Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 07.djvu/870

* FLYING FISH. 7; For comparative descriptions of the species of flying fishes, consult Jordan and Meek, Proa i d- ings I nited States National Museum (Washing- ton, 1885). A very complete series of the Ameri- can forms is in the Museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences at Philadelphia. FLYING-FLIGHT, Mechanical. See Aero- nautics. FLYING FOX. (1) A fox-hat. (See Fox- Bat. ) (2) A flying lemur. See Cobego. FLYING FROG. A small frog, whose long tm- are connected by membranes, and which makes sailing leaps from tree to tree. It be- longs to the family (Ranida?) of ordinary water- frogs, but is wholly arboreal in habit and forms the genus Rhacophorus, characterized not only by the webbing, but by the presence of a small additional bone between the last two joints of the toes, which terminate in disks. All are normally richly green (with yellow bellies), ren- dering them invisible amid the foliage; and. in addition, they possess in a high degree the power of changing their color (see Metachrosis) to conform to the color of the surface they rest upon. Over forty species are known, most of which inhabit the Malay Archipelago. Ceylon, and the adjacent shores of Asia, while twelve species are natives of Madagascar. One of the best known is the Bornean species {Rhacophorus pardalis), discovered by Wallace. In this the webbing between the toes is extensive, all four together covering a space of about 12 square inches, and the fore legs are bordered by a mem- brane. In most of the other species the webbing is less extensive, and the distance they can glide through the air is correspondingly decreased. They breed in the water, like other tree-frogs, are mainly nocturnal in their movements, and the males are noisy. "The larva? are remarkable for the possession of an adhesive disk behind the mouth on the under surface, while the muzzle is prolonged into a proboscis, and the single breath- ing pore is situated on the right side of the body, nearer to the tail than to the muzzle." Con- sult : Wallace, Malay Archipelago (New York, 1869); Tennent, Ceylon (London, 1859). FLYING GECK'O. A small lizard, having a parachute, enabling it to sail through the air. See Gecko, and compare with Dragon. FLYING GUR'NARD. or FLYING ROBIN. A fish of the family Cephalacanthidffi allied to the gurnards or sea-robins (qq.v.), but remark- ably distinguished by the great size of the pec- toral fins, used for the same purpose and in the same way as the true flying fish. The pectoral fins are. however, of a very different appearance from those of the Exocoetidse, widening almost to the <nd. which i-i rounded, and the tips of the rays extend considerably beyond the membrane. A very long spine points backward from the gill- cover on each side. The species are few in ri 1 1 ii i ber, and all are pelagic, tine (Cephalacanthus volitans) inhabits the middle latitudes of the North Atlantic, is usually about twelve inches in length, and has similar habits to those of the flying fish, but docs not fly so well: il i- often called 'batfi h.' FLYING JIB. S.c Jib, FLYING LE'MTJR, or CoLUOO. See OonEGO. FLYING MACHINES. See Nikon i tics. 2 FLYING SQUIRREL. FLYING PHALAN'GER, or MOUSE, or OPOSSUM. The name given to various mar- supial quadrupeds of the subfamily Petauriuffi, natives of New Guinea and of Australia, where they are generally called squirrels or Hying squir- DENTITION OF FLYING PHALANGER. rels. They are nearly allied to the phalangers (q.v. ), but have not so long and prehensile a tail, while they are distinguished by a hairy fold of the skin along the flanks, used as a para- chute. There are several different genera, of which Petaurista includes the large forms, some of which are 20 inches long besides the tail, and Aerobates includes the smallest forms, only three or four inches long. The flying membrane ex- tends along both fore and hind legs almost to the toes, but does not appear behind the hind legs. nor include the tail, which is pretty long and bushy, but which in some of them has a dis- tichous character, the hair spreading out to the sides, and so rendering it useful in supporting as well as in guiding the body in the air. They are capable of modifying their course in the air. although this is not in the nature of true flight : and their aerial evolutions are very graceful. They sleep during the day and become active in the evening. They feed on fruits, leaves, insects, etc. A New Guinea species is about as large as a Hying lemur; one of the Australian species ( Aero- bates pygmceus) is scarcely larger than a mouse, and feeds on the nectar of flowers and some in- sects. The fur of some of them is rich and beau- tiful. 'Petaurist' has been proposed as an Eng- lish name for these animals, but i* not much used. See Marsupialia, and the authorities there cited. FLYING ROBIN. See Flying Gurnard. FLYING SQUID. A squid of the genus Ommastrephes, having a tail so large as to be able to leap out of the water, high enough some- times to fall upon the decks of ships. They form a principal part of the food of many of the whales, and are often the prey of albatrosses, petrels, ami other marine birds. Some species reach a length of several feet. See Squid. FLYING SQUIRREL, skwer'rel or skwlr'rel. A squirrel which has a fold of the skin of the Hanks (a 'parachute') extended between the fore and bind legs, and partly supported by bony proc- esses of the feet, by means of which it is enabled to take extraordinary leaps, gliding for a great distance through the air. The distichous tail also aids to support it in the air. as well as to direct its motion. There are two genera, Pteromys ami Sciuropterus. The former con- tains large species characteristic of the Indian and East Indian region; the latter contains the smaller species of North America, Asia, and Europe. The European species ( Sciuropterus minus) < about the size of a rat. grayish ash- ColOT above, white below, the tail onlv half tilt