CHAPTER IV.

FAMILY IV.--VESPERTILIONIDÆ, OR TRUE BATS.

The Genus _Vespertilio_ and the Family Vespertilionidæ--Characteristics: Nostrils--Tail--Ears--Dentition--Diet--Distribution--LONG-EARED BAT--Ears--Distribution--Asleep--In Captivity--BARBASTELLE--Characteristics--Distribution--Habits-- Flight--In Captivity--BIG-EARED BAT--TOWNSEND’S BAT--The Genus _Nyctophilus_--Its true place--Characteristics--GEOFFROY’S NYCTOPHILE--PIPISTRELLE--Distribution--Diet--NOCTULE--Natural Food--Mr. Daniell’s Observations--SEROTINE--PARTI-COLOURED BAT--HAIRY-ARMED BAT--NEGRO BAT--KUHL’S BAT--NILSSON’S BAT--COROMANDEL BAT--THICK-FOOTED BAT--TEMMINCK’S BAT--WELWITSCH’S BAT--NEW ZEALAND BAT--MOUSE-COLOURED BAT--NATTERER’S BAT--DAUBENTON’S BAT--WHISKERED BAT--BLACK AND ORANGE BAT--PAINTED BAT--HARPY BAT--RED BAT--SCHREIBERS’ BAT--BROWN PIG-BAT-- STRAW-COLOURED BAT.

Linnæus, in his “Systema Naturæ,” united all the Bats known to him (with the exception of a single species, which, by a curious perversion of judgment he referred to a distinct genus, and placed in quite a different order) under the single genus _Vespertilio_. Later writers, finding it necessary, as their knowledge of these animals increased, to divide the Bats into many genera, have gradually, as it were, cut off portions of the old Linnæan genus and given them new names, always retaining the old name for the group which might be considered to include the most typical forms of the original genus _Vespertilio_, the ordinary Bats of European countries. Of these, only two are noticed in the last edition of the work of the great Swedish naturalist, and even these are now referred to two distinct genera, and the generic name of _Vespertilio_ is now retained by only one of the few species with which Linnæus was acquainted. The genus, however, as at present restricted, contains a great number of species, all of which present the characters of what may be called an average Bat, forming, as it were, the centre (or part of the centre) round which the other groups forming the order may be ideally arranged, and hence it very appropriately bears the old name _Vespertilio_, as Bat _par excellence_, constitutes the type of the family Vespertilionidæ, and gives its name to the Vespertilionine alliance. In point of fact the genus _Vespertilio_ and the family Vespertilionidæ may be regarded as the ideal centre of the whole order. As in other groups of the same kind the number of species contained in the family is very considerable, and their structural differences are generally minute, these, indeed, being the characteristics usually presented by what are called typical groups, the study of which is on this account attended with peculiar difficulties.

Except in one Australian genus (_Nyctophilus_), which has been removed here from among the Megaderms by MM. Tomes and Dobson, the nostrils in the Vespertilionidæ are simple round or crescentic apertures placed at the extremity of the muzzle, and not surrounded by leaf-like appendages. The tail is always long, contained in the membrane between the legs, which it traverses from base to apex, usually leaving a single joint projecting beyond the membrane; the ears are of moderate or large size, are generally separate, and are furnished with large tragi. With regard to the teeth, the upper incisors are separated in the middle by a wide space and placed close to the canines. The number of incisor teeth in the upper jaw varies, being generally four, standing in pairs in the pre-maxillary bones, but in some species there is only one incisor on each side, and this difference may not be associated with any other characters sufficient to justify the generic separation of the species. The lower incisors are almost always six in number; one genus only has four. The canines are of moderate length and strength. The pre-molars again are exceedingly variable; there may be three or two on each side in both jaws, or one on each side in the upper and two in the lower jaw, but the occurrence of two above and three below is very rare. As a rule, when there are more than one pre-molar on each side in the upper jaw, the hindmost of them which is close to the true molars is larger than the one or two nearer the canine (see figure, p. 292), and the latter are often inserted within the line of the row of teeth. The true molars are three on each side in both jaws; they are well-developed, and show the characteristic sharp W-shaped cusps very distinctly.

The Vespertilionidæ are all, so far as is known, strictly insectivorous in their habits. They are found generally distributed throughout the temperate and warm regions of both hemispheres. It is to this family that nearly all the European Bats belong, and it includes all the British species, except the two Horseshoe Bats which have been already described.

THE LONG-EARED BAT.[182]

This common British species is known by the large size of the ears, which are united by their inner margins over the middle of the crown of the head. Hence this group, the _Plecoti_ of authors, may be regarded as naturally forming a sort of stepping-stone from the Megaderms, with their extravagant dermal developments, to the more commonplace “Vespertiliones.” In the Long-eared Bat this character is very striking, the ears being nearly seven-eighths as long as the head and body. The organs are quite thin and membranous, resembling those of the Megaderms already described, and they are traversed longitudinally by three thin threads of cartilage, which apparently serve by their elasticity to support the ears in an erect posture. From the middle thread of cartilage the inner margin of the ear is bent in, forming a sort of fold. A little above the base there is on each ear a small lobe, so placed that when the ears are erect these lobes touch each other. The outer margin of the ear ends opposite the base of the tragus, which is very long, tapering upwards. The tail, which is nearly as long as the head and body, is contained, all but the extremity of the last vertebra, in the ample interfemoral membrane, along the posterior margin of which the spurs extend fully half-way from the heel to the tip of the tail on each side. The fur in the Long-eared Bat is long, thick, and soft; the hairs are blackish at base, tipped above with brown, with a reddish or greyish tinge, which appears to vary with the age of the individuals, and beneath with pale brownish-grey. All the membranes are dusky, usually with a reddish or brownish tinge. The head and body in this species measure about one inch and five-sixths in length, and the tail is about one-sixth of an inch shorter. Its expanse of wing is ten inches.

This Bat occurs in nearly all parts of Europe and in North Africa, extending eastwards throughout Central Asia, but apparently not south of the Himalayas. Specimens from Northern Africa, even up to the fifth Cataract of the Nile, and from the desert regions about the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas, are described as having the fur paler and more ashy in colour, and the membranes also paler than those from more humid localities.

The Long-eared Bat is common, and pretty generally distributed in Britain, but is not so abundant or so well known as some other species. This may, perhaps, be in part due to the fact that it is a nocturnal species, coming abroad later than its fellows, and continuing on the wing in pursuit of the moths, which appear to constitute its chief prey, during the whole of the night. “At all hours,” says Mr. Bell, “through the dead of the night, and in the darkest nights, in the open fields or elsewhere, we have heard the shrill chatter of the Long-eared Bat over our heads, its voice, once known, being easily recognised from that of any other species.” Mr. Bell suggests, what may probably be true, that the great development of the ears in this (and probably other species) may be connected with the habit of flying late at night. It chiefly frequents the open country, taking up its abode in the roofs of tiled houses, especially in country villages, in which situations the Bats pass the day during the summer, suspended in clusters from the walls and timbers by the claws of their hind feet, and the whole winter cosily packed between the tiles and in various holes and corners. It also exhibits a predilection for church towers. When sleeping, the long delicate ears are not generally left exposed, but are folded down under the wings, where they are carefully tucked away. This is commonly the case when the Bat has settled down for its day’s sleep, and always occurs during hibernation. When the ears are thus disposed of, the earlets or tragi still project from the head, giving the little creature the appearance of possessing only a pair of short pointed ears (see figure).

