Chapter 8

DESCRIPTION.--"Ear comparatively small, as broad as long; inner margin very convex forward; outer margin slightly concave beneath the tip; nose-leaf as in _P. larvata_, but the transverse terminal leaf is more rectangular; the superior margin less convex, and its concave front surface is marked by three very prominent vertical ridges; frontal pore small, indistinct, not larger than in the females of _P. larvata_."--_Dobson_.

SIZE.--Head and body about 2 inches; tail, 1 inch.

NO. 67. PHYLLORHINA BICOLOR.

HABITAT.--India (N. W. Himalaya), Nicobar Islands.

DESCRIPTION.--Fur above reddish chestnut; the base of the hairs pale reddish-white, or base of hair pure white, the tip, dark reddish-brown. Ears as long as the head, broad; the lower half of the inner margin very convex; the summit of the ear conch rounded off broadly as far as a point on the outer side, where a slight but distinct flattening occurs, and indicates the position of the tip. Horse-shoe small, square; the concave front surface divided into four cells by three distinct vertical ridges; no secondary leaflets external to the horse-shoe; frontal sac distinct in males, rudimentary in females (_Dobson_). Blyth includes this bat in his Burmese Catalogue, but does not say much about it.

GENUS COELOPS.

Possesses the general characteristics of _Rhinolophus_, but the tail and calcanea wanting entirely; the intercrural membrane acutely emarginate to the depth of a line even with the knees; ears large, broad and rounded; the summit of the facial membranes rising abruptly, obtusely bifid, bent forward; fur long, delicately fine.--_Jerdon_.

Dental formula: Inc., 1--1/4; can., 1--1/1--1; premolars, 2--2/2--2; molars, 3--3/3--3.

NO. 68. COELOPS FRITHII. _Frith's Tailless Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 29_).

HABITAT.--The Sunderbunds, Bengal.

DESCRIPTION.--Colour dusky or blackish; the fur tipped with ashy brown above, paler and somewhat ashy beneath; membranes fuscous.

SIZE.--Length, 1-7/8 inch; membrane beyond 3/4 inch; forearm, 1-3/4.

This bat is rare. The above description, given by Jerdon, is based on one specimen sent to Mr. Blyth by Mr. Frith, who obtained it in the Sunderbunds. It also inhabits Java. Dr. Dobson examined a specimen from thence in the Leyden Museum. He says: "Calcanea and tail very short," whereas the above description says entirely wanting. "The ears are funnel-shaped, and thickly covered with fine hair. Metacarpal bone of thumb very long; the wing membrane enclosing the thumb up to the base of the claw; wing to the tarsus close to the ankles; feet very slender; toes with strong claws."

_GENUS RHINOPOMA_.

Ears moderate, but joined above, as in the Megaderms; the nostrils at the end of the muzzle, with a little lamina above, forming a kind of snout; tail slender and joined at the base with the intercrural membrane, but extending far beyond it.

Dental formula: Inc., 2/4; can., 1--1/1--1; premolars, 1--1/2--2; molars 3--3/3--3.

NO. 69. RHINOPOMA HARDWICKII. _Hardwick's Long-tailed Leaf Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 30_).

HABITAT.--All over India, Burmah and Malayana.

[Figure: Skull of _Rhinopoma_.]

DESCRIPTION.--Muzzle long, thick, truncated, and surrounded by a small leaf; tragus oblong, bi-acuminate; forehead concave with a channel down the centre; fur soft and very fine, dull brown throughout; face, rump, and part of abdominal region naked.--_Jerdon_.

SIZE.--Head and body, 2-6/10 inches; tail, 2-1/2; expanse, 13.

Frequents old ruins, caves, and clefts in rocks.

SUB-FAMILY NOCTILIONIDAE.

Bats without facial membranes; with short obtuse and bull-doggish heads; large lips.

_GENUS TAPHOZOUS_.

Have a small rounded indenture on the forehead; no raised lamina on the nostrils; the head pyramidal; eyes rather large; ears moderate in size and not joined at the base, but widely apart; the tip of the tail free above the membrane, which is much longer.

