2S» MEMOIR OF PALLAS. 



one has received a more detailed description. The 

 next animal of which he gives an account is the 

 great flying-squirrel from the islands of the Indian 

 archipelago, by him denominated Sciurus petaurista^ 

 from the enormous leaps it takes hy means of its 

 wing-like membranes. It is the Pteromys petaurista 

 of our systems. After briefly alluding to the dimi- 

 nutive species of Northern Asia and America, which 

 had long been known, and mentioning the very 

 little that had been recorded of the animal before 

 ^^9 l>y Valentyn and in the Lettres Edifiantes^ he 

 states, that he drew his description from three spe* 

 cimens in the respective museums of Leyden, the 

 Hague, and the Prince of Orange. These gave the 

 size equal to that of a small rabbit, about eighteen 

 inches long. The description is accompanied by 

 an excellent representation, which is still copied 

 into some of our most popular works. Another 

 animal, concerning which he states that naturalists 

 had preserved the most profound silence, and which 

 he describes at length, supplying good figures, is 

 his Cavia Capensis (Caliai), He is at pains to 

 distinguish it from the water-hog {Hydrochoeru8\ 

 and the Guinea-pig {Cabaya) of South America; 

 he also distinguished it from the agouti and the 

 aperia and paca of Marcgraf, &c. This animal is 

 now arranged as the Hyrax of Hermann, the Duman 

 of Buffbn, Desmarest, &c. ; it is the Israel of the 

 Arabs of Mount Lebanon, and is generally regarded 

 as the Coney of the Sacred Scriptures. We shall 

 next allude i(\ his Apis ^tkiopiciis^ which at pre- 



