156 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



It is of a whitish-brown, and there are some radii of 

 the same colour on its wings, after the fashion of the 

 pictus. 



The vespertilio ruber and the vespertilio albescens are two 

 other species of the same country, and described by the 

 same writer. The first is of a cinnamon-colour above, and 

 rose-colour below. The second is blackish above, and of 

 an obscure brown in the under parts. It appears as if 

 powdered with white under the belly, because the points of 

 each hair are of this colour; the whitish-tint increases 

 more and more behind. The ears of both these species are 

 remarkably sharp, and the auricula are subulated, i. e. awl- 

 formed. 



The word GALEOPITHECUS is a compound of two 

 Greek words, signifying cat monkey. It was appropriated 

 by Pallas to the lemur volans of Linnaeus, which had been 

 designated by travellers under the names of flying cat, 

 flying monkey, flying dog, SfC. 



The galeopitheci are at present but very imperfectly 

 known. M. F. Cuvier has given us the best account of 

 them. All we learn from those who have seen them living 

 is, that they hang suspended by their hind-legs from the 

 branches of trees ; that they feed on insects, and probably 

 on small birds ; that they move with difficulty on the earth's 

 surface, but climb trees with surprising facility, and spring 

 from one to the other supported, as by a parachute, in 

 their passage by the membrane spread around their body ; 

 and that they are crepusculous animals, active only during 

 twilight. 



More is known of their organization than of their mode 

 of life. The various vulgar names applied to them have 

 reference each to their general physiognomy, in which may 

 be traced traits of similarity to the cat, the monkey, espe- 

 cially the lemur and the dog. The largest species known, 



