PEPACTON 



hsive his choice, whether to remain a captive or 

 to lake the leap. He looked down the awful abyss, 

 and then back and sidewise, his eyes glistening, 

 his form crouching. Seeing no escape in any other 

 direction, "he took a flying leap into space, and 

 fluttered rather than fell into the abyss below. His 

 legs began to work like those of a swimming poodle- 

 dog, but quicker and quicker, while his tail, slightly 

 elevated, spread out like a feather fan. A rabbit of 

 the same weight would have made the trip in about 

 twelve seconds; the squirrel protracted it for more 

 than half a minute," and "landed on a ledge of 

 limestone, where we could see him plainly squat on 

 his hind legs and smooth his ruffled fur, after which 

 he made for the creek with a flourish of his tail, took 

 a good drink, and scampered away into the willow 

 thicket." 



The story at first blush seems incredible, but I 

 have no doubt our red squirrel would have made 

 the leap safely; then why not the great black squir- 

 rel, since its parachute would be proportionately 

 large ? 



The tails of the squirrels are broad and long and 

 flat, not short and small like those of gophers, chip- 

 munks, woodchucks, and other ground rodents, and 

 when they leap or fall through the air the tail is 

 arched and rapidly vibrates. A squirrel's tail, there- 

 fore, is something more than ornament, something 

 more than a flag ; it not only aids him in flying, 

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