

HABITS OF ANOMALURUS 463 



Anomalurus peli appears, according to Mr. W. H. Adams, 1 to 

 be a common species on the Gold Coast ; it is coloured black and 

 white, but in spite of the warning which this colour should 

 convey, is considered by the perhaps rather omnivorous native as 

 " the greatest delicacy." The animal is nocturnal, but affects only 

 bright moonlight nights. Their " flying " consists of a jump from 

 a high branch to a lower one, after which they reascend the tree 

 to a point of vantage for another jump. They are said to feed 

 upon nuts ; but Tullberg only found the remains of leaves in the 

 stomach. 



Idiurus is a lately-described genus allied to Anomalurus. 

 There are at any rate two species, /. zenkeri and I. macrotis. 

 The thumb is more reduced than in Anomalurus, and the fibula, 

 contrary to what is found in that genus and in most Sciuromorphs, 

 is fused with the tibia below. 



A third genus, very recently described and allied to both the 

 foregoing, is Aethurus. It is a native of the French Congo, 2 and 

 differs by the absence of flying membranes. It has, however, the 

 pad of large scales. There is but one species, A. glirinus. It 

 has a black bushy tail. The postorbital processes of the frontals 

 are totally wanting there are not even the traces to be seen in 

 Anomalurus. The thumb has vanished. If we are to compare 

 Anomalurus with the Squirrels then, thinks Mr. de Winton, the 

 present genus is probably diurnal by reason of the want of flying 

 membranes. 



Fam. 2. Sciuridae. The Squirrels, genus Sciums, are world- 

 wide in range, the Australian region and the island of Madagascar 

 being alone excepted. 



The eyes and the ears are large ; the tail is of course long 

 and bushy. The fore-feet have an inconspicuous thumb ; the 

 hind-feet have four toes. The soles of the fore-feet are 

 naked or furry, those of the hind-feet are hairy. There are 

 twelve or thirteen dorsal vertebrae, and in correspondence seven 

 or six lumbars. The caudal vertebrae may be as many as twenty- 

 five. In the skull the frontals are broad, and there are long 



1 "On the Habits of the Flying Squirrels of the genus Anomalurus," Proe. Zool. 

 Soc. 1894, p. 243. 



2 W. E. de Winton, " On a New Genus and Species of Rodents," etc., Proc. Zool. 

 Soc. 1898, p. 450. Apparently just at the time of the publication of this paper 

 Matschie described the same animal as Zenkerella. 



