. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. 30 NATURAL BISTURY. Eur()[>e anil nearly the whole of Siheria. It is an elegant little creature, abont six inches in lengtli, and with a broad, flat taU, rather shorter than the body: as, indeed, is the case in all the Sciurojiteri. Its silky coat is in summer of a tawny brown on the upper surface, darker on the flying membrane and the outsides of the limbs, beneath pure white; whilst the tail is greyish above and light rusty red beneath. In winter the fur becomes longer and thicker, and appears of a silver grey colour on the upper surf
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. 30 NATURAL BISTURY. Eur()[>e anil nearly the whole of Siheria. It is an elegant little creature, abont six inches in lengtli, and with a broad, flat taU, rather shorter than the body: as, indeed, is the case in all the Sciurojiteri. Its silky coat is in summer of a tawny brown on the upper surface, darker on the flying membrane and the outsides of the limbs, beneath pure white; whilst the tail is greyish above and light rusty red beneath. In winter the fur becomes longer and thicker, and appears of a silver grey colour on the upper surface. The Polatouche lives in the birch woods, or in places where pines, firs, and birches grow intermingled ; but the presence of the bii-ch seems to be a necessity of its existence. It is met with singly or in pairs, but always on the trees, sleeping during the day in its nest or in the hole of a tree, and coming forth at dusk to climb and leap about the branches with great agility. In going from tree to ti-ee by the aid of its latei-al membranes, it is said to cover distances of twenty or thirty yards with ease, always, however, taking its leap from the highest branches of the tree it starts from, and alighting at a considerably lower level. Its food consists of nuts, seeds, berries, the buds, young shoots, and. catkins of the birch, and the young shoots of pines and firs. The nest is made in the hole of a tree, carefully lined with soft moss and herbage. like the Common Squirrel, the Polatouche sleeps through the cold weather, but wakes up from time to^time and goes out in search of food. This group of Flying Squirrels is also represented on the North American continent. The number of species seems rather uncertain, some authors making it two, others four; while Mr. J. A. Allen regards all the North American Flying Squirrels as belonging to a single .sjjecies, which varies greatly in size in diSerent localities. This species is the Assapan (Sciuropt^rus volucella), one of th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecta, booksubjectanimals
