952 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN. 



sive horns and the large rump-patches, they 

 then looked more like deer, with necks fairly 

 long, legs long and graceful, and rather light 

 bodies. 



When I saw them again, late in October, upon 

 returning from a hunt for sheep in northwest- 

 ern Alberta, I was greatly surprised at their 

 changed appearance. The whole anatomy 

 seemed altered. The bodies had gained depth 

 at the expense of the necks and legs, and were 

 much broader, especially at the shoulders. The 

 necks appeared almost disproportionately short 

 and thick, and looked as if they were placed 

 lower on the bodies, the back of the heads near- 

 ly touching the tops of the shoulders ; while in 

 front, the curve of the neck reached down to 

 the brisket. And this, together with the heavier 

 coated legs, made the sheep appear much 

 smaller than when in the summer coat. The 

 effect was produced solely by the growth of 

 hair, as the rutting season was still some time 

 away. 



I have not seen mountain sheep in the winter, 

 but to judge from this change of appearance 

 within two months, I do not think sheep would 

 make very imposing models during the winter 

 months ; while the early summer coat, which, to 

 be sure brings out the anatomy well, is not fa- 

 vorable either, as it lacks character. Septem- 

 ber is the month when the ram is at his best. 

 Then he certainly is an inspiring subject for 

 the animal sculptor and painter. I might add 

 here that all our hoofed game looks its best 

 during September and early in October, though 

 this is not the idea of many taxidermists, who 

 think a long-haired, winter scalp produces the 

 finest effect. But such a growth obscures the 

 lines, so that only a very skilled man can make 

 the mount appear life-like. 



Experiments with Serpents. — We are preparing a 

 room at the Reptile House where experiments may 

 be conducted with serpents in a hibernating condi- 

 tion. It is the intention to keep this room at a 

 temperature of about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The 

 Curator of the Reptile Department has for some 

 time been convinced that the short life in captivity 

 of many snakes of the temperate latitudes is due to 

 the secretion of excess fats while the reptile feeds 

 through a period when it should be dormant, and 

 slowly assimilating these fats. Certain it is that 

 we create an abnormal condition by keeping our 

 reptiles from northern or southern latitudes in a uni- 

 form heat during the entire year. Many of the 

 snakes involved live in captivity not more than a 

 year. Post-mortem examinations usually trace the 

 trouble to the stomach and intestines. We intend 

 to keep our test specimens cold, dormant and fast- 

 ing until the spring, and subject them to the same 

 conditions for the following winter. 



FLYING LEMl'K CLIMBING 



THE FLYING LEMUR. 

 By C. William Beebe. 



BORNEO is a land of flying creatures, and 

 besides birds, bats and insects, one may 

 see squirrels, lizards, frogs and even 

 snakes occasionally trusting themselves to the 

 thin air, buoying themselves, or at least break- 

 ing their fall, with parachutes or membranes of 

 fur, skin or scales. One of the most interest- 

 ing and beautiful is a large furry creature, 

 somewhat squirrel-like in general appearance, 

 which has unfortunately no correct common 

 name,. It is usually known as the Flying Le- 

 mur, but this is no more applicable than the 

 literal translation of its scientific name Gale- 

 opithecus volans — the Flying Weasel-monkey, 

 for it is neither one nor the other of these ani- 

 mals, but rather a distant cousin of moles and 

 shrews. But here again it presents the anomaly 

 of being classed with the insectivores while in 

 diet it is a vegetarian. The best known name 

 of Lemur will serve our purpose. 



If we happen to be in some open glade 

 or old trail in the Bornean jungle at about 

 five in the afternoon and wait until dusk closes 

 down, we may see a large dark mass detach 

 itself from high up on a trunk of a tree and 

 pass with a rush close to our face in a smooth 

 gliding flight to another tree, perhaps forty 

 yards or more away. From the general appear- 

 ance and noiseless flight I thought, when I first 

 watched one of these nocturnal creatures, that 

 it was some large owl making a low swoop 

 through the glade. But finally I marked the 

 spot where it alighted and creeping up I saw 



