File:Brehm's Life of animals - a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools (1895) (20224958240).jpg

Title: Brehm's Life of animals : a complete natural history for popular home instruction and for the use of schools
Identifier: brehmslifeofanim00breh (find matches)
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: Brehm, Alfred Edmund, 1829-1884; PechuLoesche, Eduard, 1840-1913; Haacke, Wilhelm, 1855-1912; Schmidtlein, Richard
Subjects: Mammals; Animal behavior
Publisher: Chicago : Marquis
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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Text Appearing Before Image:
THE SOI TRRELS - FL) TNG. Ill freedom in the wilderness. A relatively diminutive African Squirrel, the markings of which differed materially from Sciurus minutus, was for a time in the possession and under the observation of Pechuel- Loesche in Loango. He writes about it: "A charm- ing living Squirrel, with a fur of a rusty red color, adorned by two double black and white side bands, was once presented to me. The natives called it Mkaka. It seemed completely grown, though it was only of the size of a large Mouse, so that one could conceal it in one's hand. In a few days it was so tame that we could give it the freedom of the house. With a constant, cheerful 'tak tak,' while the lower one shows but a scanty covering. A bony spur at the first joint of the fore-legs gives especial strength to the membrane. The tail serves as an effective rudder and is always vigorous, though it is not of the same conformation in the different species, one group having it simply bushy, while the other has the hair on it arranged in twro lateral rows. There are also slight differences in the structure of the teeth. The Taguan or The Taguan ( Pteromys petaurista) is East Indian Fly- the largest member of the whole ing Squirrel. family, nearly equaling a Cat in size. The flying membrane begins on the fore-legs, ex-
Text Appearing After Image:
THE TAGUAN. Of the sub-family known as the Flying Squirrels the largest member is the Tagua denizens of the forests and jungles of Hindostan. The very long tail serves as an effective rudder when the its long and swift leaps from the tree-tops. These animals, with the membrane spread and folded, are a (Pteromys petaurista.) id it is one of the most attractive ital spreads its membrane to take ably depictedin the illustration. accompanied by a movement of the wide, bushy tail, it frolicked about at all hours, but was much more active at night than in the daytime." THE FLYING SQUIRRELS. The diurnal Tree Squirrels are followed by the nocturnal Flying Squirrels (Pteromys). They differ from the foregoing mainly in having their fore and hind legs connected by a wide flying membrane. This membrane acts as a parachute, and enables the Squirrels to execute considerable leaps with ease, in an inclined plane from above downward; it consists of a stout skin, extending along both sides of the body, thickly grown with hair on the upper side, tends down the flanks, and is attached to the hind- legs, whence it is prolonged to the tail by a small fold of skin. In a state of repose the membrane is folded against the body. On the top of the head, the back and the base of the tail, the color of the fur is a mixture of gray and black. On the whole under surface the fur has a dingy whitish gray tint. The membrane is of a brownish black or maroon color above, edged with light ashy gray and yellow- ish gray below. The tail is black. The Taguan is a native of all parts of East India and Ceylon, where there are extensive forests. It lives either singly or in couples, in the densest parts of the woods and preferably on the highest trees.

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