Evening star., 1948-05-25
This and That
BIZ Charles Z. Trace1Uel
COBB ISLAND, Md.


Dear Sir:
Margaret doesn't believe there are any fly
Ing squirrels until she sees them in your
column
please prove to her I am right.
Sincerely ANNE j."
middle Of the column!
And another, and another, and another, and
hundreds, thousands more
Flying squirrels are very real. We don't know
whether there are any on Cobb Island, but
there plenty of them elsewhere.
Not as plentiful, by any means. as gray squir-
rels. these odd children of nature have ways
all their own.
One of them is their travelling, combina ton
Of flying and running up trees
1t is said that by using these ways together,
flying squirrel can get across country even
faster than his gray brothers without wings.
The flying squirrel runs up trunk, then
launches himself into the air.
He lands easily, with wings" outspread,
darts up a trunk until he gets the right
height, and then sets sail again.
The wings really are membranes. The ami
NAL is self-equpped with sort of parachute,
the skin between hind and forelegs being. in
the form of membrane.
The animal spends most of hts life in trees.
The jumping or sailing is from tree to tree,
rather than from tree to ground.
The creature makes long slanting flights.
covering as much as 80 feet in leap. This
means that he can go from one point to an
other even faster than an ordinary squirrel
leaping from bough to bough
The flying squirrel is about inches long,
with q fiat furry TAIL some inches long.
The fur is soft and thick brown on top, lighter
underneath, sometimes almost white.
Our graceful little flying squirrel has bright
eyes. and much of the capering disposition OF
its gray cousin.
1t is nocturnal in disposition: that is why it
is likely to get into an unscreened house at
night.
When householder wakes up and sees one
of these little creatures flying down the stair
case he may be excused for thinking he Is
seeing things" if he is unacquainted with the
breed.
Several years ago reader told of a family
of these rodents that had managed to get into
his attic
He finally trapped them. and took them about
mile away in the woods.
There he bid the animals goodbye. and
started off home in his car
When he got back he found that the en-
tire squirrel family had got there ahead Of
him!
The squirrels spend their winters mostly in
Sleep curled up in woodpecker nests in trees.
In the summer. the usual nest is one made
to resemble a rather large birds nest. Leaves
are used.
The winter sleeping place is lined with bits
of fur and soft leaves.
The usual fare Of the flying squirrel consists
of buds. nuts and insects. In fact, it will eat
almost anything the common gray squirrel eats.
Sometimes the flying squirrel appropriates a
deserted bird nest
This is a remarkably interesting animal, one
whose flying powers more resemble those of
the flying fishes than birds
The dynamics of mans fight is based on
that Of the flying fishes. Hence the flying
squirrel. whose slanting flights are remarkably
graceful, may be said to be closer to mans ways
of flying than those of any other animal. even
the bat.
1t is common for people to be rather afraid
Of this animal. but surely there Is nothing
about him to scare any one; rather. he is clean.
interesting and active and under careful man
agement makes Q good pet.