NATURAL HISTORY 



747 



Flying-squirrel. A genus of rodent 

 animals, family Sciuridce (squirrels), to which 

 the skin of the flank, extending between the fore 

 and hind legs, imparts the faculty of supporting 

 themselves for a moment in the air, as with a 

 parachute, and of making very great leaps. 



irojx'an flying-squirrel is a native of the 



in the colder parts of Europe and Asia; 



merican flying-squirrel lives in troops in 

 the western parts of North America. 



Fox. A carnivorous animal, of which there 

 are several species, belonging to the same fam- 

 ily as the dog. It is chiefly characterized by 

 its sharp muzzle, and its long bushy tail; as 

 well as by its cunning, which has passed into a 

 rb. The pupil of the eye is elongated, 

 and not circular as in the dog, and the ears are 

 triangular in -lia|)e and pointed. A very power- 

 initted from the fox, in consequence 

 of some glands which are placed near the root 

 of the tail, and which furnish the odorous se- 

 cretion; this odor is so fetid, that even other 

 animals avoid its locality. The common fox is 

 an inhabitant of most parts of Europe and 

 America, and extends also into Northern Asia. 

 Its senses are extremely acute, so as alike to 

 inform it of the neighborhood of its prey and 

 to warn it of the approach of danger. It usually 

 remains concealed during the day in a burrow, 

 which it has either dug for itself or usurped, 

 and ventures abroad chiefly at night, with 

 stealthy movements, in search of food. Birds, 

 rabbits, or hares constitute its usual prey, but, 

 when pressed by necessity, it will have recourse 

 to other food, and it has a predilection for cer- 

 tain kinds of fruit, such as grapes. To domestic 

 poultry it is terribly destructive. Though 

 slightly made, the fox has great muscular vigor, 

 and Kites with much severity. Even when 

 taken at a very early age, it is never properly 

 domesticated; and adults, when placea in con- 

 finement, show great ferocity, and soon die. 

 It i- to its power of endurance and its great 

 speed, as well as to the cunning which dictates 

 various expedients for escape, that the chase of 



nnal owes its exciting character. Among 



~t coi i inum of its expedients for escape 

 is that of feigning death, which is done also by 

 several other animals. Numerous other species 

 of fox exist in the old ami new worlds, of which 

 the most important are the Arctic, or Blue Fox, 

 and the American, or Red Fox. The Arctic fox 

 abounds in the Arctic regions, and is remarkable 

 for changing its color with the season, being 

 brown or MuMi in summer, and white in winter. 



lea of ita feet are hairy. The Red Fox is 

 found throughout North America; it is very 

 variable in color :md marking, and v.-irieties of it 

 are known by different naiiu-. The -kins of 

 all the sprcir> of fox are valuable, and make 



;rs. used for mulTs. limn 



I'rotf. The . distinguished from its 



congeners by having the tongue and tympanum 



t, the skin smooth, and the tors without 

 claws; they are. In- :id the 



hinder feel are unit-d almost to the tips b V a 

 membrane. The species are numerous; they 



lely distributed over the globe, many 

 inhabiting tropn <mmon frog 



is too well known to require description. It is 



found at the genial period of the year, burying 

 itself at the approach of winter, in the mud at 

 the bottom of ponds, and reappearing early in 

 spring. In the month of March it lays its eggs, 

 which are enveloped in a gelatinous material, 

 in water, where they float. Each female deposits 

 from 600 to 1,200 eggs a year. By April they 

 have greatly increased in size and are becoming 

 hatched. The immature frogs which come 

 forth are called tadpoles. Tney have tails, 

 no legs, breathe by gills, and are aquatic. Six 

 or eight weeks later the legs are fully developed, 

 the tail is absorbed, and they quit the water, 

 remaining, however, in its vicinity to the last. 

 The common frog is found in most parts of this 

 country, in Europe, in parts of Asia, and in the 

 north of Africa. The eatable frog is common 

 on the European continent. The bull-frog of 

 North America is also well known. In farriery, 

 a kind of tender horny substance {growing in the 

 middle of a horse's foot, dividing into two 

 branches which run like a fork toward the heel. 



Gazelle. An animal belonging to the An- 

 telope family; of very graceful shape, and 

 rather smaller in size than the chamois. The 

 color of the gazelle is fawn or dun on the back, 

 which is separated from the white belly by a 

 brown or blackish band. The horns, which are 

 stronger in the male than in the female, are twice 

 bent, in the shape of a lyre, and without sharp 

 edges. The eyes of this animal are beautiful 

 and soft in expression, and its movements are 

 elegant and lignt. It inhabits the large plains 

 and the Saharian region of Northern Africa, 

 as well as Arabia and Syria, living in numerous 

 herds. When taken young, the gazelle, though 

 naturally wild and timid, is readily domesticated, 

 and becomes quite tame. 



Giraffe. The tallest of animals, often 

 called the Camelopard, from the fact that the 

 skin is spotted like the leopard, whilst the neck 

 resembles that of the camel. It inhabits vari- 

 ous parts of Africa, and comprises in itself an 

 entire family, belonging to the class Ungulata, 

 or hoofed animals. The height of this animal 

 ranges from fifteen to twenty feet, the greater 

 part of which is obtained by the enormous 

 length of the neck, which is. never! hel. 

 sessed of only the usual number of 

 bra?, as in the whole class of mammals. The 

 back slopes considerably from the shoulders to 

 the tail, this elevation of the shoulders being 

 due to the great elongation of the shoulder- 

 blade a fact which aUo explains the apparent 

 inequality of the fore arid hind legs, which are. 

 in reality, equal in length. The giratYe has an 

 unusually long cylindrical tongue, which is prr- 

 hen-ile. and is used for stripping the leaves off 

 the trees on which it feeds. 



Goat. A genus of ruminant quadrupeds SO 

 Closely allied to the sheep that it is not easy 



exactly to define the distinction, although the 

 common domestic goat and sheep are of 



i appearance. It is frequently men- 

 tioned in the books of Moses, and formed a 

 large portion of the flocks of the patriarchs 

 The uses of the goat arc numerous. The flesh 

 is good; that of the kid. or young goat 

 most countries, esteemed a delicacy. The milk 

 is very rich and nutritious, more easy of dips- 



