OBSERVATIONS ON MAMMALS 243 



air. This can scarcely be the case. I have never 

 seen the gliding motion take place in any direction 

 but that of a straight line except in the sudden elevation 

 at the termination of the " flight." Moreover, it is 

 improbable that Nature would have provided the 

 animal with a steering gear in the form of a cylindrical 

 bushy tail. I think rather that it acts as an organ 

 of balance, for of what value could the similar long 

 bushy tail be to steer the common squirrel which 

 never " flies"? Just as the tail of a bird cannot act 

 as a rudder because it is compressed in the wrong 

 direction, so also it is unlikely that the tail of the 

 flying squirrel will possess a steering function as it 

 is not compressed at all. I have mentioned that, 

 when the animal is seated on a bar, an excess of 

 weight in the anterior portion of the body is counter- 

 balanced by an elevation of the tail which increases 

 the leverage of the posterior portion of the body. A 

 somewhat similar mechanism takes place in the air. 

 The squirrel when gliding is in an oblique position ; 

 the anterior portion of its body is depressed. It 

 will therefore tend to topple over forwards unless 

 it has a sufficient counterpoise behind. To give 

 it this counterpoise the tail is held rigid and trailed ; 

 it acts as an organ of balance to maintain a steady 

 flight. 



The mammal most commonly seen about the 

 woods was the Bengal monkey, Simia rhesus. It 

 is the same species that inhabits the plains, but at 

 these altitudes it has developed into a more robust 

 animal and has put on a thicker and warmer coat. 

 This monkey is of a plain brown colour with a rusty 

 tinge about the lower portion of its back. A red 



