104 
and south range becoming smaller to the southward, prevails decidedly in » 
the Sciuride, and the Flying Squirrel is no exception. 
Description and Habits—The following description and measurements 
are from Robert Kennicott’s Report on the Quadrupeds of Illinois, in the 
Report of the Commissioner of Patents, 1856: 
“Length of old male in March, from nose to root of tail, 44 inches; vertebre of tail, 3 
inches; tail to end of hair, 374 inches; breadth of tail in natural position, 14 inches; 
width across back, including fur and flying membrane, 4 inches; length of supplemental 
bone supporting membrane, ~ inch, 
‘‘This is certainly the most beautiful of our rotents. In the specimen before me, the 
long and exquisitely soft fur is slate colored, tipped with creamy-yellowish drab on the 
back ; the top of the tail brownish drab; on the under surface milk-white, tipped with 
cream color at the outer edges of the membrane and toward the tail, the under surface 
of which is very light brownish-yellow, tinged with cream. 
‘‘The large, prominent eyes are black and lustrous; the whiskers long, and the nearly 
naked ears rather large. The tail is densely clothed with soft hairs, and smoothly flat- 
tened; the feet are slender, with small, arched nails. The skin on the side is extended 
outward to form a membrane, which is attached to the legs, and to a supplemental slen- 
der curved bone, articulating with the joint of the foot. When this membrane is 
stretched, the animal is enabled to sail through the air to some distance by the force 
gained in descending from any elevated position, being aided in this by the flattened 
tail, which also serves as arudder. It is not to be supposed, however, that the flying 
squirrel can propel itself through the air like a bird or bat. The tail and membranes 
only form a sort of parachute to buoy it up, while the force gained by the descent, and 
by the spring made, carry it forward. When it is about to light it sails upward by using 
the tail aad hinder parts as a rudder, the momentum acquired being sufficient to raise it 
for some height at a considerable curve.” 
The habitat of the Flying Squirrel ts strictly among the trees; it does 
not move about by day, except in cloudy weather. I have seen them in 
the late evening sailing from the top of one tree trunk to the base of 
another, but never on the ground. It is gregarious, assembling in hol- 
low trees, from which as many as a dozen will dart when the sides of 
their retreat is thoroughly thumped. Its food is similar to that of other 
squirrels. A pair, kept in confinement under the observation of the 
author, made their nest in a crayon-box placed over a bay window. In 
the evening they would come to the floor and take up any kind of nuts, 
ends of ears of pop-corn, and similar food, which was packed away in the 
box in excess of their daily meals. Their favorite amusement was to 
jump from the highest point of the transoms directly toward occupants 
of the sitting room, suddenly veering to the right or left when almost in 
one’s face, and alighting on the floor or furniture at the opposite side of © 
the room. The female joined with the male in these amusements until 
in April when, heavy with young, she became sluggish. The young, 
four in number, were brought forth in the drawer of the library table, at 
