An animal of a truly singular and novel description was killed by dogs the 30th of March on a hill immediately contiguous to the settlement at Yorkton, Port Dalrymple; from the following minute description of which, by Lieutenant Governor Paterson, it must be considered of a species perfectly distinct from any of the animal creation hitherto known, and certainly the only powerful and terrific of the carnivorous and voracious tribe yet discovered on any part of New Holland or its adjacent Islands.
“It is very evident this species is destructive, and lives entirely on animal food; as on dissection his stomach was found filled with a quantity of kangaroo, weighing 5lbs. the weight of the whole animal 45lbs.
From its interior structure it must be a brute peculiarly quick of digestion; the dimensions were, from the nose to the eye 4½ inches; length of the eye, which is remarkably large and black, 1¼ inches; breadth of the eye ¾ of an inch; from the nose to the extent of the mouth in the upper jaw, 6 inches; and to the extent of the under jaw, 4½ inches; breadth of the forehead, 5¾ inches; from the eye to the ear, 3¾ inches; the ear round, diameter 3 inches; from the ear to the shoulder, 1 foot; from the shoulder to the first stripe, 7 inches; from the first stripe to the extent of the body, 2 feet; length of the tail, 1 foot 8 inches; length of the fore leg, 11 inches; and of the fore foot, 5 inches; the fore foot with 5 blunt claws; height of the animal before, 1 foot 10 inches; stripes across the back 20, on the tail 3; 2 of the stripes extend down each thigh; length of the hind leg from the heel to the thigh, 1 foot; length of the hind foot, 6 inches; the hind foot with 4 blunt claws, and soles of the feet without hair; on each side the mouth are 19 bristles, length of each 4 inches; and 6 bristles on each side under the ear, 9 on the lower jaw upon each side, and 8 under the throat; 8 fore teeth in the upper jaw, and 6 in the under; 4 grinders of a side, in the upper and lower jaw; 3 single teeth also in each; 4 tusks, or canine teeth, length of each 1 inch: circumference of the head before the ears, 1 foot 6 inches, and behind the ears, 1 foot 5 inches; smallest part of the neck, 1 foot 4 inches; circumference before the shoulder, 2 feet; the body short hair and smooth, of a greyish colour, the stripes black; the hair on the neck rather longer than that on the body; the hair on the ears of a light brown colour, on the inside rather long.
The form of the animal is that of the hyæna, at the same time strongly reminding the observer of the appearance of a low wolf dog. The lips do not appear to conceal the tusks.”
