9 ° 
RODENTS. 
supported in front by a cartilage attached to the outer side of the wrist. There 
is also another membrane connecting the sides of the neck with the fore-limb; and 
there may be likewise one between the hind-legs and the root of the tail. The 
molar teeth are of a very complex type, and as their skulls differ considerably 
from those of all the preceding genera, the flying squirrels are now regarded as 
indicating a distinct subfamily. Moreover, as the group is known to be of consider¬ 
able antiquity, it is not improbable that it has no generic affinity with any of the 
foregoing genera but that it traces its descent to some totally extinct group of 
the family. With the exception of one North American species, and a second from 
Siberia and Eastern Europe, the flying squirrels are confined to the Indian and 
Malayan regions. They are all exclusively nocturnal in their habits, and mainly 
inhabit forest regions, although one may frequent rocks alone. Their mode of 
flight and general habits appear to be very similar to those of the flying lemur; 
and when leaping from tree to tree they utter sharp piercing cries which are 
familiar to all who have travelled in regions where flying squirrels are to be found. 
Lesser Flying The lesser flying squirrels, constituting the genus Sciuropterus, 
Squirrels. are those which have the lowest crowned molar teeth in the group, 
although there is considerable variation in the structure of these teeth. All the 
members of the genus are distinguished by the parachute-like membrane along 
the sides being of moderate width; and by the rudimentary condition of the 
membrane between the hind-legs, which does not include any portion of the tail. 
The fur, as in all other members of the group, is very thick and soft; but the 
tail differs from that of the other flying squirrels in being broad, and flattened 
from above downwards, in order, probably, to act as an aid in flight. In size these 
animals vary from 5 to 12 inches in length. The large size of their expressive 
eyes, and the beautiful silky softness of their fur, render them exceedingly 
attractive creatures. The North American species ( S. volucella), which is the 
one represented in our illustration, has the fur of an ashy brown above, and 
creamy-white below. 
Distribution and The lesser flying squirrels include a considerable number of 
Habits. species, one of which is an inhabitant of North America, and a second 
of Siberia and North-Eastern Europe, while all the others are confined to the 
Indian and Malayan regions, extending as far northwards as Afghanistan and 
Kashmir. The following notes refer mainly to the habits of the North American 
species, of which an excellent account is given by Dr. Hart Merriam. Like ordinary 
squirrels, these animals subsist mainly on nuts, seeds, and buds, but the American 
species also eats beetles, and probably other insects, and may be taken in traps 
baited with meat, while in confinement it will but seldom refuse flesh. The American 
flying squirrels construct nests in the hollow trees they haunt, and in the cold 
winters of the Adirondack region near New York they retire to these nests, and 
probably hibernate. The same habits will doubtless hold good for the species 
inhabiting Kashmir and Afghanistan, but those inhabiting India proper and the 
warm Malayan region remain active at all seasons. The Kashmir flying squirrel 
(S. jimbriatus ), in some cases at least, produces four young at a birth. 
In the daytime these squirrels remain concealed in hollow trees, and only 
issue forth at sunset in quest of food. Numbers frequently associate in one tree; 
