240 Journal of the F.M.S. Museums. [Vol. X, 



or 500 yards. They alighted always on Ihe trunks of 

 coconut trees, which being totally without branches afforded 

 a convenient alighting spot. Then they crawVd up the 

 trunk till they came underneath the base of the crown and 

 pushed off, alighting then on some other tree. The line of 

 flight is always curved ; first slanting down and then curving 

 up again : the point of arrival is, however, always lower 

 than the starting point. 



When in August 1015 I made an ascent of the Peak of 

 Korinchi (Sumatra), I found a PeUmrista on the highest 

 point of the Peak, at the very brim of the crater. When 

 I approached it stared at me with its large glaring eyes, 

 making no attempt to escape. 



I cannot explain what motive the animal had to seek 

 such an inhospitable spot, which is 3,800 metres (12,500 ft.), 

 high and, except for a few straggling plants, is for the last 

 400 metres entirely bare of all vegetation. The animal 

 could not possibly have come to the mountain top through 

 the air, for, as pointed out above, it has to avail itself 

 always of a higher starting point. Therefore it must have 

 crawled up all the way from the nearest .forest, which is 

 still considerably below the limit of vegetation. 



This is not the only record of a Petaurista being found 

 in such a peculiai' place. Mr. L. Westenenk, now Resident 

 of Palembang, told me that a Petaurista was formerly seen 

 at the edge of the crater of Mt. Merapi in the Padang 

 Higlilands. The surroundings of this crater are also 

 'vithout vegetation. 