The males have a transverse cavity under the throat; wings long and narrow, collapsing with a double flexure outwards; fur soft and velvety. (Dobson includes this genus in his Family _Emballonuridae_.)

Dental formula: Inc., 1--1/4; can., 1--1/1--1; premolars, 2--2/2--2; molars, 3--3/3--3; premaxillaries cartilaginous, supporting only one pair of weak incisors with a gap between them.

NO. 70. TAPHOZOUS LONGIMANUS. _The Long-armed Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 31_).

HABITAT.--India generally.

DESCRIPTION.--"Ears oval, with many distinct folds, naked except at the base; tragus securiform; fur thick, close, fuscous-black; or dark fuscous-brown above; beneath paler, except on the throat, the hairs being conspicuously tipped with grey, the upper hairs being all white at their base; face nude, and the membrane dark brownish-black" (_Jerdon_). The gular sac, though represented in the male, is almost absent in the female, being but a rudimentary fold of skin; in this it differs from another common Indian species, _T. saccolaimus_, in which the gular sac is well developed in both sexes, though larger in the male.

SIZE.--Length, 5 inches; expanse, 15 to 16; tail, 1; fore-arm, 2-5/8; tibia, 1 inch.

This bat frequents old buildings, dark cellars, old ruins, &c.; the young are fulvescent, and become darker with age. Blyth states that it has a surprising faculty for creeping about on the vertical board of a cage, hitching its claws into the minute pores of the wood.

NO. 71. TAPHOZOUS MELANOPOGON. _The Black-bearded Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 32_).

HABITAT.--Common about Calcutta, East Coast of India, Burmah, and Cochin China.

DESCRIPTION.--"No gular sac, the openings of small pores appearing along a line corresponding to the position of the mouth of the gular sac in other species; in some male specimens the hair behind these pores is very long, forming a dense black beard" (_Dobson_). Ears moderate, oval, with the outer margin extending under the eyes, dilated into a large rounded lobe; the tragus leaf-shaped; the head, muzzle, and chin covered with short hairs.

SIZE.--Length of head and body about 3-1/2; tail, 2/3; wing expanse, 14 inches.

Horsfield says it occurs in caves in Java inhabited by the esculent swallows (_Collocalia nidifica_), the gelatinous nests of which are used for soup by the Chinese. Dobson remarks that the black beard is not always developed in the males; he conceives it to be owing to certain conditions, probably connected with the amorous seasons. In five males in the Indian Museum the beard is well developed; he found that only two per cent. of the Cochin China specimens in the Paris Museum possessed it.

NO. 72. TAPHOZOUS SACCOLAIMUS. _The White-bellied Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 33_).

HABITAT.--Peninsula of India, Burmah, and Ceylon.

DESCRIPTION.--"Muzzle angular, naked, very acute; nostrils small, close; ears distant, shorter than the head, large inner margin recurved, outer margin dilated, reaching to the commissure of the mouth; tragus wide, securiform (i.e. axe-shaped); fur short, smooth, blackish on the head, chestnut brown on the back; beneath, dirty-white or black brown above with white pencillings; pure white below" (_Jerdon_). Dobson says of the fur: "above, white at the base, the terminal three-fourths of the hairs black, with a few irregular small white patches on the back; beneath dark brown." The gular sac is to be found in both sexes, but somewhat larger in the males.

SIZE.--About 5 inches; wing expanse, 17.

NO. 73. TAPHOZOUS THEOBALDI.

HABITAT.--Tenasserim.

DESCRIPTION.--The gular sac is absent in both sexes; ears larger than in any others of the sub-genus; the muzzle, from the corners of the eyes downwards, naked.

SIZE.--Head and body about 3-1/10 inches; tail, 1-1/4.

NO. 74. TAPHOZOUS KACHHENSIS.

HABITAT.--Kachh, N. W. India.

DESCRIPTION (_apud_ Dobson).--"Gular sac absent in both male and female; its usual position indicated in the male by a semi-circular fold of skin and nakedness of the integument in this situation; in other respects similar to _T. nudiventris_. The deposits of fat about the tail very large."

SIZE.--Head and body about 3 inches; tail, 1-1/4.

