-4-

allows the animal to leap from a tall tree and glide to another at

a lower level, also with the ability to swerve right or left during the descent. The skin is loose and full to provide the extended, soft side membranes for gliding; this membrane, in flight, stretches tautly from wrists of the forelegs to ankles of the hind legs. The eyes are large and lustrous, ears low, rounded and wide, the tail

is long, soft, broad and flat, with rounded tip, legs are of mod- erate length. The fine, silky dense fur is quite unlike that of any other Canadian mammal.

Their food habits are omnivorous, feeding on a diet of seeds, nuts, buds, berries and insects, and meat when available. They have been known to gnaw on frozen baits at traps set for carnivores. They

do not accumulate midden waste piles as Red Squirrels do and do not hoard food for the winter. They also do not hibernate but continue to be active even in sub-zero temperatures. Natural enemies of

the species are chiefly owls and martens.

Nesting sites too are adapted to their environment, making use of natural hollows in trees and discarded nesting holes of the larger woodpeckers. They are also known to take advantage of bird boxes which are set out for bluebirds and tree swallows. In them they rest, sleep and sometimes give birth to their young. When first born, the young are naked and sightless for about ten days. The mother nurses them for 6 to 7 weeks and by late summer they have reached adulthood and are able to enjoy the liberties of the forest and secure their own food.

Of no economic importance to man, Flying Squirrels occupy an interesting niche in the natural world.

Reference: Mammals of Alberta - by D. Soper

Edmonton Naturalist October 1976 Vol. 4(8): 188.

LIST OF ENDANGERED CANADIAN WILDLIFE PUBLISHED

A communication has recently been received from the Canadian Wild- life Federation announcing the release of a list of 41 species of wildlife whose existence across Canada is endangered. The list is the first comprehensive one prepared in Canada and was done with the cooperation of provincial fish and wildlife departments, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and the Museum of Natural Science. It took 1 1/2 years to prepare the list "making sure it stood up all over Canada.

The United States Congress passed an Endangered Species act several years ago that protects hundreds of species. Killing listed species is punishable by fines and jail terms. The United States list includes plants.

OFFICIAL CANADIAN WILDLIFE FEDERATION LIST OF ENDANGERED WILDLIFE IN CANADA

The following is a list prepared by the Canadian Wildlife Federation of those animals considered to be "endangered throughout most or

all of their Canadian range". "Endangered" may be defined as

"those species or subspecies currently in danger of extinction and whose prospects of survival are in immediate jeopardy".