The typical genus Macropus, in which the muzzle is generally
naked, the ears large, the fur on the nape of the neck usually directed
backwards, the claw of the fourth hind-toe very large, and the tail
stout and tapering, includes a large number of species. Among
these, the great grey kangaroo (M. giganteus, fig. 1) deserves special
mention on account of having been discovered during Captain
Cook’s first voyage in 1770. The great red kangaroo (M. rufus) is
about the same size, while other large species are M. antilopinus and
M. robustus. The larger wallabies, or brush-kangaroos, such as the
red-necked wallaby (M. ruficollis) constitute a group of smaller-sized
species; while the smaller wallabies, such as the filander (q.v.)
(M. muelleri) and M. thetidis, constitute yet another section. The
genus ranges from the eastern Austro-Malay islands to New Guinea.
Nearly allied are the rock-wallabies of Australia and Tasmania, constituting the genus Petrogale, chiefly distinguished by the thinner tail being more densely haired and terminating in a tuff. Well-known species are P. penicillata, P. xanthopus and P. lateralis. The few species of nail-tailed wallabies, Onychogale, which are confined to the Australian mainland, take their name from the presence of a horny spur at the end of the tail, and are further distinguished by the hairy muzzle. O. unguifer, O. fraenatus and O. lunatus represent the group. The hare-wallabies, such as Lagorchestes leporoides, L. hirsutus and L. consepicillatus, constitute a genus with the same distribution as the last, and likewise with a hairy muzzle, but with a rather short, evenly furred tail, devoid of a spur. They are great leapers and swift runners, mostly frequenting open stony plains.
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| Fig. 4.—Skull and teeth of Lesueuir’s Rat-Kangaroo (Bettongia lesueuiri). c, upper canine. Other letters as in fig. 3. The anterior premolar has been shed. |
More distinct is the Papuan genus Dorcopsis, as typified by D. muelleri, although it is to some extent connected with Macropus by D. macleyi. The muzzle is naked, the fur on the nape of the neck directed more or less completely forward, and the hind-limbs are less disproportionately elongated. Perhaps, however, the most distinctive feature of the genus is the great fore-and-aft length of the penultimate premolar in both jaws. Other species are D. rufolateralis and D. aurantiacus. In the tree-kangaroos, which include the Papuan Dendrolagus inustus, D. ursinus, D. dorianus, D. benetianus and D. maximus, and the North Queensland D. lumholtzi, the reduction in the length of the hind-limbs is carried to a still further degree, so that the proportions of the fore and hind limbs are almost normal. The genus agrees with Dorcopsis in the direction of the hair on the neck, but the muzzle is only partially hairy, and the elongation of the penultimate premolar is less. These kangaroos are largely arboreal in their habits, but they descend to the ground to feed. Lastly, we have the banded wallaby, Lagostrophus fasciatus, of Western Australia, a small species characterized by its naked muzzle, the presence of long bristles on the hind-feet which conceal the claws, and also of dark transverse bands on the lower part of the back. The skull has a remarkably narrow and pointed muzzle and much inflated auditory bullae; while the two halves of the lower jaw are firmly welded together at their junction, thus effectually preventing the scissor-like action of the lower incisors distinctive of Macropus and its immediate allies. As regards the teeth, canines are wanting, and the penultimate upper premolar is short, from before backwards, with a distinct ledge on the inner side.
In the rat-kangaroos, or kangaroo-rats, as they are called in Australia, constituting the sub-family Potoroinae, the first upper incisor is narrow, curved, and much exceeds the others in length; the upper canines are persistent, flattened, blunt and slightly curved, and the first two premolars of both jaws have large, simple, compressed crowns, with a nearly straight or slightly concave free cutting-edge, and both outer and inner surfaces usually marked by a series of parallel, vertical grooves and ridges. Molars with quadrate crowns and a blunt conical cusp at each corner, the last notably smaller than the rest, sometimes rudimentary or absent. Forefeet narrow; the three middle toes considerably exceeding the first and fifth in length and their claws long, compressed and but slightly curved. Hind-feet as in Macropus. Tail long, and sometimes partially prehensile when it is used for carrying bundles of grass with which these animals build their nests. The group is confined to Australia and Tasmania, and all the species are relatively small.
