THE COLUGO, OR FLYING LEMUR. 291 



The cry of this bat is much like the short, sharp bark 

 of the deer. 



Living upon fruit, they do very great damage to 

 the crops; and in spite of nets, baskets, and other 

 protections, they will sometimes manage in a single 

 night to strip a tree of every ripe fruit, leaving the 

 unripe alone. I have seen this bat eating apples, and 

 a very curious sight it was. The animals were hang- 

 ing by their hind legs, and seemed to consider that to 

 be the most agreeable position for taking their meals. 

 Their large brown eyes looked rather excited as they 

 fell on the fruit ; but, as soon as the repast was finished^ 

 they were closed again, the head tucked up against 

 the breast, and the animal was fast asleep. 



In Tunis and the neighbourhood, there is a very 

 large species of these fruit-eating bats, called the 

 Edible Kalong (Pteropus edulis). As its name implies, 

 it is used for food ; so that the owners of the fruit- 

 trees revenge themselves for the loss of their crops 

 by eating the robbers. The flesh of this Kalong is 

 said to be very delicate and white. I may mention 

 here that the generic name of Pteropus is formed from 

 two Greek words, and signifies wing-footed. 



THE COLUGO, OR PLYING LEMUR (GoleOpitheCUS 



Although there is no aquatic form of the monkey 

 tribes, we have one which may well take its place as a 

 trespasser in the air, namely, the singular animal 

 called the Colugo, or Flying Lemur, which inhabits 

 many of the islands of the Indian Archipelago. 



