52 RAMBLES ABOUT HOME. 



factory as these opportunities have been, they fully con- 

 vinced me that the scansorial abilities of these animals 

 are quite equal to those of the common gray squirrel, and 

 they have also shown me that for hours these little squir- 

 rels will clamber and jump from limb to limb of the 

 same tree, without calling into play their flight-power. 



When disturbed during the day, unless hurt, they are 

 for a considerable time as stupid as owls, probably be- 

 cause " their large eyes, like those of the owl, can not 

 meet the glare of the sun." In time, however, even 

 though the day be very bright, they seem to realize the 

 situation, and then, if on the ground, they scamper off 

 with an easy but not graceful gait ; but if they happen 

 to be in a tree among trees, then they use their " wings." 

 Never have I seen them, on being disturbed, make any 

 effort to conceal themselves, which they might easily do ; 

 more readily, indeed, being smaller, than the gray squirrel, 

 which appears always to elude pursuit by an effort to 

 conceal itself, and only to run away when it finds that its 

 previous effort at hiding has failed. That the flying- 

 squirrel should not adopt a similar mode of seeking 

 safety when pursued has ever been a mystery to me. 



From numerous experiments and many observations, 

 I am satisfied that the flight-power of this squirrel ena- 

 bles it to preserve a horizontal position of several feet 

 ten or twelve before the downward glide commences ; 

 but the membrane once expanded, is not apparently 

 moved in any manner until the animal draws in its feet 

 to seize hold of the branch it has reached. A movement 

 of the membrane that gave the squirrel an additional im- 

 pulse has been asserted of this animal, and the sugges- 

 tion made that the first steps toward the acquirement of 

 the flight-power of the bats had been taken. This I will 

 not deny. It is something for which I have looked for 



