably gets his throat ripped up, or is otherwise maltreated until well used to the sport. After a dog has had one season's experience he becomes a warrior, and it is a wonderfully clever kangaroo that can scratch him after he has attained that position. ”

“ As soon, therefore, as a large kangaroo is seen, a well-educated brace of greyhounds are [262] slipped. For some time, by a succession of enormous bounds, the animal keeps far ahead of his pursuers—especially when running up hill, where he is as much favoured by his long hind-legs as a hare is by hers,—and all are soon lost to the sight of unmounted hunters. When he has been overtaken and brought to bay, one of the trained dogs keeps him there ”

“ Tasmania once swarmed with kangaroos, but the hunters here, as upon the mainland, have nearly obliterated the species. Full-grown males sometimes measure six feet when standing upright, and weigh about one hundred and fifty pounds. The sharp claws of the short fore-feet are powerful weapons, and if brought to bay by the dogs when hunted, the male kangaroo will sometimes turn upon his pursuers and with his claws disembowel the largest dog. ”

“ As it is, the kangaroo has not so much as added a patent clasp.
Still, in its merely primitive form, the pouch is found useful by the small kangaroo. It is an ever-ready refuge from the prowling dingo dog, and any little kangaroo who breaks a window has always a capital hiding-place handy. Indeed, the young kangaroo would fare ill without this retreat, because any other cradle the mother, being a kangaroo, would probably forget all about, and lose. ”

“ Greyhounds of a large rough kind are trained in some parts of Australia to course the kangaroo. A kangaroo when he is brought to bay [90] would disable a great number of dogs, however bold and strong they might be, should they incautiously attack him in front: for while he is sitting upon his hind-quarters, or standing upright, he can by one blow, or rather strike of his hind-leg, which is furnished with huge claws, tear open the strongest greyhound from the chest downwards ”

“ When hotly pursued, the kangaroo sometimes takes to the water, where, if he happen to be followed by a dog, he has a singular advantage over all other quadrupeds of his own size, from his being able to stand erect in pretty deep water. ”

“ Pugs, or young kangaroos, are plentiful about the marshy grounds; so are also the opossum and kangaroo rat. The latter is not a rat, properly speaking, but approaches the squirrel tribe. It is a lilliputian kangaroo, the size of our native wood squirrel and larger, only grey or reddish-grey. It can leap six or eight feet easily, and is excellent eating. The native dog is of all colours; it has the head and brush of a fox, with the body a legs of a dog. It is a cowardly animal, and will run away from you like mad. ”

“ At one end of the house, which is of goodly size, stands a huge erection of wood, resembling a gallows, from which are suspended the bodies of three kangaroos. Not far from this, a group of natives—men, women, and children—are squatted round a small fire, eating baked opossums, and chattering, and uttering shrill screams of laughter, with all their might. Half a dozen large kangaroo dogs are hanging about this group with wistful eyes, but evidently without any expectations of obtaining a morsel. ”

“ The strongest and most courageous dog can seldom conquer a 'wool man' alone, and not one in fifty will face him fairly; the dog who has the temerity is certain to be disabled, if not killed.
"The herd of kangaroos we had thus come upon was too numerous to allow of the dogs' being let loose; but, as the day's walk was drawing to a close, I had given Maty Bill liberty to catch another kangaroo, if we should fall in with a single one. ”

“ The native animals are the dog, a wolf-like animal with bushy tail, very destructive to sheep; the kangaroo, of which three species are found in the open woods, the thickets, and on the plains. The red kangaroo, a smaller kind, is found only among rocks so barren of vegetation as to make the means of its subsistence doubtful; the wallaby, a still smaller species, is found in the thickets near the coast and on the plains; the existence of wallaby on the Abrolhos, more than 30 miles from the coast, suggests the probability of depression, as well as upheaval of the coast line ”

“ It is to the big males of this species that the titles of "Boomer," "Forester," and "Old Man Kangaroos" are commonly applied by the settlers, and the species with which the popular and exciting sport of a kangaroo hunt—the Antipodean substitute for fox-hunting—is associated. The pace and staying power of an old man kangaroo are something phenomenal. Our home country fox-hounds would have no chance with it; consequently a breed of rough-haired greyhounds, known as kangaroo-dogs, are specially trained {347}for this sport. ”