In captivity the Long-eared Bat soon becomes very tame and familiar. These Bats will fly about the room, play with each other, and may soon be induced to feed from the hand. “One kept by Mr. James Sowerby,” as stated by Mr. Bell, “when at liberty in the parlour, would fly to the hand of any of the young people who held up a fly towards it, and, pitching on the hand, take the fly without hesitation. If the insect was held between the lips, the Bat would then settle on its young patron’s cheek, and take the fly with great gentleness from the mouth; and so far was this familiarity carried, that when either of the young people made a humming noise with the mouth, in imitation of an insect, the Bat would search about the lips for the promised dainty.” From an observation made by Mr. Tomes (Bell’s “British Quadrupeds,” second edition, p. 76), it would appear that the Long-eared Bat, even in freedom, habitually captures at least some of its food in a somewhat similar manner. He says that “having occasion to rise early--about three in the morning--on opening the window of his bedroom, a Bat of this species was seen actively engaged around the sprigs of a spindle-tree which extended across the window. It was in bloom at the time, and was surrounded by a cloud of Microlepidoptera, on which the Bat was feeding. As this took place scarcely four feet from the open window it was easy to see the whole proceeding, and to determine with certainty the manner in which the food was taken. With scarcely an exception, the moths were picked from the leaves while resting there, only one or two being taken on the wing. While thus occupied the Bat hovered much after the manner of the Kestrel, and the ears were bent outwards so much as to curl down the sides of the face, appearing more like two huge cheek-pouches than ears, no part of them appearing of greater elevation than the crown of the head.”

On the ground the progression of the Long-eared Bat is very peculiar. Bats in general run along the ground with the head and body in a nearly horizontal position, but the Long-eared Bat carries the fore part of its body raised, and advances by a series of jerks, first on one side and then on the other.

Several species nearly related to the Long-eared Bat have been described under various generic names. _Antrozous pallidus_ is an inhabitant of North America, _Histiotus velatus_ is found in Brazil, and _Otonycteris Hemprichii_ occurs in Nubia.

THE BARBASTELLE.[183]

The Barbastelle is another British Bat belonging to the same group of the family Vespertilionidæ as the Long-eared Bat, but forming the type of a very distinct genus. The ears, instead of being elongated into great membranous organs half as long as the body of the animal, are only of moderate size, but they are united by their inner margins in the middle of the forehead a little in front of the eyes. The outer margin sweeps round upon the face, on which it terminates above the upper lip, so that the eye is almost completely surrounded by the ear. The tragus is triangular and pointed. The nostrils, as in _Plecotus_, open on the upper surface of the nose in front of a naked space, and from each nostril a deep groove runs down to the edge of the upper lip. The muzzle is short and blunt, giving the animal rather a surly aspect; the tail is nearly as long as the body, and enclosed in the interfemoral membrane, except the extreme tip; and the teeth are as in the Long-eared Bat.

The Barbastelle is by no means a common Bat in England, where it seems to be confined to the Southern and Midland Counties, extending as far north as Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. It is found in France, rarely in Belgium and Germany, in Italy, Scandinavia, and Russia. In the southern part of the last-mentioned country it appears to be more abundant than elsewhere, especially in the Crimea, on the south coast of which it is said by M. Demidoff to be very common. It is said by Mr. Bell to occur in Nepaul, but the specimens referred to by him probably belong to the Darjeling Bat (_Synotus darjelinensis_) of Mr. Hodgson.

This curious little Bat measures about two inches in length of body, and its tail is about a quarter of an inch shorter. The expanse of its wings is ten inches. The cheeks are covered with black hair, which forms a sort of moustache. The ears are irregular in form, their tips being slightly truncated, and their outer margins sweeping in so as to form a notch, from which five or six folds run about half-way across the ear. The eyes are almost concealed by the black hairs on the cheeks. The fur is long and soft, and of a brownish-black colour, with whitish tips, which are longer on the hairs of the lower surface. The membranes are dusky black.

In its habits the Barbastelle seems to be rather solitary; both in its places of repose and in its evening flights it is generally seen alone. It sometimes takes up its abode in caverns, but almost any place of retreat will suit it. Thus it may be found in the crevices of walls or trees, in the roofs of sheds, behind shutters, and in fact in almost any situation that offers it a chance of concealment. Its flight is peculiar, being a lazy, desultory sort of flutter, performed as if with no particular object; and according to Mr. Bell it is in the habit of approaching evening promenaders “so closely that the flutter of its wings may be heard, and even the cool air thrown by their movement felt upon the cheek.” In captivity the Barbastelle is rather timid, and does not become familiar with its keeper after the fashion of its near relation, the Long-eared Bat; and when confined with other Bats it shows a certain sullenness of disposition, and an inclination to keep apart from its companions. A specimen received in winter by Mr. Bell from a chalk cavern at Chislehurst was very restless when awake, and was constantly biting at the wires of his box, as if endeavouring to escape. “When suffered to fly about the room, he flew very low, and less actively than any other under similar circumstances; and he was fond of lying before the fire on the hearthrug, where he appeared quite to luxuriate in the warmth.”

In the second edition of “Bell’s British Quadrupeds,” a beautiful variety of this Bat from Alcester, in Warwickshire, is mentioned, having “the fur of the under parts, from root to tip, strongly tinged with purplish-red, or rose-colour.” The authors also state that they have seen a perfectly white specimen of the species, and one in which the head and neck were of the ordinary dark colour, whilst the rest of the body was pure white. In both these specimens, which were young, the membranes were nearly white.

THE BIG-EARED BAT.[184]

Two North American Bats, allied to the Long-eared Bat and the Barbastelle, have been formed into a distinct genus by Dr. Allen. They have the ears very large, with the outer border carried forward beneath the tragus, which is nearly half as long as the ear, tapering upwards, and furnished near the base on the outer side with a small circular lobe standing almost at right angles to the tragus. The sides of the nose bear large excrescences, which join with the inner margins of the ears. There are three pre-molars in the lower jaw, instead of two, as in _Plecotus_ and _Synotus_.

The Big-eared Bat is a small species an inch and four-fifths long, with a tail nearly of equal length. It is clothed with a long, fine, and soft fur, the hairs of which are blackish at the base, with dusky-brown tips on the upper surface, and greyish tips below. This Bat is an inhabitant of the Southern Atlantic States of the Union.

Townsend’s Bat (_Corynorhinus Townsendi_) is a very similar animal, but is a little longer, and has the face larger and broader and the facial crests more prominent. Its ear and head are shown in the annexed figures. The fur is brown above, with the bases of the hairs only a little darker than the tips, lighter beneath, and slightly rusty towards the base. It inhabits the central parts of the United States (Missouri, Utah).

GEOFFROY’S NYCTOPHILE.[185]

The genus _Nyctophilus_ includes a small number of Bats belonging to the Australian region, which, on account of their possession of a rudimentary nasal appendage, have usually been placed with the _Megaderms_ or the _Rhinolophidæ_. But apart from the presence of the nose-leaf, which is of very simple structure, the characters of these Bats are in such close agreement with those of the Vespertilionidæ, that there seems to be no doubt that this is their true position. They appear to be most nearly related to _Plecotus_.

