Northern Flying-squirrel 445 



Hunter is not entirely free from the influence of these wild, 

 weird legends peculiar to the backwoods of the MIramlchI, 

 especially those that relate to a fabulous monster known as the 

 'Dungarvon Hooper/ He lit another candle, however, and 

 went out to attend to his team. When he came back he found 

 that the second candle had vanished as mysteriously as the 

 first! This was a severe blow to Mr. Hunter's peace of mind, 

 but he pulled himself together and examined the camp 

 thoroughly to see if some practical joker was not concealed 

 about the premises. Finding no traces of anything in human 

 form, he placed his third and last candle on the table, stood his 

 axe within easy reach, and awaited developments. In a few min- 

 utes a Flying-squirrel hopped in the door, boldly mounted the 

 table, and knocked down the candle, thus extinguishing the 

 flame. He started for the door with his booty when Mr. 

 Hunter took a hand and put the little rascal to flight." 



The few of this species that I have observed in daylight speed, 

 were far inferior to a Red-squirrel in activity. Audubon and 

 Bachman mention ^^ that at Quebec they heard of one that was 

 caught alive by a soldier, who saw it in the Plains of Abraham 

 and ran it down. But it is scarcely fair to judge the swiftness 

 of a night animal by its speed in the dazzling day. 



Its flight is like that of the common Flying-squirrel, but flight 

 more extended. A Squirrel will shoot from a tree at an angle 

 of about 30 degrees to the perpendicular trunk, but the angle 

 increases as he goes downward. When he is twenty-five feet 

 down, he is about the same distance from the trunk. Then he 

 goes horizontally and at last a little upward, landing about 

 as far from the starting point as he is below it. 



I have no record of this Flying-squirrel Indulging in amuse- 

 sociable amusements, but Audubon and Bachman'" give an 

 interesting description of a social gathering of the southern 

 species that will at least show us what to look for in the present 

 species. 



">N. A. Quad., 1849, Vol. Ill, p. 203. '« Quad. N. A., 1849, Vol. I, p. 218. 



