PARACHUTING 



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fold stretching from hand to foot, while the tail is large and 

 bushy. The length of the head and body is about 9 inches. 

 The movements of this animal throuoh the air, as indeed 

 of flying phalangers generally, are much like those already 

 described for other parachute mammals. Semon {in In the 

 Australian Bush) gives the following account of the matter for 

 this and an allied but smaller species {P. breviceps, variety 



Fig. 824. — Australian Flying-Mouse [Acrchates pygmisus) 



typicus):— "With the greatest agility they climb up the trunk 

 of the eucalyptus-trees to the very tops. Then they spread out 

 a fold of skin, which connects their limbs and tail and serves as 

 a parachute, and noiselessly, in gentle flight, float downward 

 towards the foot of a distant tree, to the top of which they im- 

 mediately ascend. Thus I sometimes saw them float through 

 distances of fifty yards, never failing their goal, and even man- 

 aging to change their direction in the midst of their downward 

 sweep, and to setde on another tree than that they had first 

 chosen." We have here clear evidence proving considerable 

 steering power. 



