320 THE LESSER FLYING SQUIRREL. 



out stealthily to feed, foraging in parties of ten or twelve, all 

 lively and active, running with as much agility as other squirrels, 

 and darting from tree to tree with astonishing ease and intre- 

 pidity. 



These animals feed on nuts, acorns, and young shoots. To 

 afford them winter diet they store up plenty of nuts in their 

 nests, which are constructed on the trees in a very artificial 

 manner, and are each large enough to contain several indi- 

 viduals. 



Though shy at first, the flying squirrel soon becomes familiar, 

 happy, and contented in a state of captivity, if treated kindly. 

 "It would be difficult," as Mr. Bennett observes, "to find in 

 the entire class of mammalia a more graceful little creature, or 

 one better fitted for a lady's pet than this elegant animal. Its 

 diminutive size, the singularity of its form, the expression of its 

 physiognomy, the vivacity of its motions, and the gentleness of 

 its disposition, all combine to render it one of the most interest- 

 ing, as well as the most beautiful, of a beautiful and interesting 

 tribe." Mr. R. C. Taylor says it is very commonly kept in 

 cages in North America j but adds (what one might naturally 

 expect from so restricting the liberty of this most active species), 

 that in such confinement it is not so amusing and lively as 

 other squirrels. 



A correspondent to the Magazine of Natural History, gives the 

 following interesting account of the habits of some American 

 flying squirrels which he kept in confinement at Birmingham : 



"They are almost always asleep during the day, curled round, 

 with their tails covering their noses 3 but in the evenings, and 

 through the whole night, they are in constant motion. The 

 moment I open the door of their cage they jump upon me, 

 and generally creep into my coat pocket : indeed, more than 

 once, after I had roused and fed them in the day-time, I 

 have found to my surprise, some hours afterwards, that I 

 had been carrying one in my pocket handkerchief -, sometimes 

 even when on horseback I have felt one there. When about to 

 spring, they jerk the head up and down three or four times, as 



