MAMMALS 21 



Originally placed amongst the Lemurs, it was then 

 transferred to that dumping-ground for so many ano- 

 malous creatures, the order Insectivora. Undoubtedly 

 it does show some affinities with the latter, but so 

 remote that it is now regarded as the sole representa- 

 tive of a distinct order, the Dermoptera. 



Galeopithecus is nocturnal and arboreal in its habits ; 

 during the daytime it hides amongst the leaves and 

 branches of trees, and, owing to the greenish-brown 

 mottled fur with which it is clothed, harmonizes very 

 closely with its surroundings. 1 Occasionally a beautiful 

 rufous variety is seen, the hair in some lights being 

 almost golden. 



Extending along each side of the body, and attached 

 anteriorly along the outer border of the fore-limbs, and 

 posteriorly along the inner border of the hind-limbs, is 

 a fold of skin, the parachute-membrane, which, when 

 the limbs are stretched out, becomes taut, but when 

 the animal is at rest lies in folds along the sides of 

 the body. The short tail is enclosed in a similar fold 

 extending between the hind-limbs, and other folds 

 extend from the sides of the neck to the inner border 

 of the fore-legs. By means of this parachute Galeo- 

 pithecus is enabled to take flying leaps from one tree 

 to another ; the direction of the flight is, of course, 

 not strictly horizontal, for the animal has no powers 

 of propulsion once it is in the air, but terminates at 

 a much lower level than the point of departure. The 

 parachute can only serve to delay its fall and to 

 diminish the force of impact on landing, but in con- 



1 Dr. C. Hose informs me that Galeopithecus often clings to the 

 trunk of a dead tree a situation in which it is nearly invisible, 

 E. B. P. 



