36o 



The Living Animals of the World 



corner and article of furniture that could afford shelter failed to recover him. That the 

 little creature was lost through some one liaviiig iniwittingly left the door of the apartment 

 open, permitting its escape, was the only and much-de[)lored conclusion that could be arrived 

 at. Towards evening, however, there was a slight rustle close at hand, and IMaster Tiny 

 was discovered emerging, like ]\Iinerva from the head of Jupiter, from the top) of one 

 of the old-fashioned china d(.)gs that decorated the hotel-room manteljiiece. The ornament, 

 seemingly intact from the front, had the back of the head battered in. Through the resulting 

 crevice the little animal had managed to squeeze itself, having come to the conclusion, doubtless, 

 that this newly chosen retreat more nearly resembled the cavernous shelter of its native 

 tree-sp)out than its accustomed artificially constructed box. This singular domicile I\Ia.ster 

 Tiny was permitted to monopolise for the remainder of his sojourn at that hostelry. One of 

 the fa\ourite di\ersions of tliis little phalanger during the evenings was to climb upj the 

 curtain and cornice of the room he occupied, and thence hurl himself through the air with 

 outspread parachute to the writer at the opposite end. The a})artment, happening to be the 

 commercial room of the hotel, some thirty feet in length, gave him good scope for exercising 

 his characteristic flying leaps. The attitude invariably maintained during these flights is 

 aptly illustrated in the accomp)anying photograph ; the body is never poised with the head 

 inclined downwards, as is commonly depicted in artists' fancy sketches of the animal contained 

 in popular natural histories. A friend of the writer's in Tasmania, who kept one of these 

 flying-phalangers as a household pet, was accustomed to lea\e a crevice of the window open at 

 night, so that the little fellow could go in and out as it liked. After the manner of most 

 j)ets, however, a day arrived u[)on whicli its box was found vacant, a rnaraudirjg cat or other 

 disaster having apparently comjiassed its untimely end. 



J'li'jlubi/ li: 6,n,Hi.Ki,il, F.Z..S.\ 



LESSEB I'-LYIKCl-PHALANGEE. 

 niiibtrating position maintained during' its remarkable flying leaps. 



lM,lji,rd-o,<-S,a. 