In the members of the typical genus Potorous (formerly known as Hypsiprymnus) the head is long and slender, with the auditory bullae somewhat swollen; while the ridges on the first two premolars are few and perpendicular, and there are large vacuities on the palate. The tarsus is short and the muzzle naked. The genus includes P. tridactylus, P. gilberti and P. platyops. In Bettongia, on the other hand, the head is shorter and wider, with smaller and more rounded ears, and more swollen auditory bullae. The ridges on the first two premolars are also more numerous and somewhat oblique (fig. 4); the tarsus is long and the tail is prehensile. The species include B. lesueuiri, B. gaimardi and B. cuniculus. The South Australian Caloprymnus campestris represents a genus near akin to the last, but with the edge of the hairy border of the bare muzzle less emarginate in the middle line, still more swollen auditory bullae, very large and posterially expanded nasals and longer vacuities on the palate. The list is completed by Aepyprymnus rufescens, which differs from all the others by the hairy muzzle, and the absence of inflation in the auditory bullae and of vacuities in the palate.
Perhaps, however, the most interesting member of the whole group is the tiny musk-kangaroo (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) of north-east Australia, which alone represents the sub-family Hypsiprymnodontinae, characterized by the presence of an opposable first toe on the hind-foot and the outward inclination of the penultimate upper premolar, as well by the small and feeble claws. In all these features the musk-kangaroo connects the Macropodidae with the Phalangeridae. The other teeth are like those of the rat-kangaroos. (W. H. F.; R. L.*)
KANGAROO-RAT, a name applied in different parts of the
world to two widely different groups of mammals. In Australia
it is used to denote the small kangaroo-like marsupials technically
known as Potoroinae, which zoologists prefer to call rat-kangaroos
(see Marsupialia and Kangaroo). In North
America it is employed for certain small jumping rat-like rodents
nearly allied to the pocket-gophers and belonging to the family
Geomyidae. Kangaroo-rats in this latter series are represented
by three North American genera, of which Dipodomys phillipsi,
Cricetodipus agilis and Microdipodops megacephalus may respectively
be taken as examples. Resembling pocket-gophers in
the possession of cheek-pouches, kangaroo-rats, together with
pocket-mice, are distinguished by their elongated hind-limbs
and tails, large eyes, well-developed ears and general jerboa-like
appearance and habits. The upper incisor teeth are also relatively
narrower, and there are important differences in the skull.
The cheek-teeth are rootless in kangaroo-rats, but they develop
roots in the pocket-mice. The former inhabit open, sandy
districts, where they burrow beneath rocks or stones, and hop
about like jerboas; their food consisting of grasses and other
plants.
KANGAVAR, a small district of Persia, situated between
Hamadan and Kermanshah, and, being held in fief by the family
of a deceased court official, forming a separate government.
The district is very fertile and contains 30 villages. Its revenues
amount to about £500 per annum, and its chief place is the large
village of Kangavar, which has a population of about 2500 and
is 47 m. from Hamadan on the high road to Kermanshah.
KANGRA, a town and district of British India, in the Jullundur
division of the Punjab. The town, sometimes called Nagarkot,
is situated 2409 ft. above the sea. Pop. (1901), 4746. The
Katoch rajas had a stronghold here, with a fort and rich temples.
Mahmud of Ghazni took the fort in 1009 and from one of the
temples carried off a vast treasure. In 1360 Kangra was again
plundered, by Feroz Shah. The temple of Devi Bajreshri was
one of the oldest and wealthiest in northern India. It was destroyed,
together with the fort and the town, by an earthquake
on the 4th of April 1905, when 1339 lives were lost in this place
alone, and about 20,000 elsewhere. In 1855 the headquarters of
the district were removed to the sanitarium of Dharmsala.
The district of Kangra extends from the Jullundur Doab far into the southern ranges of the Himalaya. Besides some Rajput states, annexed after the Sikh wars, it includes Lahul, Spiti and Kulu, which are essentially Tibetan. The Beas is the only important river. Area, 9978 sq. m., of which Kangra proper has only 2725. Pop. (1901), 768,124; average density 77 persons per sq. m., but with only one person per sq. m. in Spiti. Tea
