176 SCIUBID^. 



tion it is fond of in sultry weather. During the night time it is inces- 

 santly on the move. In spite of its flying paraphernalia the oral is by 

 no means so agile as other squirrels ; its pace on the ground is a hobbling 

 or hopping kind of gaUop, nor is it particularly nimble even in trees, the 

 parachute flapping about and impeding its movements in moving from 

 branch to branch. In its wild state it scrambles in this manner all over a 

 tree, and when wishing to pass on to another at some distance, does not 

 descend to the ground, but leaping from the top-most branches sails 

 through the air by means of the parachute, and reaches the lower part or 

 trunk of the adjacent tree. These leaps or flights can be extended, I 

 am told, to ten yards or upwards, always of course in a diagonal and 

 lowering direction. I myself have never witnessed them." 



I have on several occasions seen both this species and the next take 

 flights, and on one occasion an individual of the present species went over 

 a distance, from tree to tree, of above sixty yards. Of course it was very 

 close to the ground when it neared the tree, and the last few feet of its 

 flight were slightly upwards, which I have also noticed at other times. 



" The voice of the oral," says Tickell, " is seldom heard. It is a weak, 

 low, soft monotone, quickly repeated, so low that in the same room you 

 require to listen attentively to distinguish it. It is to the Koles a sound 

 ominous of domestic affliction. When angry the oral seldom bites, but 

 scratches with it fore-claws, grunting at the same time lilce a guinea-pig." 

 The fur of this species is, when in good ordeV, very beautiful and soft, and 

 is highly prized. 



161. Pteromys inornatus. 



Is. Geoffroy, Zool. Voyage de Jacqukmont, pi. IV. — Blyth, Cat. 

 293. — P. albiventer, Gray ? — Eusi gugar, Kashmiri, {. e., the Flying-rat. 



The White-bellied Flying-squirrel. 



Descr. — Above grizzled reddish-brown, or dark gray with a rufous tinge 

 and white speckled, the sides, parachute, and outer edge of limbs darker, 

 nearly maroon red ; the head, neck and breast light grayish-rufous, cheeks 

 gray ; chin and throat white ; lower parts from the breast white, faintly 

 tinged with rufous on the belly, and more strongly on the lower surface of 

 the parachute, the posterior outer edge of which has a border of grayish- 