The nasal appendages are very simple, consisting of a transverse front piece placed immediately above the nostrils, and having its upper margin straight, and a second portion, also transverse, placed at a greater distance from the first than the latter from the nostrils, and thickly clothed with short bristly hairs. The ears are large, ovoid, united at their bases by a membrane which runs across the top of the head, and furnished with a short broad tragus. The dentition differs from that of the allied genera. There are two separated incisors and only one pre-molar on each side in the upper jaw, and the lower jaw has only two pre-molars on each side. Thus the dental formula is--incisors, (1–1)/6, canines, (1–1)/(1–1), pre-molars, (1–1)/(2–2), molars, (3–3)/(3–3).

Geoffroy’s Nyctophile, which appears to be one of the commonest species, as also the one first described, is a small Bat, the head and body measuring rather more than two inches in length, and the tail more than one inch. The heel-spurs are half an inch long. The body is covered with long, thick, and soft fur, which is usually brown above and brownish-grey beneath, the hairs on both surfaces being black at the base, tipped above with olive-brown, and on the under surface with brownish-white. The membranes are dark brown. The species is an inhabitant of Western Australia, where it is abundant. These Bats are sometimes found in great numbers in the hollow spouts of the gum-trees, from which they emerge in the evening to flit around the shrubs and smaller trees in search of insects.

Three other species of this genus are known, one of which, although originally described as from Timor, and named _N. timoriensis_, is only known to occur in Western Australia; another is from New South Wales, and the third from Van Diemen’s Land.

THE PIPISTRELLE.[186]

The commonest and most generally distributed of the British species is the Pipistrelle,[187] to which the local country name of Flittermouse is considered by Mr. Bell to be specially applicable. In this and the allied species forming the genus _Vesperugo_, the outer margin of the ear sweeps round on the cheek below the tragus, so as nearly to reach the angle of the mouth, and there is a small membranous lobe outside of the spur which runs from each heel into the interfemoral membrane. There are four incisor teeth in the upper and six in the lower jaw.

The Pipistrelle is of a reddish-brown colour above, paler beneath. The ears are about two-thirds of the length of the head, somewhat triangular, rounded at the tips, with the upper part of the outer margin deeply concave; the earlet, or tragus, is nearly half as long as the ear, and is of an oblong form with the apex rounded; the wings extend down to the base of the toes, and their membrane, like that of the ears, is of a dusky tint.

This Bat seems to occur abundantly in all parts of the British islands. It is also common on the continent of Europe, as far north as the central parts of Sweden, and southwards to the shores of the Mediterranean, extending thence eastwards through Russia into Siberia and Central Asia, but not passing to the south of the Himalayas. It is essentially an inhabitant of temperate regions. Its favourite resting-places in Britain, according to Mr. Jenyns, are the crevices of decayed brick walls, the cracks of old door-frames, and behind the pipes which are attached to buildings for carrying off rain-water; and Mr. Bell describes it as taking shelter under the roofs of houses, and in crevices of buildings of every description, either inside or out. According to the second edition of Mr. Bell’s work, a specimen has been taken from a hole in the thatch of a low shed in a brick-field, another from a pile of hurdles in a stackyard, whilst a third was observed issuing from the spout of a disused wooden pump, and one was captured from behind a piece of loose bark on a pollard willow near Stratford-on-Avon.[188] The Pipistrelle is thus rather indiscriminate in its choice of a residence, and this may perhaps be due to the fact that its period of winter torpidity is shorter than that of any other species found in the countries which it frequents. In Great Britain it appears on the wing as early as the middle of March, and does not retire for its annual sleep until the winter season has decidedly set in; indeed, Mr. Gould once shot a specimen in the middle of a bright sunny day just before Christmas. Its food consists principally of small insects, especially Gnats, Midges, and other small two-winged flies, but it does not confine itself exclusively to such diet; raw meat possesses such attractions for it that this Bat not unfrequently makes its way into places where this is kept, and may be found clinging to a joint, and making a hearty meal upon it. In confinement, also, the Pipistrelle readily takes small pieces of raw meat as a substitute for its ordinary insect food, and it will become so tame as to take its nourishment from the fingers. On the ground the Pipistrelle runs with considerable ease and quickness, and Mr. Bell states, in opposition to the assertions of certain writers, that it can rise from a flat surface without difficulty. He says:--“We have often seen the Pipistrelle rise from a plane surface with a sort of spring, instantly expand its wings, and take flight. This was repeated by a single individual several times in the course of an hour, and without the slightest appearance of difficulty or effort; it was, on the contrary, evidently a natural and usual action.” The same writer remarks that this Bat climbs with considerable agility, and in connection with this notices a peculiarity in the use of the tail which appears to have escaped other observers, namely, that it is used as an organ of prehension. The last joint of the tail projects a little beyond the interfemoral membrane, and “not only does the animal employ the tail in horizontal progression, in which case it assists in throwing forward the body, by being brought into contact with the ground on either side alternately, corresponding with the action of the hinder foot on the same side; but in ascending and descending a rough perpendicular surface, this little caudal finger holds by any projecting point, and affords an evident support. This is particularly conspicuous when the Bat is traversing the wires of a cage, in which situation the fact was first observed.”

THE NOCTULE.[189]

The Great Bat, or Noctule, is another well-known British species, although far from being so abundant as the preceding. It is, however, even more widely distributed, being found in nearly all parts of the Eastern hemisphere, except the extreme north, but in tropical regions, according to Mr. Dobson, it seems to inhabit only the high grounds. In England it ranges as far north as Yorkshire. Its head and body measure about three inches in length, and its wings are about fourteen inches in expanse. Its fur is of a reddish-brown colour, nearly uniform throughout; the ears are ovate-triangular, shorter than the head, broad, and having the outer margin produced down upon the cheek below the level of the angle of the mouth; the earlet is short, not more than one-third the length of the ear, broad, with the outer margin rounded and the inner one concave. The wing-membranes reach only to the ankle-joint, and there is a distinct lobe outside each of the spurs.

The Noctule seems to prefer for its resting place the hollows of old trees, and generally to avoid buildings, although instances of its taking up its abode in or about the latter are not wanting. It is gregarious in its habits, considerable numbers often retiring together to the same hiding-place. Thus, in the second edition of Bell’s “British Quadrupeds,” a good many Noctules are said to have been “dislodged from a hole made by the Green Woodpecker in an elm by the insertion of a flexible stick;” and at Rugby, in Warwickshire, in a grove of old oaks, their excrement has been observed to form so thick a layer as to darken the ground under some of the oldest trees. Pennant states, on the authority of Dr. Buckworth (Buckhouse?), that one hundred and eighty-five of these Bats were taken in one night from under the eaves of Queen’s College, Cambridge, followed by sixty-three on the second night, when the supply seems to have been nearly exhausted, as only two were captured on the ensuing evening.

The natural food of the Noctule consists of insects, and its jaws are sufficiently powerful to enable it to devour even such large and horny Beetles as Cockchafers, which, indeed, seem to constitute its favourite food. It is, in fact, most active during the period of the year when these insects abound, for White, who first noticed its occurrence in Britain, states that he never saw it at Selborne before the end of April, or later than the end of July. In Warwickshire, however, it has been observed as early as the 12th of March, and as late as the 18th of September. It flies very high, and on this account was named by White _Vespertilio altivolans_. Its course through the air is rapid and straight, and accompanied by a continual sharp and shrill cry, which ceases only during the capture and consumption of its insect prey. It is described by White as emitting a rancid and offensive odour.

