Ch. XIII.] FLYING SQUIEEELS. -211 



it alighted. The animal then began to ascend the trunk in 

 a spiral direction, running a little way at a time, and then 

 stopping. Having reached the branches, it selected one, 

 along which it crept until it had reached the extremity, 

 when it suddenly launched itself into the air, and glided 

 away on outstretched wings, in the direction of another taU 

 tree about 150 yards distant, gradually descending as it pro- 

 ceeded, and finally alighting upon the lower third of the 

 trunk. Again it crept up to the branches, and again it cast 

 itself off — ^making this time for a more distant tree, when it 

 was lost to view in the jungle. At the same moment, an- 

 other Galeopithecus arrived at the first-mentioned tree, 

 which, standing alone, offered a good mark, and a conve- 

 nient resting-place for these singular animals. This one 

 repeated the same process, only going in the opposite direc- 

 tion. Every evening at the same hour these animals, 

 probably the same individuals, might be seen making use 

 of the same trees in their flight, so that it was easy to say 

 when they had alighted anywhere, what would be their next 

 flight. Having reached the highest part of the tree, they 

 sailed steadily away to the next with grace and swiftness, 

 in a gradually falHng line, with no apparent movement of 

 their flank-membranes, but with the evident power of accu- 

 rately guiding their flight to the next stage in their progress, 

 which may thus be described as a vertical zig-zag. Tihe 

 skins of these animals are much valued, and they are very 

 abundant in many places. Coal Poiat, in Labuan, is called 

 by the Malays Tanjong Kubong, or the Cape of Flying Squir- 

 rels, from the number of them which formerly existed 

 there ; but siace the cutting down of the jungle in the pro- 

 gress of the works, they have very materially diminished in 



numbers. 



p 2 



