The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-09
FLYING WITHOUT WINGS.
a Good Many Animals Can Do II
Good Speed Made.


| From the NetD York Ledger.
| Zone OF the most dramatic accidental
positions l ever witnessed" said a COM
! panion, upon one occasion, twas observed
in the islands Of the South Pacific. l was
| wading over the reef near the Tonga
| Islands, with some man and natives, when
| one of the latter, a few yards away, sud >
! denly threw some coral back into the water
| with crash, which caused number of big
sharp-nosed gartsh to start out of the
| water. They bounded away like arrows
| tipping the surface with their tails, seem
ingy gaining fresh impetus in this way.
| "ihe hsh came directly at US, and in
StlnouVely lodged as one shot over my
head. But just beyond me was a native,
carrying fiat, oval basket that looked
more like shield than anything else, and,
seeing the hsh, he threw it up. catching it
| fairly and squarely. The bill penetrated
the basket, aud as the man braced back he
looked for all the world like a warrior res
ceiylng an arrow or spear upon his shield.
l atterWard learned that natives were oc-
castonally killed by these fishes-a possibil-
lty that one could readily imagine"
Any one who has lived 10 southern coun-
tries must be familiar with the sight of gar
fishes. They bound over the waves in what
appears to be true flight and one that
suggests that there are many animals which
seem to fly and to have actual wings,
though they have not in reality.
The flying fish Is a common example, The
torehns are enormously developed and are
used in aiding the fish to soar through the
air, apparently after the manner of a bird /;
hence TO the genus exococtus has been ap-
Piled the term flying fishes. But the little
creatures do net fly; neither have they
wings. They bound out of the water and
give themselves high rate OF speed by the
by the screw-llke motion Of the tail, thea
spreading the wings or fins, soar away, as If
held aloft by parachutes.
In almost every branch of the animal
kingdom VIC can find examples of this pecu-
liar sphase Of Observation-Disclosures coursng
through the air by the aid of substitutes for
wings. The flying fish with its flight Of an
eighth Of a mile, the gar with shorter ones
the little Pegasus with its wing-like fins and
the flying gurnards are examples among
fishes, while among the reptiles and milk
givers the same conditions prevail.
The wing Of bat is hardly a wing in the
sense OF that Of a bird. In the latter, the
forearm Is simply provided with pinlons
which enable 1t to beat the air and so form
| a resistance; but in the bat we find that the
| fingers OF this milk giver have been enoc-
mously elongated, and are connected by
web, presenting when fully extended
many square inches of surface, and pro-
ducing what we also term a wing
The flight or the pat is remarkable in it's
noiselessness. l have had Iong~eared
| species in my room, repeatedly flying within
a few inches of my face without hearing it,
becoming aware of its presence by feeling
an occasional breeze upon my face as it
shot by; yet in this room, that was in the
mountains and absolutely dark, the
creature moved about without striking me
| or the walls, and would have continued in
peace had not my somewhat nervous room
mate discovered its presence aud insisted
! upon immediate ejectment
| One of the most remarkable instances of
| flying without wings among the mammals
| is the little colugo OF Borneo and several
| other Islands. 1t resembles to some extent
! a squirrel though its habits are entirely
! different. Whsn crawling along its power
! Of flight would hardly be expected. but. if
! alarmed, it dashes up the smallest trees with
| all the agility Of q squirrel, and when thu
! the topmCst branch is reached, boldly hurts
itself into the air. Now its secret ia exposed.
! What has appeared to be loose skin at the
side is shown to be parachute to all intents
! and purposes. For, as the little creature
bounds into space, it spreads out its limbs
and tail when all are seen to be connected
J by web-like membrane that catches the
| breeze and buoys the fier up, so that it darts
/ away and scars like q bird. with & downward
| swooping motion, rising gracefully and
catching tree, to repeat the dive indean-
itely until for from the original cause of It's
! terror.
The fight of the flying squared is very
| similar. 1t darts from the tops Of trees
| downward, the membranous folds on the
side OF it abdomen expanding and catching
! the breeze, Offering IL sufficient resistance
to enable it to reach quite a distance aud
rise a considerable hight again; then i5
ecrambies to the top OF the tree aud launches
itself into the air 80 travelling through the
| forest.
The common flying squirrel Of the eastern
states IL an attractive little animal and
easily tanned, and one which 1 owned was
remarkably Intelligent. 1t was fond of sit =
ting upon my desk as l wrots, often darling
aT the top Of my pen or upon my hand,
! sitting upon its launches and cycling me
| with most comical expression, as if to ssy !:
| "Now, let me see Yon Writen
This pretty pet came to an untimely end
after nearly burning down the house One
! evening, during its explorations about the
| room, 1t bit Off the cord of an oil painting
allowing it to fall upon gas jet, setting
the picture af1re, 80 endangering the house
| Fortunately the noise Of the fall was heard
in time Soon after the cat, that had
always regarded the squirrel as a kind of a
rat, and was ever on the alert found an
opportunity to investigate, aud so The end
| came.
Some years ago. when Alfred Russell Wal
lace, the naturalist, was travelling through
| Lower Asia, he made the remarkable dis
covery that a certain tree toad had the
habit Of leaping into the air from
high trees and alightlng on others without
injuring itself. Several were seen, and it
was difficult to imagine how the feat was
accomplished until one was examined,
when it was found that the feet of the little
creature acted as parachutes or wings,
each being webhed, or the toes connected
| by broad webs, that. when expanded, gave
broad surface. When the little creature
sprang into the air it held its feet we'll out,
80 that the four parachutes pressed against
the air and bore the animal up, 80 that it
reached the object in view In safety, to
continue its ariel aight if desired
Equally singular is the flight Of a lizard
OF some of the Indian ocean islands. When
first observed the little creature was sup
posed to be an insect. 1t was beautifully
colored, and apparently possessed wings.
| When captured and examined it was found
10 be lizard, with a peculiar side mem
! brane, which was braced out by series OF
false ribs. When the brilliantly colored
creature was sitting still it appeared like
| any other Of its kind. but in motion it was
an entirely different animal As it sprans
into the air the wing-like parachute spread
out showlnRa most attractive coloring, and
1 1a-Was. - it,