_T. nudiventris_, above alluded to, is an inhabitant of Asia Minor, Egypt, and Nubia; similar to the above, only that it has a small gular sac in the male, of which a trace only exists in the female. Its most striking peculiarity is the deposit of fat at the root of the tail, which may possibly be for purposes of absorption during the dormant winter season.

_GENUS NYCTINOMUS_.

"Ears broad, short, approximate or connate with the outer margin, terminating in an erect lobe beyond the conch; tragus small, concealed" (often very small and quadrate, but never reduced to a mere point, as in _Molossus_--Dobson); "wings narrow, folded as in _Taphozous_; intercrural membrane short, truncate; tall free at the tip; feet short, with strong toes; muzzle thick; lips tumid, lax; upper lip with coarse wrinkles."--_Jerdon_.

Dental formula: Inc., 2/6 or 2/4; can., 1--1/1--1; premol., 2--2/2--2; mol., 3--3/3--3.

NO. 75. NYCTINOMUS PLICATUS. _The Wrinkle-lipped Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 34_).

HABITAT.--India generally.

DESCRIPTION.--Muzzle broad and thick; upper lip overhanging the lower, marked by vertical wrinkles; ears large and quadrilateral; outer margin ending in a decided anti-tragus; tail thick; the lower part of the leg is free from the wing membrane, which however, is connected with the ankle by a strong fibrous band; fur dense, smoky or snuff brown above (or bluish black--_Dobson_); paler beneath.

SIZE.--Head and body about 2-1/10 inches; tail, 1-1/10. Jerdon gives length, 4-1/4 to 4-1/10; expanse, 13-1/2; tail, 1-3/4.

This bat is common about Calcutta, frequenting ruins, dark places and hollow trees. It is allied to _N. tenuis_ (_Horsfield_), and it is mentioned as inhabiting hollow trees in such numbers as to attract attention by the hissing noise from within, every available spot in the interior being occupied. A synonym of the genus is _Dysopes_.

NO. 76. NYCTINOMUS TRAGATUS.

HABITAT.--India generally.

DESCRIPTION.--This differs from the last in having the wing membrane from the ankles, and in the free portion of the tail being shorter; ears united at the base; tragus broad and rounded above, partially concealed by the large anti-tragus.

SIZE.--About the same as the last.

SUB-FAMILY VESPERTILIONIDAE.

These bats have simple nostrils, as in the frugivorous ones, with no complications of foliated cutaneous appendages; the muzzle is conical, moderately long, and clad with fur; the ears wide apart; the inner margins springing from the sides, not the top of the head; the tragi are large; eyes usually very small, and the tail, which is long, is wholly included in the membrane.

Dentition (usually): Inc., 2--2/6; can., 1--1/1--1, premol., 3--3/3--3; mol., 3--3/3--3. The upper incisors are small, and placed in pairs near the canines, leaving a gap in the centre. The lower ones sharp-edged and somewhat notched. At birth there are twenty-two teeth, which are shed, and replaced by others, with sixteen additional ones, the adult bat having thirty-eight teeth.

_GENUS PLECOTUS_.

Ears very large, united at the base; outer margin of the ear conch terminating opposite the base of the tragus, the inner margin with an abrupt rounded projection directed inwards above the base; tragus very large, tapering upwards, with a lobe at the base of the outer margin.

Dentition: Inc., 2--2/6; can., 1--1/1--1; premolars, 2--2/2--2; molars, 3--3/3--3.

The English species _P. auritus_ is very common there, and also in France; its ears are nearly as long as its body, yet, when reposing, they are so folded as to be almost out of sight. The Indian species is only a variety distinguishable by its yet longer ears ("and comparative shortness of the thumbs"--_Dobson_).

NO. 77. PLECOTUS AURITUS _vel_ HOMOCHROUS.

HABITAT.--The Himalayas and the Khasia Hills.

[Figure: _Plecotus auritus_.]

DESCRIPTION.--Head slightly raised above the face-line; ears nearly as long as the fore-arm, joined by a low band across the forehead at the bases of their inner margins; wings from the base of the toes; feet slender; tip of the tail free; fur silky, short, and of a uniform dull brown.

