A KANGAROO'S LOVE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1516, 25 March 1887, Page 3

A KANGAROO'S LOVE

("Philadelphia Record.")

When the ooog ess of Kangaroos nh *he Museum wera recently shipped frcm Australia to this city by way of Liverj o A they were eeiarated m the latter oily, part of them beiDg placed on the Assyrian Monarch and the rest on the Persian Monarch, there not being enough loom on either ship for the fifteen cages (j " FiOra," a female kangaroo, manifest d g'eat reluctanc3 when separated from her mate, whioh waa put on board the other steamer, and she peosmo verp melancholy and dumpish, refusing to eat or (.kink and rejecting the caresses of her keopor, to which eha had beea daily accustomed, At first tho keeper thought hia pet was sick Hcd administered such medicine hk ha thought would benefit her, but all to no purpose; the same reaileaanesß was ap parent, and she repeatedly called, aid seemed to strain her ears for reply. During the voyage she gave birth to two brighr-eyod kangaroo babies tint neatltd m the moiher'a pouch, peeping out now and then and hiding on the approaoh of any of the passengers. Meanwhile "Jaok," the mate of "Flora," looked anxiously out of tbe bars of his cage for his mate, aad called but no ans<ver cime. Tho thlp bearing "Flora" waa first to arrive and the batch of kangaroos on board were at once B6nt to this city The other load of kangaroos arrived last Friday m New York and were shipped hither yesterday Last night at the museum '• Flora" envinced great unoa?ineas. She seem9d to scent the coming of her mate, and when the cage containing him vrsn carried into the museum ho henrd "FloraV voice, and answered. "Flira'a"

jif knew no bounds, and she leaped about the cage m the wildest excitement, ever and anon stopping to geza out from behind the bars to nee If "Jack" had oome. The keeper, to prevent " Flora " from injuring herself against the sides of her cage, was obliged to bring her mate upataira and put him m her cage. Never was a more impressive scene enacted between animals. They embraced, licked eaoh other with their tongues and rubbed their noaea of their affection forgetting all about the kangaroo babiea. Finally, the father caw them and tenderly licked their facea, while the little things hopped from their mother's pouch to extend to him a friendly greeting, "Jack," "Flora" and the two babies are the happiest animals m the congress, and the keeper vows that he will never separate them again