Mr. George Daniell, in a paper communicated to the Zoological Society in 1834, published some notes on the behaviour of this Bat in captivity, which are particularly interesting from the description they contain of the birth of a young Noctule. Mr. Daniell obtained four females and one male of this species on the 16th of May, 1834. The male was very savage, biting the females, and breaking his teeth upon the wires of the cage in his attempts to escape. He refused to feed, and died on the 18th of May. The females, although at first sulky, fed after a time upon small pieces of raw beef, which they seemed to prefer to insect food. One of them died on the 20th, and two others on the 22nd; the survivor, which fed by preference upon the breasts and livers of fowls, lived on for rather more than a month. It passed the day suspended by the hind feet at the top of the cage, and came down in the evening to feed, which it did sometimes most voraciously; the quantity eaten exceeding half an ounce, although the weight of the animal itself was only two drachms. It rejected flies, but ate parts of some Cockchafers that were given to it. The animal was rather careful in cleaning itself, using the posterior extremities as combs, with which the hairs were parted on either side from head to tail, forming a straight line down the middle of the back. The membrane of the wing was cleaned by passing the nose through its folds. On the 23rd of June Mr. Daniell observed his Bat to be very restless, and this condition lasted for about an hour, the animal remaining as usual suspended by the hinder extremities. Suddenly “she reversed her position, and attached herself by her anterior limbs to a cross wire of the cage, stretching her hind limbs to their utmost extent, curving the tail upwards, and expanding the interfemoral membrane, so as to form a perfect nest-like cavity for the reception of the young, ... which was born on its back, perfectly destitute of hair, and blind. The mother then cleaned it, turning it over in its nest; and afterwards, resuming her usual position, placed the young in the membrane of her wing. She next cleaned herself, and wrapped up the young one so closely as to prevent any observation of the process of suckling. At the time of its birth the young was larger than a new-born Mouse; and its hind legs and claws were remarkably strong and serviceable, enabling it not only to cling to its dam, but also to the deal sides of the cage. On the 24th the animal took her food in the morning, and appeared very careful of her young, shifting it occasionally from side to side to suckle it, and folding it in the membranes of the tail and wings. On these occasions her usual position was reversed. In the evening she was found dead; but the young was still alive, and attached to the nipple, from which it was with some difficulty removed. It took milk from a sponge, was kept carefully wrapped up in flannel, and survived eight days; at the end of which period its eyes were not opened, and it had acquired very little hair.”

From these observations of Mr. Daniell it appears that the period of gestation in the Noctule exceeds thirty-eight days, and they are of very considerable interest with respect to the general history of the Chiroptera, at any rate of the present family, for it is most probable that the conduct of this female Noctule on this interesting occasion is closely followed by other maternal Vespertilionidæ at the arrival of their “little strangers.” Moreover, the fact of the production of only a single young one, and the finding of only a single embryo in each of the three females which died soon after they came into Mr. Daniell’s possession, taken in conjunction with observations to the same effect which have been made upon the female of the Pipistrelle, and of several other species of Bats, would seem to show that the Bats in general produce only one at a birth.

THE SEROTINE.[190]

Three other species of _Vesperugo_ occur in Britain. One of these, the Serotine (_V. serotinus_), is nearly as large as the Noctule, and closely resembles that species in some respects in its habits. The head and body in the Serotine are about two inches and two-thirds in length; the ears are ovate-triangular, and a little shorter than the head; the tragus is a little more than one-third the length of the ear; and the extremity of the tail projects nearly a quarter of an inch from the membrane. The fur, which is soft and silky, is usually chestnut-brown above, and yellowish-grey beneath, but it is liable to vary more or less; British specimens being sometimes of a greyish tinge, whilst some from the Asiatic side of the Ural Mountains are described as having the upper parts yellowish cream-colour, and the lower surface yellowish-white. Like the preceding species, the Serotine is widely distributed, being found apparently over a great part of Europe, and throughout the temperate regions of Asia, at least as far east as the Himalayas; whilst specimens have been identified with it, which were brought from the northern parts of Africa, as far south as the mountains near the Gaboon. In England it is found only in the South-eastern counties, and is said to occur in the neighbourhood of London. Folkestone and the Isle of Wight are other recorded localities. In France it is not uncommon, frequenting the forests, and flying amongst the lofty trees; it is also found in the timber yards of Paris. Like the Noctule it is late in making its appearance in the spring, and it also flies late at night, whence its specific name. In France it bears one young one about the end of May.

THE PARTI-COLOURED BAT.[191]

Of the Parti-coloured Bat (_Vesperugo discolor_) only a single specimen has been taken in England, and it was obtained by Dr. Leach many years ago at Plymouth. The probability is, as indicated by Mr. Bell, that this individual must have been conveyed to Plymouth in the rigging of some vessel. On the continent of Europe it is found chiefly in Russia and Germany, but does not extend into Belgium, Holland, and France. It has also been obtained from Central Asia and from the Himalayas. This Bat is of the same size as the Serotine, and is perhaps the handsomest of the European species, the fur of the upper surface being of a fine chestnut or deep brown colour, with the extreme tips of the hairs pale, or even sometimes white, giving the fur a finely-marbled appearance, while that of the lower parts is grey at the base and white at the tips, with a reddish-brown patch on the middle of the chest and belly. The ears are about two-thirds the length of the head, oval, and directed outwards (see figure), their outer margin produced nearly to the angles of the mouth, and their inner margin with a projecting lobe at the base. The Parti-coloured Bat is said to haunt towns, and to come abroad early in the evening.

The Hairy-armed Bat (_Vesperugo Leisleri_) also for a long time founded its claim to be regarded as a British species upon a single specimen, but of late years it has occurred at several localities in the midland counties of England and in Ireland. It is a little smaller than the preceding species, the head and body measuring only two inches and a half in length, and is characterised especially by having a broad band of hair upon the wing-membrane along the whole course of the fore-arm. The fur is bright chestnut above and brownish-grey on the under surface. It is found generally about villages, and appears to take up its residence in buildings. On the continent it seems to be pretty generally distributed, and it extends, like the preceding species, over the temperate parts of Asia. Specimens have also been brought from the Azores and Madeira, and it is believed to live in Algeria.

Several other species of this genus have an almost equally wide range. Thus one that may be called the Negro Bat (_Vesperugo maurus_) is found along the whole of the great axis of elevation of the Old World from the Pyrenees into China, and even extends southwards into India, Cochin China, and Java. This species has a sooty-brown or deep-black fur, with the tips of the hairs greyish. Kuhl’s Bat (_Vesperugo Kuhlii_) is found throughout India, and in Persia and Southern Europe, to Madeira. It is rather a small species, about an inch and three-quarters long, with black fur, tipped for one-fourth of its length above with yellowish-brown or dun-colour, and beneath with ash-colour. Another species, Nilsson’s Bat (_Vesperugo borealis_), which has the highest northern range of any species of the order, stretches right across the old continent, from Scandinavia and Germany as far south as the Hartz Mountains, to the Altai Mountains and North China. This species has a dark-brown fur, tipped with yellowish-brown above and with ash-colour beneath. It is about two inches long.

