1883.] Flying Squirrel in Confinement. 37 
milk, which they lapped from the dish in the manner of a cat, 
except that the nose was held closer to the milk, so close, indeed, 
that it was with difficulty that the movements of the tongue 
could be observed. 
They were-strictly nocturnal and, at first, had regularly: two 
frolics each night, beginning at! 10.45 P. Mi, and at 3:30 A, My, 
which’ lasted from an hour to an hour and a half. During the 
whole of the first week of their captivity, the beginning of these 
frolics did not vary. five: minutes from the'time stated, but after 
this they became more irregular in their beginning and ‘more fre- 
quent.) Their play consisted in running, jumping and gnawing 
simply, with nothing whatever of that rollicking roll-tumble-and+ 
pull of the kitten. A favorite sport, out of the cage, consisted 
in climbing to some elevated’ point and then leaping and sailing 
to some: distant lower level. . Their early efforts in this direction 
were truly amusing; when the point of departure was reached, 
all fours were brought very near together and the head dropped 
with the nose pointing forward; in this attitude 'a number of 
quick vibrations of the body to and fro upon ‘the fect, were made; 
which always suggested. to me the act of winding themselves up 
preparatory to the leap, and. the number and: intensity of these 
vibrations was usually, proportionate to the distance to be cov- 
ered, They were not very accurate marksmen in the beginning, 
and oftener shot over the mark than underiit. Twas glad. of this, 
too, for a favorite leap. of theirs during their early efforts, iwas 
from the books on my secretary to the top of my head when sit- 
ting at the desk reading or writing. Not once did one of them 
alight on my nose or slide down my face, but. very often they 
shot past, my head, sliding. down my back and. even) plunging 
through the back of the chair to the floor without touching me, 
to return by way of my legs to the station pcan! resolved to 
make a better record next time. 
Tn their flight-liké leaps, the four limbs were “extended i in such 
a manner as to throw them all into very nearly the same plane, 
thus: stretching ‘the patachute-like expansion ' ‘of the. skin tense 
and wide. It is “interesting to observe, in this ‘connection, 
that while’ on the flight, and espécially just before alighting, the 
fore limbs are made to make a series of rapid and short vibra- 
tions not wholly ‘unlike the ‘ movement in true ‘Hight. ‘The fact 
y have been noted, ‘and the’ eS which follows uttered by 
