Collingwood's Raviblcs in the China Seas 375 



Galeopithecus Philippensis, which although not confined to Borneo 

 is abundant there. It is particularly interesting, from the mixed 

 affinities which seem to be combined in it. It may be described 

 as a mixture of the monkey and the squirrel, and its habits bear 

 out the suspicion of the affinities which its form suggests. 

 Although placed by systematists next to or among the quadrumana, 

 it has in many of what may be called its minor characters, strong 

 sciurine elements. We shall contrast its mode of flying from tree 

 to tree, as narrated by Dr Collingwood, with a short account of a 

 similar propensity of the flying squirrel in North America given 

 by Sir Charles Lyell in his tour through America; and we think the 

 reader will feel disposed after reading them to allow a greater share 

 of the squirrel element to be present in the Galeopithecus than he 

 had perhaps previously been disposed to admit. 

 First hear' Dr Collingwood : — 



" Sitting in the verandah of Mr Martin's house about sunset, I had an 

 opportunity of observing the habits of the flying squirrel (Galeopithecus) the 

 Kerbong of the Malays. The animal came streaming through the air from a 

 distant clump of trees, its flank membranes extended, and its long tail stretched 

 out behind, and with a graceful sailing motion at length arrived at a tall tree 

 trunk which had been left in the midst of the cleared jungle, on the lower part 

 of which it alighted. The animal then began to ascend the trunk in a spiral 

 direction, running a little way at a time and then stopping. Having reached 

 the branches it selected one, along which it crept until it had reached the 

 extremity, when it suddenly launched itself into the air, and glided away on 

 outstretched wings in the direction of another tall tree, about 150 yards distant, 

 gradually descending as it proceeded, and finally alighting upon the lower third 

 of the tnmk. Again it crept up the branches, and again it cast itself off, 

 making this time for a more distant tree, when it was lost to view in the jungle. 

 At the same moment another Galeopithecus arrived at the first-mentioned tree, 

 which standing alone, offered a good mark and a convenient resting place for 

 • these singular animals. This one repeated the same process, only going in the 

 opposite direction. Eveiy evening at the same hour, these animals, probably 

 the same individuals, might be seen making use of the same trees in their flight 

 so that it was easy to say when they had alighted anywhere what would be 

 their next flight. Having reached the highest part of the tree, they sailed 

 steadily away to the next, with grace and swiftness, in a gradually falling line, 

 with no apparent movement of their flank membranes, but with the evident 

 power of accurately guiding their flight to the next stage in their progi^ess, 

 which may thus be described as a vertical zigzag." (p. 211.) 



The notice of the habits of the North American squirrel, by Sir 

 Charles Lyell, to which we refer, is as follows : — 



" After travelling so much in the woods, I had never got sight of more than 

 three or four species, owing, T am informed, to their nocturnal habits. I 



