I have chosen to continue the name this animal bears in Russia, its
native country, rather than to adopt those vague and uncertain ones
since appropriated to it, such as, the Flying-rat, Flying-squirrel, &c.
The Polatouch (_fig. 121._) resembles but in a few particulars either
the squirrel, loir, or rat. To the squirrel it has no affinity but in
the largeness of the eyes, and form of the tail, the latter of which,
however, is neither so long, nor bushy as in the former. He is more
like the loir by the shape of his body, his short and naked ears, and
the hairs of his tail, which are of the same form and length; but he
is not like him, subject to numbness in cold weather. The polatouch
is a different species from the squirrel rat, or dormouse, though
he participates of the nature of all three. M. Klein gave the first
exact description of this animal, in the Philosophical Transactions,
1733; he was, however, known long before that time. He is found in the
northern parts both of the ancient and New Continent,[AB] but he is
more common in America than in Europe, where he is seldom seen, except
in Lithuania and Russia. This little animal dwells upon trees, like the
squirrel; he goes from branch to branch, and when he leaps from one
tree to another, his loose skin stretches forward by his fore-legs, and
backward by his hind ones; his skin thus stretched and drawn outwardly
more than an inch, increases the surface of his body, without adding to
its weight, and consequently retards the acceleration of his fall, so
that he is enabled to reach in one leap a great distance. This motion
is not like the flight of a bird, nor the fluttering of a bat, both
of which are made by striking the air with repeated vibrations. It is
one single leap, caused by the first impulsion, the motion of which is
prolonged, because the body of the animal presents to the air a larger
surface, and thence finds a greater resistance, and falls more slowly.
This singular extension of the skin is peculiar to the polatouch, and
this characteristic is sufficient to distinguish him from all other
squirrels, rats, or dormice. But the most singular things in Nature
are not unparalleled; there is another animal of the same kind, with a
similar skin, which is not only stretched from one leg to another, but
from the head to the tail. This animal, whose figure and description
has been given by Seba, under the denomination of the flying-squirrel
of Virginia, seems so different from the polatouch, as to constitute
another species; though probably it may be only a simple variety, or
an accidental and monstrous production, for no traveller or naturalist
makes mention of it. Seba is the only one who has seen it in the
cabinet of Vincent; and I always distrust descriptions of animals made
in cabinets of curiosities, which are often disfigured to make them
appear more extraordinary.
[Footnote AB: The Hurons of Canada have three different species of
squirrels. The Flying-squirrels are frequent in North America, but they
have been lately found in Poland.]
I have seen and kept a long while the living polatouch. He has been
well described by travellers, particularly Sagard, Theodat, John of
Laet, Fernandes, Le Hontan, Denys, Catesby, Dumont, Le Pague du Pratz,
&c. and Messrs. Klein, Seba, and Edwards, have given exact descriptions
of him, with his figure. What I have seen of this animal agrees with
their relations. He is commonly smaller than a squirrel. That which we
had weighed little more than two ounces, about the weight of a middling
sized bat, and the squirrel weighs eight or nine ounces. However, there
are some of a greater size, since we have a skin of a polatouch much
larger than usual.
The polatouch has some analogy with the bat by this extension of the
skin, which unites the fore and hind legs, and supports him in the
air; he seems also to participate of his nature, for he is quiet and
sleepy in the day time, having no activity but towards the evening.
He is easily tamed, but soon offended, and must be kept in a cage, or
fastened with a small chain; he feeds upon bread, fruits, seeds, and
is remarkably fond of the buds and shoots of the birch and pine trees.
He does not seek after nuts and almonds like a squirrel. He makes
a bed of leaves, in which he buries himself, and sleeps through the
day, leaving it only in the night, or when pressed by hunger. As he
has little agility, he becomes easily the prey of martens, and other
animals who climb up the trees, so that the species is not numerous,
although they have commonly three or four young at a time.