THE COROMANDEL BAT.[192]

Besides the preceding, which are common to Europe, there are a good many purely Asiatic species, mostly belonging to the Indian region and its islands. Mr. Dobson enumerates eighteen such species, the most generally distributed of which is the Coromandel Bat (_Vesperugo abramus_), which appears to represent in the southern parts of Asia the Pipistrelle of the more temperate regions. It is rather larger than the Pipistrelle, measuring an inch and three-quarters in length, and the outer margin of the ears is straight, or very slightly concave; the fur is dark-brown, tipped with light yellowish-brown above, and sooty-brown with pale tips beneath, and the head, face, and neck are yellowish-brown. This species is common in India and Ceylon, and extends thence through China to Japan, occurring also in several islands of the Eastern Archipelago.

Mr. Swinhoe says that it is a common house Bat at Nagasaki, in Japan. He also found it abundantly in Hainan, and, treating it as the common Chinese Bat, quotes the description of the Bat from the Chinese _Gazetteer_, in which, as is usual with Chinese writers, the animal is classed with birds. This choice description is as follows:--“Peenfoo, or Bat, shaped like a Mouse, has thin flesh-wings uniting the four legs, and extending to the tail. In winter stows away; in summer comes out. In daytime lies prostrate; in night flies. One name for it is Foo-yeh, or Belly-wings. It is now called Feishoo, or Flying Mouse.”

THE THICK-FOOTED BAT.[193]

In this species, which inhabits Northern India, Tenasserim, the Andaman and Philippine Islands, and the Islands of Java and Sumatra, the bases of the thumbs and the soles of the feet are furnished with broad, fleshy pads, which on the feet form nearly circular discs, and are doubtless organs of adhesion, analogous to the more perfect sucking discs present in an American member of the family (_Thyroptera tricolor_). These organs probably assist the Bat in clinging to the under surfaces of large leaves and fruit, a habit which is common to many tropical species of Bats. It is remarkable that in this species, as in the _Thyroptera_, the claws on both the thumbs and the toes, although acute, are very small.

The Thick-footed Bat is about an inch and three-quarters in length of body, with a tail an inch and a quarter long. It is covered with a fine, dense, and moderately long fur, of a bright reddish-brown colour above, paler beneath. There is only one pre-molar on each side in the upper and two in the lower jaw, and this character, with the presence of the foot-pads, serves to distinguish the sub-genus _Tylonycteris_ of Professor Peters, to which this species belongs.[194]

TEMMINCK’S BAT.[195]

A few species, very nearly allied to the preceding, form the genus _Scotophilus_, in which the outer margin of the ear likewise comes down to the level of the angle of the mouth, but there are only two incisor teeth in the upper jaw, instead of four as in _Vesperugo_. These are stout-bodied Bats, with the muzzle nearly naked, the limbs strong, and the wing-membranes very thick and leathery, and scarcely encroached upon by hair. They are confined to the Eastern Hemisphere, and generally to its warmer parts, the species being found in Africa, Southern Asia and its islands, and in Australia. The best-known species is Temminck’s Bat (_Scotophilus Temminckii_), which enjoys a wide range from India and Ceylon eastward through Burmah and Southern China to the Eastern Archipelago, extending to the Moluccas and Philippine Islands. It is rather more than three inches in length, and varies considerably in colour, but is generally dark olive-brown above, and reddish or yellowish-white beneath. The fur, as throughout the genus, is short and close. The ear is peculiar in its form, and its outer margin sweeps round on the cheek and terminates in a convex lobe; the tragus is narrow and pointed, and considerably curved forwards and inwards. Temminck’s Bat is very abundant in the countries which it inhabits, and is one of the most prominent species of the group, seeing that it lives in large bands, often of several hundred individuals, in the roofs of houses and in hollow trees, and that it flies very early in the evening, in fact before the commencement of twilight. Temminck says that it feeds principally on White Ants (_Termites_).

The Harlequin Bat (_Scotophilus ornatus_), another Indian species, is remarkable for its coloration, which is a pale tawny-brown, curiously variegated with white spots. It has been obtained in India, Burmah, and Yunnan.

WELWITSCH’S BAT.[196]

This curious Bat, originally described by Dr. Gray from a specimen sent from Angola by the late Dr. Welwitsch, is especially remarkable for the brightness and variegation of its colours. The general tint of the fur is brown, the hairs being black at the base, with brown tips, which are longer and paler on the hairs of the lower surface, rendering the fur of that part paler than that of the back. The head also is pale, and the muzzle shows an orange tint, as do the ears, which are longer than the head, and rather acute, with a long pointed tragus, reaching nearly half-way up the ear. But the most striking peculiarity of the species consists in the colouring of the wings, which are yellowish-brown, dotted with black near the body, and beyond this chiefly blackish-brown, with numerous yellow dots arranged more or less regularly in curved lines, while a broad band of brownish-orange, bearing a few black dots, follows the course of the fore-arm, and gives origin at the wrist to three other bands of the same colour, one running down the margin of the wing and enclosing the first and second fingers, the other two following the course of the third and fourth fingers, and thus breaking the dark ground colour of the wing into three triangular patches. The occurrence of this peculiar mode of coloration in a Bat is the more remarkable as it is reproduced in at least two quite distinct species, namely, the Oriental _Vespertilio formosus_ and _Kerivoula picta_, and in all these must probably subserve the same purpose, which Mr. Dobson with much justice supposes to be the protection of the animal by assimilating its appearance to that of withered leaves. The arms and legs in Welwitsch’s Bat are yellow, but the feet are black. The interfemoral membrane is yellowish-brown, with a few black dots, especially towards its margins. The length of the head and body is about three inches. Of the habits of this Bat nothing is recorded.

THE NEW ZEALAND BAT.[197]

Two species of Bats have been ascertained to inhabit New Zealand, and both present characters which isolate them systematically, just as much as their distant insular habitation does absolutely. The present species was discovered by J. R. Forster, the naturalist who accompanied Captain Cook, and described by him under the name of _Vespertilio tuberculatus_. It has short rounded ears; there are cutaneous lobes at the angles of the mouth, and three true molars on each side in both jaws. The upper incisors are in pairs, the inner ones much larger than the outer, and are separated from the canines; the pre-molars are small and pointed, and the molars of the ordinary form in the allied genera. The tragus is short, rather broad, and rounded at the tip. The wing-membranes spring from the base of the toes; the interfemoral membrane is large, and contains the long tail, of which the tip only projects; and the heel-spurs are long, extending one-third of the distance between the heel and the tip of the tail.

In its form and general proportions this Bat resembles the common British Pipistrelle, as also in the characters of the skull. In its dentition it has a still closer affinity to an Australian species, Gould’s Bat (_Scotophilus Gouldii_). The fur is of a blackish-brown colour on the head and back, becoming chestnut-brown on the rump; the lower surface is of a similar colour, but browner, and becomes reddish-brown towards the tail. The hairs are of one colour throughout their length. The length of the head and body is rather more than two inches, and that of the tail about an inch and a half. This Bat inhabits the middle island of New Zealand. Nothing appears to be known of its habits.

THE MOUSE-COLOURED BAT.[198]

The genus _Vespertilio_, as now restricted, comprehends a very considerable number of species distributed in nearly all parts of the world. It differs from _Vesperugo_ in having the outer margin of the ear terminated opposite the level of the tragus, and not produced towards the angle of the mouth, and is further characterised by the nostrils being simple and crescent-shaped, and scarcely projecting from the muzzle. Eight species inhabit Europe, and five of these are found in Britain.

