NATURAL HISTORY. 



When a bird or a wild animal is killed, that is the end of it. It photographed, it may still live and its educational 



and scientific value is multiplied indefinitely. 



THE FLYING SQUIRREL. 



Somerset Co., Pa. 

 Editor Recreation : 



I notice that someone asks through Rec- 

 reation for information concerning the lit- 

 tle grey, or American, flying squirrel. I am 

 glad of an opportunity to call attention 

 to this beautiful little creature which, ow- 

 ing to its timid disposition and strict noc- 

 turnal habits, is little known. Even the 

 naturalists seem to neglect it, which is to be 

 wondered at, considering its surpassing 

 beauty and its remarkable aerial powers. It 

 is but a liny creature, hardly so large as 

 a chipmunk, yet it affords wider oppor- 

 tunity for nature study than a grizzly bear. 

 It is clothed in long fur, as fine as the silk 

 of Minerva's own spinning, which puts to 

 shame the spider. It is dark grey brown 

 above and as white as the snows of heaven 

 beneath, the colors 'not shading into each 

 other, but with an abrupt line of demarca- 

 tion which follows along the edge of its 

 "parachute extension." Its eyes are large 

 and, like those of all nocturnals, black. Its 

 distinguishing feature, which makes it a 

 flying squirrel, is the broad band of skin 

 connecting its front and hind legs. Worthy 

 of special notice also is the peculiar struct- 

 ure of its tail. The hairs, which are firm, 

 but not stiff, are so arranged along the 

 sides as to form a flat or slightly concave 

 surface beneath. Viewed from the under 

 side, the tail resembles a feather. Its use 

 will appear later. 



When the squirrel is at rest or running, 

 the skin which forms his parachute, by 

 its own elasticity, draws in folds to the 

 animal's flanks, where it is out of the way 

 and out of sight ; but when he has occasion 

 to pass from one tree to another and does 

 not wish to descend to the ground, he 

 leaps boldly into space, stretching out his 

 little legs in the same act. The flaps, which 

 were so neatly tucked away, then do excel- 

 lent service as wings and he skims away 

 like a swallow. He does not fly, in any 

 sense of the word. On leaving the limb he 

 takes a direction obliquely toward the 

 ground, which position, with the front part 

 of the body lower than the back part, he 

 maintains throughout his course. Once in 

 the air his motion is simply the result of 

 gravitation, modified by the law of resist- 

 ance. Gravitation, the balance wheel of 

 the universe, would draw him straight to 

 the earth, but there is another law of nature 



which says that he must move in the direc- 

 tion of the least resistance. When Dame 

 Nature was making the squirrels she 

 thought of this particular combination of 

 her laws and made one species expressly 

 to take advantage of it. The broad bands 

 of skin along the sides of the animal en- 

 counter much air, which offers much re- 

 sistance to its straight downward motion; 

 but moving obliquely downward and for- 

 ward with its body tilted in the same di- 

 rection, it encounters relatively little air, 

 consequently this must be the direction of 

 its course. Here we see the use of his 

 tail. By it and his head he is able to as- 

 sume the proper tilt for the required dis- 

 tance. The lower his head the shorter and 

 swifter will be his flight. Of course it will 

 be seen that the distance of his flight de- 

 pends on the height of his starting point 

 and the angle of his descent. He must al- 

 ways descend, for gravitation, which is 

 the only motive power, can act only in that 

 direction. Before he alights he gives an 

 upward swoop, in order to lessen his speed 

 and consequently the shock. He does this 

 just in the same way that a sled, after slid- 

 ing swiftly down a hill runs partly up the 

 next. 



I never saw a flying squirrel abroad in 

 daylight of its own accord, and when driv- 

 en out, they hasten to some dark retreat; 

 but when the shades of night have fallen 

 they come forth by families, for they are a 

 sociable people, and engage in such sports 

 as you might imagine ordinary squirrels 

 further endowed with the power of flight 

 might carry on. Their food consists large- 

 ly of nuts and insects, preference given to 

 the latter. When a boy I frequently caught 

 them in traps set for other animals, and 

 baited with meat. I remember one time I 

 had set a box trap for a skunk, and on 

 visiting the trap next morning, I found the 

 lid down. I raised it rather incautiously 

 to investigate, when out came a little brown 

 flash. It paused a moment to reconnoiter, 

 but not seeing any welcome tree convenient 

 it did the next best thing; it ran up me, 

 in spite of my frantic remonstrance. When 

 it reached my shoulder it paused not a 

 moment, but giving me a vigorous spurn, 

 leaped toward a giant oak, up which it ran 

 and then sailed away several hundred feet, 

 doubtless chuckling over its escape, al- 

 though at no time had it been in peril. 



D. S. Boucher. 



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