Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-11-12
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Queer Animals Who Perform Very Clever
and Curious Feats. s.

Queer Animals who Perform Very Clever
and Curious Feats. .s
The men who are endeavoring to
solve tho great problem of learning to fly
should not fix their attention too ex-
clusively upon birds. 1t has long been
a fundamental principle with them
that il you want to fly you must study
the bird, says writer in the New York
Journal.
There are many animals that can fly,
but do not belong to the bird family.
They are, indeed, not such experts
as the feathered ones, but their efforts
must be considered very remarkable
and worthy of imitation by man, who
cannot fly at all.
What is peculiarly noteworthy and IL
not generally understood is that these
animals manage to fly without wings
This groves that the bird does not
possess the only organs of flight.
Many mammals, members of the
same order of creation as man. pos
sess the power Of flying without wings.
Among them are not included the bats,
which really possess wings.
A very pretty and curious species of
flying animal bears the scientific name
OF galeopithaeca. They are also called
the flying lemurs, and come between
the true lemurs and the bats in the
geological order. A loose flap of skin
extends along each side from the toes
OF their fore paws to those of their
hind paws and thence to the tail.
When they fly they stretch out their
limbs and form sort of parachute.
They are extremely sportive, ana delight
to display their powers. They cling to
the tops OF high trees and then jump
off into space, flying hundreds of feet.
They can easily pass from tree to tree
and cross rivers and valleys. They do
not fly in the striotest sense Of the
word, for they do not rise in the air,
hut they manage very well. They
move in an almost horizontal line.
They are nocturnal animals, and only
fly by night. 1t is treat to see them.
The pteromys, or flying squirrels,
live in the depths of Asiatic forests.
Their movements are SO rapid that one
can hardly follow them. They also
have parachutes joining their hind
and fore legs. When in flight their
tails serve as a rudder and enable them
TO change their course.
The Siberian polatouches have SINH
lar ways. These little rodents, who
are only about eight inches long, live
in pine forests. On the ground they
are very clumsy, because their para
chute binders their walk, like long
dress. But in the trees they are
thoroughly at home. They bear a close
resemblance to our squirrels in their
habits.
The female uses her parachute TO
shelter her young, and it serves the
purpose admirably. She also pos
sesses ventral pouch similar to that
of the kangaroo, in which she keeps
her young.
The flying squirrel is very pretty,
with green back and yellow stomach.
1t catches insects in its flight.
The naturalist Brehm relates that
one of these animals was brought home
from Now Holland in ship. He was
very friendly and playful, and de-
lighted TO spring from mast to mast.
On one occasion the ship changed its
course suddenly while he was in the
air. Every one thought he would fall
into the sea, but he easily changed his
own course and regained the ship.
Amopg other animals with similar
powers are, the petaurists, who have
prehensile tails, and the acrobats, or
flying mice.
Flying reptiles are rare, but they
exist. One example is the flying dragon
of the Sunda island, in the Malay
archipelago.
This little reptile is sort of lizard.
His ribs project beyond his sides, and
the skin with them. When he stretches
out these ribs he is like an opened UNI
brella. He raposes TRANQUILITY on the
branch of tree. looking for attractive
insects. When he sees one he springs
into the air, catches it as he goes, and
alights on another branch. He does not
seem to enjoy flying as much as the
squirrel.
A Russian naturalist, DR.. Ostroou-
noif, recently discovered a flying
crustacean, an animal of the same
order as the lobster. 1t was very
small, however.