286 



ANIMAL MOVEMENT 



The Taguan [Petauroides volans) of Queensland and Victoria 

 is rather more than twice the size of the Sugar Squirrel, and the 

 tip of its tail is devoid of hair. Besides this, the lateral parachute 

 fold is very small in the region of the forearm and lower leg. 



The smallest and most elegant of the 

 Flying Phalangers is the diminutive Fly- 

 ing-Mouse [Acrobates pygnicsiis, fig. 824) 

 of East Australia. The parachute fold 

 extends only from ankle to knee, but its 

 small extent is pardy made up for by 

 the lone flat tail, the hair on which is 

 so arranged as to give it the appearance 

 of a feather. 



Speaking of these three genera of 

 parachute Marsupials (i.e. Petaitrus, 

 Petauroides, and Acrobates), Beddard 

 remarks (in The Cambridge Natural 

 History): — "As to these Flying Phal- 

 angers, it is exceedingly instructive to 

 observe that the same method of ' flight ' 

 has been apparently evolved three times; 

 for the three genera are each of them 

 specially related to a separate type of 

 non-flying Phalanger ". 



Birds (Aves) as Parachutists. — The 

 wings of flying birds have passive as 

 well as active uses. They are employed, 

 for example, after the fashion of a para- 

 chute during descent from the air. This 

 is illustrated in fig. 825 by a series of 

 instantaneous photographs of a Pigeon 

 taken during its downward course to the 

 ground. 



Reptiles (Reptilia) as Parachutists. — One of the Lizards 

 native to the Malay region is a parachuting Gecko {Ptychozoon 

 Jiomalocephalnm, fig. 826). Its fingers and toes are specialized 

 for climbing, as in the better known members of its family (see 

 p. 268). But it differs from these in possessing parachute folds 

 on the sides of head, trunk, tail, and limbs, while a further increase 

 of surface is afforded by webs which stretch between the digits. 