“ The other dog returns to the hunters, and leads them to the spot where his companion is detaining the kangaroo: and so completely does the noisy assailant engage the attention of the unfortunate beast, that the hunters are frequently enabled to approach unperceived, and stun him with a blow over the head. ”

“ 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 ”

“ As they approach their prey they move very lightly in a stooping posture, and only at the time when the noise of the wind prevents their footsteps being heard. Should the kangaroo turn round and observe them, they instantly stop and remain perfectly motionless until he resumes his feeding. In this way they approach within a few yards of their prey, and then pierce him with their spears. The instant he falls they run up and dispatch him with their hammers by blows on the head. ”

“ By a sort of happy exaggeration he described it as "a monstrous animal, as tall as a grenadier, with the head of a rabbit, a tail as big as a bed-post, hopping along at the rate of five hops to the mile, with three or four young kangaroos looking out of the pouch to see what is passing." Though not an aggressive animal, the kangaroo when at bay is one of the most formidable of opponents. This element of danger it is, probably, which lends so much zest to a kangaroo hunt. ”

“ They are excellent watch dogs, and will attack strangers; in the wild state they are sometimes killed by the natives, who, eat their flesh, but of the skin no use is made. The mode in which they hunt the kangaroo is in small parties, or singly; they select a time when the rain is pouring heavily, or the wind blowing;hard to prevent the noise of their approach being heard, for the kangaroo is very quick in hearing, and always on the alert. The hunter creeps upon them with the greatest caution, and generally succeeds in approaching them unobserved. ”

“ We had a few dogs out with us, but they are not required if there are a good many people mounted. Of course, to any one hunting by himself, they would be a necessity. Just before our start homeward it was proposed to let the kangaroo go, and with some difficulty they managed to untie the rope. The kangaroo being at bay, it stood upon its hind-legs, with its back to a tree, and kept striking out with its paws. ”

“ But no; the remarkably large tail, the strong, active motions, the thick fur, the bright and gentle expression of the eyes, the erect posture of the kangaroo, unite to make it a very attractive animal. The kangaroo does not go on all fours except when it lowers itself for grazing; it holds itself up; its fore-paws hang before it like arms at rest and it moves by rapid leaps. When standing quietly, it supports itself upon its long, strong tail as well as upon the hind-legs. ”

“ The kangaroo stands up to his neck in the water, beating about with his legs, and the hounds swim around. A young one, not knowing the danger, makes a snap at his throat, he is instantly seized in the animal's arms and his back broken. Poor Daisy! your hunting days have been short and you had yet to learn that discretion was the better part of valour. The older hounds keep swimming round, gradually coming nearer, and several at once make snaps at different parts of the kangaroo. A hand-to-hand fight takes place, the kangaroo ripping and wounding the hounds with his powerful hind claws ”

“ As long as it is blazing, the pet kangaroo will keep his distance, but when it has sunk down to living coals, his foolish curiosity is sure to impel him, sooner or later, to jump right into the thick of it; and then—and here his want of brains is painfully shown—instead of jumping out again at once, he commences fighting and spurring the burning embers with his hind feet, and, as a natural sequence, is either found half roasted, or so injured that his death is inevitable. ”

“ It does not seem to be a very good climber, for it is rather slow in its movements, and appears to be a little afraid of falling; for it clings so tightly to the branch on which it is resting that it is difficult to force it to loose its hold.
The natives generally catch this curious kangaroo by climbing the tree in which it is sleeping, jerking it from its perch by a violent pull at its tail, and throwing it to the ground to be killed by the dogs below. But if it reaches the ground unhurt it makes off with great speed, hopping along with flying leaps like all the other members of the family. ”

“ After ripping up the belly, he thrust in his arm, and drawing out the liver and a handful of coagulated blood, he invited the dogs to partake of it. The carcass being gutted, some dry fern is thrust in, the tail is drawn through the fore legs, and secured with a bit of whipcord, and then the game is suspended over the shoulder—no insignificant weight either. If the kangaroo be very heavy, the hind quarters only are carried, but the skin being of some value, it is not needlessly destroyed. ”