The Common Bat of the continent of Europe, the Mouse-coloured Bat of Prof. Bell (_Vespertilio murinus_), is a large species more than three inches and a half in length. Its fur is of a pale reddish-brown colour above and greyish-white beneath, but with the bases of all the hairs black; the head is long, the ears oval, narrowed towards the apex, as long as the head, and the tragus is nearly half as long as the ear, narrow, pointed, with its inner margin quite straight. The membranes are of a yellowish-brown colour. _Vespertilio murinus_ is met with in the north-western Himalayas, and extends thence through Syria into Northern Africa. It is common in Central and Southern Europe, but in England is one of the rarest Bats; in fact the only known British-caught specimen was taken (most conveniently) in the gardens of the old British Museum. Its claim to be considered indigenous rests, therefore, upon a very insecure foundation. In many parts of Europe, however, this species is exceedingly abundant, and lives by hundreds together, chiefly in church-towers and other similar localities, issuing forth in the evening to prey upon the insects which fly at that time. Moths are said to be its favourite victims, and the harder parts of these insects, with portions of the wings, are found unaltered in the Bat’s excrement. Notwithstanding their social habits, these Bats are exceedingly quarrelsome; they fight vigorously with their sharp teeth and the claws of their thumbs, often tearing each other severely, and even breaking the slender bones in the wings of their adversaries.

NATTERER’S BAT.[199]

The Reddish-grey Bat, or Natterer’s Bat (_Vespertilio Nattereri_), is an undoubted native of this country, although it appears to be local in its distribution. It has been taken near London, at Swaffham in Cambridgeshire, at Colchester and Norwich, at Chislehurst (hibernating in a chalk cavern), and at Arrow, near Alcester, in Warwickshire. It has also occurred in Ireland. It inhabits the continent of Europe from the Ural Mountains westward to Belgium and France, and in the south occurs on the shores of the Mediterranean. Apparently its range does not extend into Asia.

Natterer’s Bat has the fur reddish-grey above, and whitish beneath, the hairs of which it is composed being dark towards the base, with light tips. The ears are oblong-ovate, and about as long as the head, and the tragus is nearly two-thirds the length of the ear; but the most distinctive character of the species consists in the margin of the interfemoral membrane, from the tips of the spurs to that of the tail, being fringed with a row of long stiff hairs. In its social habits this Bat seems to agree with the Mouse-coloured Bat, but is much more amiable in its disposition. Specimens received by Mr. Bell from a cavern in the chalk at Chislehurst (where they were found hibernating in company with several other species) were kept alive for a time by feeding them on bits of raw meat, and exhibited “great familiarity of disposition, not only by their friendliness towards their companions, but by their readiness in taking food from the hand, and in allowing themselves to be interfered with without evincing fear or anger.” These Bats were active in their habits, running and climbing about the cage with great agility. The sociability of character of Natterer’s Bat is still more strikingly shown by the curious description given in the second edition of Bell’s “British Quadrupeds” of a colony observed in the roof of Arrow Church, near Alcester. In a dark retreat, between the ceiling of the church and the tiled roof, “the Bats were seen adhering, by all their extremities, to the under surface of the row of tiles which forms the crest or ridge of the roof (partly supported, however, by the upper tier of roof-tiles on which the ridge-tiles rested), and others clinging to them, until a mass was made up three or four inches thick, six or seven wide, and about four feet in length. It would be wrong to call this their place of repose, as they presented a most singular scene of activity, the constant endeavour of those outside being to penetrate the mass, probably for warmth; and to do this they were continually poking their noses between those nearest to them, and then forcing in their bodies, to be in their turn again pushed to the outside. In this manner a regular bickering was kept up in the whole mass. However, they seemed to be very gentle, and to have no idea of biting or otherwise annoying each other.”

DAUBENTON’S BAT.[200]

Daubenton’s Bat is another species which is almost confined to Europe. It is generally distributed over that continent from Finland and the Ural Mountains to Ireland and the Mediterranean, but is only of doubtful occurrence in North-western Asia. It is about two inches in length; its ears are about three-fourths the length of the head, oval, with the outer margin sinuated, and the inner margin folded in; the tragus is narrow, rather obtuse at the apex, and about half the length of the ear; the tail is longer than the body; the fur is usually reddish-brown, but sometimes dark brown or greyish-brown above, and ash-grey beneath; and the wing-membranes show a slight reddish tinge.

The habits of this Bat are very peculiar. It usually takes up its residence in church-towers and other buildings, but sometimes in hollow trees, and always in the vicinity of water, its active life being passed in flying over the surface of water. Its flight is not very rapid, and is performed by means of very slight but rapid strokes of the wings. It flies usually close to the surface, and from time to time dips its nose into the water, probably for the purpose of drinking. This Bat is gregarious in its habits, great flocks being generally seen flying about together, and considerable numbers always inhabit the same retreat. In confinement it seems to be very delicate, and does not live long; but it is quiet and gentle in its behaviour, and will drink milk from the palm of the hand, and feed upon small pieces of meat and house flies. The latter, according to Mr. Bell’s editors, are favourite morsels with these Bats, and “it was curious,” they say, “to see them poke their little noses between the fingers for flies which were concealed there. A fly put on a smooth table was always a tempting but tantalising bait for them, for the Bats, in attempting to take hold of it, almost invariably pushed it to the outside of the table, from which it fell and was lost.” In Britain, Daubenton’s Bat has been taken in various localities, extending as far north as Aberdeenshire; and in Ireland it has occurred in Donegal and Kildare.

THE WHISKERED BAT.[201]

The Whiskered Bat inhabits all Central Europe from the Alps to Finland, and from Russia to Ireland. It is also found among the Himalayas, and is said by Schrenck to occur in the Amoor country, so that its distribution in Asia is probably rather wide. In England its occurrence has been recorded in Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, and Warwickshire, at Colchester and at Chislehurst, and in Ireland in the county of Clare. The Whiskered Bat is a small species, the head and body measuring only one inch and two-thirds in length. Its colour is dark chestnut-brown above, ashy-brown beneath; the ears bend outwards and have the outer margin notched; the tragus is half the length of the ear; the face is very hairy, and the hairs on the upper lip are longer than the rest, so as to form a moustache, whence the name of the species. This Bat is solitary, being generally found singly in its resting-places, which consist of holes in walls, the roofs of houses, and, in general, any dark crevice or corner. It resembles the Pipistrelle in its flight and general habits, and is doubtless often mistaken for that species.[202]

THE BLACK AND ORANGE BAT.[203]

This species, which has been referred by various authors to different genera, is especially remarkable for its peculiar coloration. The muzzle is of a conical form; the ears ovate, with the rounded tips projecting outwards, so as to render the outer margin concave for some distance; the tragus long, narrow, and obtusely pointed; the fur is soft and thick, of a reddish-yellow colour above, and pale yellowish beneath; and the wing-membranes, which are very broad, are singularly variegated with bright orange and brownish-black. The dark portions form irregularly triangular patches on the membranes between the second and third and third and fourth fingers, and between the fourth finger and a line drawn from the wrist to the ankle. All the rest of the membrane, including the ears and interfemoral membrane, are orange, this colour forming narrow bands along the course of the fingers, and also extending more or less in the form of specks and streaks over the dark patches. The length of the head and body in this Bat is from two inches and a third to two inches and a half, and the expanse of the wings twelve inches and a half. It is found in the Himalayan region in Nepaul and at Darjeling, in the Khasia Hills, and in China at Shanghai, Kiang, and Amoy.

