R60 MONOGRAPHS OF NORTH AMERICAN RODENTIA. 



177"_V' Forsterf described the Flying Squirrel of Hudson's Bay as the 

 "Greater Flying Squirrel", which, he says, is "vastly different . . . . in size iLid 

 color" from the Flying Squirrel of New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. 

 This is Pennant's "Severn River Squirrel", and the "Sciurus volans major" 1 

 of Pallas,} to which Gmelin, in 1788, gave the name Sciurus hudsonius. 

 Shaw, in 1801, changed Gmeliu's name to Sr.iwus Murium in consequence 

 of the name hudsonius having been also applied to the Chickaree, or Red 

 Squirrel {Sciurus hudsonius). As, however, the Flying Squirrels and the 

 Chickarees proved to belong to different genera, this double use of the name 

 hudsonius becomes tenable. 



The smaller Southern Flying Squirrel was described by Fernandez, 

 from Mexican specimens, under the native name Quimichpatlan, in 1651, 

 and as early as 174,3 it was figured and described by Catesby from Carolina 

 specimens. To this species (in the mean time also described by Brisson, 

 Edwards, Pennant, Buffon, and others), Pallas gave the name Sciurus volu- 



' Among the many earlier references to this animal, which have, however, uo direct hearing upon 

 its technical history, are many that are interesting from their quaint character. Thus, the celebrated 

 Captain John Smith, in his Account of Virginia, published originally as early as 1006, in alluding to this 

 animal, says : — "A small beast they have, they call Assapanick, but wee call them flying Squirrels, because 

 spreading their legs, and so stretching the largenesse of their skiuues, that they seeme to fly thirtie or 

 •fortie yards." — (Pnrchas's Piigrims, vol. iv, p. 1095.) 



Somewhat later, the good Thomas Morton, in his " New English Canaan " (p. 82), speaks of 

 "a little flying Squirrill, with bat like winges, which bee spreads when hee jumpes from tree to tree 

 aud does no harme ". 



In 1036, the Northern Flying Squirrel was also noticed by Sagard-Theodat, whose curious descrip- 

 tion is among the most detailed of the early notices of this animal. I am favored with the following 

 transcript of his notice, through the attentions of my colleague, Dr. Cones, taken from p. 678 of vol. iii. 

 of the 8vo French ed. of 1866, of his Histoire du Canada, a literal reprint of the original of 1036 (p. 745) : — 

 " lis ont aussi trois sortes d'eseurienx differends, & tous trois plus beaux & plus petits que ceux de 

 nostre Europe. Les plus estimez & rares sont les escurieux volans, nomtue'z Sahouesquanta, qui out 

 la couleur cendree, la teste un pen grosse, le poil doux & court & les yeux petits. lis sont appellez vo- 

 lans, non qu'ils ayeut des aysles, mais a. raison qu'ils ont une certaine pean aux deux costez prenans de 

 la patte de derriere a, celle de deuant, qu'ils repliant fort proprement contr'e leur ventre quand ils niar- 

 chent, puis 1'esteudent quand ils volant, couime ils font aysemeut d'arbre en arbre, & de terre iusques au 

 dessus." 



Another writer, in an account of Virginia, originally published in 1049, speaks of "two sorts of 

 Squirrels", one of which is " called a flying one, for that she spreads like a Batt a certaine loose skin she 

 hath and so flyes a good way". — (Force's Tracts, vol. ii, No. 8, p. 16.) 



Clayton, writing in 1088, in enumerating the Squirrels of Virginia, fays : — " The second is the flj ing 

 Squirrel of a lighter dun Colour, and much less than the English Squirrel ; the skin on either side the 

 body extended is very large betwixt the Fore-Leg and Hind-Leg which helps them much in their skipp- 

 ing from one Bough to another that they will leap farther than the Fox Squirrel, though much less, yet 

 this is still rather skipping than flying, though the Distinction he well enough." — (Force's Tracts, vol. iii, 

 No. 12, p. 30.) 



Lawson, in 1709, also , bus refers to the Southern Flying Squirrel in terms uo less strained: — 

 " . . . . He has not wings as Birds or Bats have, they being a line thin skin cover'd with Hair, as the 

 rest of the parts are. This from the Fore-Foot to the Hinder Feet, which is extended, and holds so 

 much Air as buoys him up from one Tree to another, that are greater distances asunder, than any other 

 Squirrels can reach by jumping or springing . . . . " 

 I Phil. Trans, vol. Ixii, 177-', p. 379. 

 | Nov. Si.ee. Glires, 1778. p. 3. r >4. 



