Three months later.—­The perplexity augments instead of diminishing.  I sleep but little.  It has ceased from lying around, and goes about on its four legs now.  Yet it differs from the other four legged animals, in that its front legs are unusually short, consequently this causes the main part of its person to stick up uncomfortably high in the air, and this is not attractive.  It is built much as we are, but its method of traveling shows that it is not of our breed.  The short front legs and long hind ones indicate that it is a of the kangaroo family, but it is a marked variation of that species, since the true kangaroo hops, whereas this one never does.  Still it is a curious and interesting variety, and has not been catalogued before.  As I discovered it, I have felt justified in securing the credit of the discovery by attaching my name to it, and hence have called it KANGAROORUM ADAMIENSIS. . . .  It must have been a young one when it came, for it has grown exceedingly since.  It must be five times as big, now, as it was then, and when discontented it is able to make from twenty-two to thirty-eight times the noise it made at first.  Coercion does not modify this, but has the contrary effect.  For this reason I discontinued the system.  She reconciles it by persuasion, and by giving it things which she had previously told me she wouldn’t give it.  As already observed, I was not at home when it first came, and she told me she found it in the woods.  It seems odd that it should be the only one, yet it must be so, for I have worn myself out these many weeks trying to find another one to add to my collection, and for this to play with; for surely then it would be quieter and we could tame it more easily.  But I find none, nor any vestige of any; and strangest of all, no tracks.  It has to live on the ground, it cannot help itself; therefore, how does it get about without leaving a track?  I have set a dozen traps, but they do no good.  I catch all small animals except that one; animals that merely go into the trap out of curiosity, I think, to see what the milk is there for.  They never drink it.

Three months later.—­The Kangaroo still continues to grow, which is very strange and perplexing.  I never knew one to be so long getting its growth.  It has fur on its head now; not like kangaroo fur, but exactly like our hair except that it is much finer and softer, and instead of being black is red.  I am like to lose my mind over the capricious and harassing developments of this unclassifiable zoological freak.  If I could catch another one—­but that is hopeless; it is a new variety, and the only sample; this is plain.  But I caught a true kangaroo and brought it in, thinking that this one, being lonesome, would rather have that for company than have no kin at all, or any animal it could feel a nearness to or get sympathy from in its forlorn condition here among strangers who do not know its ways or habits, or what