This beautiful Bat presents a remarkable resemblance in coloration to another Eastern species (the Painted Bat), to which we shall presently refer; and, indeed, by some zoologists it has been placed in the same genus (_Kerivoula_) with the latter. Mr. Swinhoe, in his memoir on the Mammals of Formosa (_Proc. Zoo. Soc._, 1862, p. 357), refers to a species which he regards as allied to the Black and Orange Bat and the Painted Bat, but which was most probably the former, in the following terms:--“The body of this Bat was of an orange-brown, but the wings were painted with orange-yellow and black. It was caught, suspended head downwards, on a cluster of the round fruit of the Longan tree (_Nephelium longanum_). Now this tree is an evergreen, and all the year through some portion of its foliage is undergoing decay, the particular leaves being, in such a stage, partially orange and black. This Bat can therefore at all seasons suspend from its branches, and elude its enemies by its resemblance to the leaf of the tree. It was in August when this specimen was brought to me. It had at that season found the fruit ripe and reddish-yellow, and had tried to escape observation in the semblance of its own tints to those of the fruit.” This example of “protective mimicry,” if such is really its nature, is reproduced, as already stated, in the Painted Bat, and also, as remarked by Mr. Dobson, in Welwitsch’s Bat from Western Africa.

THE PAINTED BAT.[204]

A small group of Bats, nearly related to the preceding, is distinguished as forming a distinct genus under the name of _Kerivoula_, originally proposed and founded on a native Cingalese name by the late Dr. Gray. These Bats have the apertures of the nostrils perfectly circular; the first and second pre-molars in the upper jaw nearly as large as the third pre-molar, the ears large and funnel-shaped, the outer portion sweeping forward very much, and the spur of the heel long and stout, and curved backwards.

The Painted Bat (_Kerivoula picta_) has been already referred to as one of the species remarkable for their coloration. It is a small species, having the head and body only an inch and a half to an inch and three-quarters long. Its fur is of a deep orange colour above and paler beneath. The ears and interfemoral membrane, and the portions of membrane in front of the bones of the arm, are likewise deep orange, as are also the basal portions of the wing-membranes, broad bands bordering all the bones of the arms and fingers, and the hinder margin of the portions of membrane between the feet and the extremities of the fourth fingers, and the remainder of the wing-membranes being occupied by large triangular patches of deep black, more or less variegated with orange spots and streaks.

This remarkable Bat is found in many parts of the Peninsula of India, and also in Ceylon, Burmah, Sumatra, and Java; in fact, Mr. Dobson thinks that it is probably distributed in all parts of tropical Asia. It haunts the forests, and is very active in pursuit of insects. When disturbed in the day-time, according to Dr. Jerdon, it looks more like a Butterfly or a Moth than a Bat, and we may easily believe that the character and arrangement of its colours will give it an exceedingly un-batlike aspect. For its place of repose it selects the folded leaf of the plantain, and, according to Dr. Kelaart, its native Cingalese name of “Kehelvoulha” (from which the generic name is derived) signifies “Plantain Bat.” The other species of this genus present nothing remarkable.

THE HARPY BAT.[205]

The _Harpiocephali_ are a curious group of Bats almost entirely confined to the Himalayan region, only two species being found elsewhere, namely, in the islands of Java and Sumatra, and one of these is also a Himalayan species. The most striking character of the genus is one which it displays in common with the Harpy Fruit Bat (_Harpyia Pallasii_) already described, namely, the remarkable prominence of the nostrils, which project in a tubular form on each side of the muzzle. These Bats are further distinguished by the hairiness of the upper surface of the interfemoral membrane, which is sometimes entirely, and never less than half covered with hair, the wing-membrane being also generally hairy for a greater extent than in other allied species.

The Harpy Bat (_Harpiocephalus harpia_) is about two inches and a half long, with a tail nearly two inches in length. Its fur is very soft and silky, that of the upper surface brownish or whitish-grey, with the tips of the hairs red, producing a bay or reddish-brown tint on the back, whilst the head, neck, and shoulders show more of a greyish cast; and that of the lower surface entirely grey. The membranes are of a reddish-brown colour, clothed above with hairs of the same tint on the basal part of the wings, and over the whole surface of the interfemoral membrane. The ears are broad, and rounded at the tip. This fine Bat has been observed in India, at Darjeling, and the Khasia Hills; it is also an inhabitant of Java and Sumatra.

The skull and jaws in the Harpy Bat exhibit indications of considerable strength; in fact, the general aspect of the skull is very Dog-like, and the large size of the coronoid process of the lower jaw would seem to indicate that the whole is intended to form a powerful masticating apparatus. This notion is further borne out by the character of the teeth, which are very stout, the molars being furnished with short, blunt cusps, thickly coated with enamel, and admirably fitted to crush the hard cases of the Beetles, which appear, from the contents found in its stomach, to constitute the principal food of this Bat. Mr. Dobson remarks that “as we become better acquainted with the habits of these animals, it will probably be found that the food of this species is restricted to certain species of Coleoptera possessing extremely hard cases, which would effectually resist the feebler, although more acutely-pointed teeth of other Bats inhabiting the same localities. The form of the teeth, the great development of the coronoid process, and the shortness of the mandible, are all evidently subservient to the same object, and have been modified simultaneously to suit the food of the animal.”

THE RED BAT.[206]

The genus _Atalapha_, to which the Red Bat of North America belongs, is very nearly related to _Nycticejus_, and in fact its species have been not unfrequently placed in that genus. In general characters the two groups closely agree, but the head in _Atalapha_ is more elevated, and the interfemoral membrane is wholly, or to a very considerable extent, clothed with hair. This latter character, with the presence of only two incisors in the upper jaw, serves at once to distinguish the species of this genus, which are confined, like those of _Nycticejus_, to the Western hemisphere.

The Red Bat is generally distributed over all the temperate parts of North America, even extending, according to Peters, as far north as the Aleutian islands, whilst Geoffroy and Temminck state that it occurs in Cayenne and Surinam. The head and body are usually rather less than two inches long, and the tail is of about the same length; the expanse of wing is from eleven to twelve inches. There are two pre-molar and three molar teeth on each side. The ears are irregularly rounded, and the outer margin runs round upon the cheek, and forms a distinct lobe below the origin of the tragus, which is about half the height of the ear, and turns inwards at the point. The fur is long and silky, and is generally of a light russet colour, tinged with yellow, darker and richer on the back. The colour, however, varies, specimens being met with showing fawn-coloured and even yellowish-ashy tints. At each shoulder there is a tuft of white hair. The interfemoral membrane is entirely covered above, and half covered beneath, with hair of the same colour as that on the body. The membranes are of a rich brown colour, and the ears and lips are marked with yellow. The above furnishes indications only of the general effect produced, but each hair is dark lead-colour at the base, then yellowish-brown, passing into dark or bright red or chocolate colour, with the extreme tip generally white. Northern specimens usually show the darker tints, while those from warmer regions are more frequently of a bright red colour.

Dr. Allen quotes the following anecdote, illustrating the force of the maternal instinct in this little Bat:--A lad had caught a young Red Bat, which he took home with him. “Three hours afterwards, in the evening, as he was conveying it to the museum in his hand, while passing near the place where it was caught, the mother made her appearance, and followed the boy for two squares, flying around him, and finally alighted on his breast, such was her anxiety to save her offspring. Both were brought to the museum, the young one firmly adhering to its mother’s teat. This faithful creature lived two days in the museum, and then died of injuries received from her captor. The young one being but half grown, was still too young to take care of itself, and died shortly after.”

