80 



ORDERS OF MAMMALS— GNAWING ANIMALS 



Whistler, which is yellowish in summer, and 

 bluish-gray in winter. This is called the Olym- 

 pic Marmot. 



Flying Squirrels. 

 The Flying Squirrel ' is a very beautiful 

 little creature, but its strictly nocturnal habits, 

 and strong dislike to daylight, almost rob us of 

 its acquaintance. This is to be regretted, be- 

 cause it is the only native tree-dwelling quad- 



THE FLYING SQUIRREL. 



ruped which has been provided by Nature with 

 a parachute, consisting of a thin fold of skin 

 stretched between the fore and hind legs, to 

 partly sustain the animal in a long downward 

 flight. Neither the Flying Squirrel, nor the 

 flying lemur of the East Indies, can actually 

 fly; but they leap from a tree-top, go sailing 

 gently downward and outward, and when near 

 the ground curve upward and are carried by 

 their momentum on an ascending plane to the 

 side of an adjoining tree. Anything like hori- 

 zontal flight is quite out of the question. 

 1 Sci-u-rop' te-rus vo'lans. 



The Flying Squirrel is one of the most exqui- 

 site little mammals in North America. Its legs 

 are very delicately formed; its fur is as fine and 

 soft as silk ; and when at rest the edge of its fly- 

 ing membrane looks like the edge of a lace ruffle. 

 The head and body (of the eastern species) is 

 about 5 inches long, and the tail 4 inches. These 

 little creatures are quite sociable, and nest in 

 hollow trees, where from five to seven young are 

 born. They come out to play about sunset, and 

 are as sportive as schoolboys playing tag. In cap- 

 tivity they are quite worthless for exhibition, for 

 in the daytime there is nothing to be seen save 

 a small and wholly uninteresting ball of fur. 



Three species (and nine subspecies) have been 

 described, and their range covers the eastern 

 United States from Canada to Florida 1 , and 

 westward to Louisiana. On the Pacific Coast, 

 they are found from southern California to 

 Alaska, even to the Mackenzie River basin, but 

 they are not found in the desert regions. 



THE SEWELLEL FAMILY. 



Aplodontidae. 

 The Sewellel, 2 Mountain " Beaver," or 

 Showt'l of the Indians is a strange and little 

 known animal of the Northwest, with which at 

 least every person in that region should be ac- 

 quainted. It is reddish-brown in upper color 

 (sometimes grayish-brown), and looks like a 

 tailless woodchuck. It feeds like a beaver, fights 

 fiercely when cornered, is sociable in habit like 

 the prairie-" dog," can climb bushes four feet 

 high, and can burrow and live comfortably either 

 in ground that is low and boggy, or high and dry. 

 Usually it prefers wet ground! A large speci- 

 men weighs 4 pounds, measures about 13 inches 

 in length of head and body, and tail a little 

 more than one inch. Strange to say, this once 

 rare animal has recently been discovered inhabit- 

 ing the grounds of the University of Washing- 

 ton, at Seattle. 



THE BEAVER FAMILY. 



Castoridae. 



The Beaver 3 easily leads the mammals of 

 the world in mechanical and engineering skill, 

 and also in habits of industry. Being chiefly 

 nocturnal in its habits, it sleeps by day, and 

 after nightfall carries on its work unmolested. 



2 Ap-lo-don'ti-a ru'/a. 9 Cas'tor can-a-den'ris. 