The Hoary Bat (_Atalapha cinerea_) is larger than its congener, the Red Bat, measuring from two to three inches in length, and from twelve to fifteen inches in expanse of wing. Its colours, also, are quite different. The head and neck are of a faded yellow colour, the back brownish chocolate or umber smoky fawn-colour, and the lower surface fawn-colour, darker on the breast. All the hairs are tipped with white, which gives the animal the peculiar ashy tinge alluded to in its name. The whole upper surface of the interfemoral membrane, and about one-third of its lower surface, are clothed with hair. The Hoary Bat is distributed over the whole of North America, as far north as Canada and the Hudson’s Bay Territories.[207]

SCHREIBERS’ BAT.[208]

Several species of Long-tailed Bats, peculiar to the Eastern hemisphere, have been formed into the genus _Miniopterus_, which differs from all the preceding forms by having the crown of the head abruptly and very considerably raised from the face, and the upper incisors in pairs separated not only from each other, but from the canines. They have the ears separate, with their outer margins extending forward nearly to the opening of the mouth; the nostrils simple; the first phalanx of the second finger very short; and the tail as long as the head and body, and entirely enclosed within the interfemoral membrane.

Schreibers’ Bat, the type of this genus, is very remarkable for its extraordinary geographical range; for, according to the determinations of Messrs. Tomes and Dobson, it extends from Japan through the Eastern Archipelago to Australia, and westward of these localities through Burmah and Ceylon to Asia Minor, and thence into Southern Europe. It is also generally distributed in Africa, and occurs in Madagascar. On the continent of Europe it is found as far north as Switzerland and Lower Austria.

The species varies considerably in the colour of its fur. The basal half of the hairs is always dark, either brown, greyish-black, or black, with the extremities sometimes of nearly the same tint, but generally lighter, varying from a light grey, even becoming whitish on the lower surface, to reddish-grey and reddish-brown. Specimens from tropical localities are generally dark in colour. The ears are much shorter than the head, and sweep almost completely round the eye (whence the name of “_blepotis_” was given to the Eastern form by M. Temminck), terminating near the angle of the mouth in a small square-ended lobe. The tragus is much shorter than the ear, about twice as long as broad, and rounded at the tip. The total length of this Bat is about four inches, half of which goes to the head and body, and the remainder to the tail. Schreibers’ Bat is an inhabitant of caves. It was originally obtained from the caverns of the Banat, but occurs generally throughout Southern Europe. In the East it is also said by M. Temminck to find a retreat in caves and clefts in the rocks. It is very common in Java, but rarely appears in the open country.[209]

THE BROWN PIG BAT.[210]

This is another of the forms occupying the border-land between the families of _Vespertilionidæ_ and _Emballonuridæ_, and assisting to unite the whole of the simple-nosed Insectivorous Bats in one great series. In the form of the head, and in the dentition, it resembles especially _Natalus_ and _Furia_. The wing-membranes are continued down the toes to the base of the claws; the tail is long, and enclosed, except the last joint, in the interfemoral membrane, which is supported by long heel-spurs, beyond which there are membranous lobes; and the thumbs are free and clawed, and, like the soles of the feet, furnished with curious adhesive discs. The toes consist of only two phalanges each, as in the genus _Phyllorhina_. The genus was described by MM. Lichtenstein and Peters under the name of _Hyonycteris_ (Pig Bat), in allusion to the elongated and truncated form of the muzzle, which has somewhat of a Pig-like aspect.

The singular adhesive organs mentioned above as occurring on the thumbs and feet of this Bat, are described in considerable detail by Mr. Dobson in the “Proceedings of the Zoological Society.” He remarks that they constitute the only known instance of the possession by Mammals of prehensile organs at all resembling the sucking-discs of the Cephalopodous mollusca. “On the inferior surface of the thumb,” he says, “from the base of the first phalanx, ... corresponding to the position of the ball of the thumb in other Bats, arises, by a short peduncle, a hollow suctorial disc about one-tenth of an inch in diameter. On the sole of the foot a similar but considerably smaller disc is placed, not in the same relative position, however, as in the thumb; for it covers the metatarsal bones, not the bases of the first phalanges of the toes.” According to a Spanish writer, Señor Jimenez de la Espada, these discs were used by the animal to fasten itself to the fingers as it tried to bite, producing the same feeling as a key or thimble when applied to the tongue after sucking out the air; and it is added, “the muscular arrangement is such as to allow the animal to vary the diameter of the organ; and by their means the animals attached themselves to the sides of the box in which they are kept, although, when sleeping, they suspended themselves by the claws like other Bats.” Mr. Dobson, however, by careful examination of the structure of the discs, convinced himself that the Spanish zoologist was mistaken in ascribing any muscular arrangements to these curious organs, which consist exclusively of an unusual development of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, amongst which a radiating cartilaginous structure probably gave rise to the notion of a special muscular apparatus. Mr. Dobson indicates further that the discs of the feet are supplemented by several small projections from the hinder border of the heel-spur, which are known to occur in no other species of Bat, and he regards the whole of these peculiarities as indicating that the animal is specially adapted for climbing, like the New Zealand Bat (_Mystacina tuberculata_), and that in all probability both these species are in the habit of capturing the insects on which they feed while crawling over the branches of trees.[211]

The Brown Pig Bat (_Thyroptera tricolor_) is an inhabitant of South and Central America. Its head and body are rather more than an inch and a half long, and the tail about an inch and a quarter. The fur is of a cinnamon-brown colour, paler beneath, and the wings dusky brown.[212]

THE STRAW-COLOURED BAT.[213]

In this curious little Bat, as in _Furipterus_ and _Miniopterus_, which with it form the links of connection between the two families of simple-nosed Insectivorous Bats, the crown of the head is also much elevated and separated from the muzzle by a strong depression. The nostrils are placed quite at the tip of the nose, and close to the upper lip (see figure, p. 312), the chin has a semicircular double row of warts, the ears are large, broad, somewhat pointed at the tip, which is turned outwards, so as to make the outer margin appear excavated, whilst below it sweeps round upon the side of the face as a free lobe, and the tragus, which is short, broad, and fleshy, rises from the end of a short stalk projecting horizontally from the inside of the opening of the ear. The wings are of moderate length, and rather broad, and are attached to the ankle in a most singular manner. Their point of attachment is not, as usual in Bats, on the outside, but on the inside of the ankle, so that a narrow strip of membrane has to cross over the terminal portion of the shank. The thumbs are free; the legs and tail are long and slender; the latter, which consists of only seven joints, is longer than the head and body of the animal, and is almost entirely enclosed in the ample interfemoral membrane, the posterior margins of which are supported by long spurs springing from the heels. All the membranous parts, including the ears, are thickly marked with dotted lines. There are four incisor teeth in the upper jaw, placed in pairs, and separated by a space from the canines. There are three pre-molars in both jaws. (Dental formula--incisors, (2–2)/6, canines, (1–1)/(1–1), pre-molars, (3–3)/(3–3), molars, (3–3)/(3–3).)

The Straw-coloured Bat measures about four inches in total length, fully one-half of which is occupied by the tail. It is clothed with a moderately-long fur, of a brownish-yellow colour, paler on the lower surface. The membranes are reddish-brown. It is an inhabitant of South and Central America.