SIZE.--Head and body, 1.7 inch; ears, 1.55 (ears of English type of same size, 1.4 inch); tail, 1.7 inch. Jerdon gives larger results, but I put more reliance on Dobson's figures.

_GENUS VESPERUGO_.

Bats with very broad and obtuse muzzles; the glandular prominences much developed between the eyes and the nostrils; crown of the head flat; but what distinguishes it from the following genus, _Scotophilus_, is the presence of four incisors in the upper jaw, whereas _Scotophilus_ has two only--otherwise the two genera are very similar.

NO. 78. VESPERUGO NOCTULA.

HABITAT.--Nepal.

[Figure: _Vesperugo noctula_.]

DESCRIPTION.--Head broad and flat; ears oval and broad; the outer margin convex, reflected backwards, and forming a thick lobe terminating close to the angle of the mouth; tragus short and curved inwards; muzzle devoid of hair; fur dark reddish brown.

NO. 79. VESPERUGO LEUCOTIS.

HABITAT.--Deserts of Northern India, and Beluchistan.

DESCRIPTION.--"Ears, sides of face, about the eyes, interfemoral membrane, antehumeral membrane, and that portion of the wing membrane along the sides of the body, white, very translucent; remaining portion of wing membrane sepia, traversed by very distinct reticulations; fur on the upper surface black at the base of the hairs for about half their length, remaining portion light yellowish brown; beneath the same, but paler, almost white."--_Dobson_.

NO. 80. VESPERUGO MAURUS.

HABITAT.--Khasya Hills.

DESCRIPTION.--Muzzle broad and flat, with large labial development; ears broad, triangular, broadly rounded off above; tragus broad and square; fur long and dense, uniformly sooty brown, with greyish tips; membranes, nose, ears and lips black.

SIZE.--Head and body 1-1/10 inch; tail, 1 inch.

NO. 81. VESPERUGO AFFINIS.

HABITAT.--Burmah (Bhamo, Yunan).

DESCRIPTION (_apud_ Dobson).--Head flat; upper labial glands so developed as to cause a deep depression between them on the face behind the nostrils; ears broad as long from behind; the outer margin extends from the tip to its termination near the corner of the mouth without emargination or lobe; tragus broad; inner margin straight; outer convex; small triangular lobe at base. Fur chocolate brown above, lighter on head and neck; beneath dark brown with lighter tips on the pubes, and along the thighs dirty white or pale buff.

SIZE.--Head and body, 1.9 inch; tail, 1.65 inch.

There is a good figure of the head of this bat in Dobson's Monograph; it was obtained by Dr. J. Anderson at an elevation of 4500 feet at Bhamo.

NO. 82. VESPERUGO PACHYOTIS.

DESCRIPTION.--"This species is readily distinguished by the peculiar thickness of the lower half of the outer side of the ear-conch, which appears as it were excavated out of the thick integument of the neck; tragus short, curved inwards."--_Dobson_.

This bat is more fully described with three illustrations in Dobson's Monograph; he does not mention where it is found, so it may or it may not be an Indian species.

NO. 83. VESPERUGO ATRATUS. _Syn_.--NYCTICEJUS ATRATUS.

HABITAT.--Darjeeling.

DESCRIPTION.--Head broad; muzzle obtuse; upper labial glands largely developed; ears large, oval, with rounded tips, which in the natural position of the ears appear acute, owing to the longitudinal folding of the outer side of the conch on the inner, commencing at and almost bisecting the tip (_Dobson_). Fur long, dense and black; Jerdon says rich dark brown; paler beneath.

SIZE.--Head and body, 1.9 inch; tail, 1.8 inch.

NO. 84. VESPERUGO TICKELLI.

HABITAT.--Chybassa, Jashpur, and Sirguja.

DESCRIPTION.--Head broad and flat; labial glands developed; ears moderate, rounded above; outer edge straight, emarginate opposite base of tragus, terminating in a small lobe; tragus lunate; tail long; last vertebra free. The face is more clad with fur than in other species of this genus; fur of the body pale, straw brown above, pale buff beneath. For a fuller description and illustration, see Dobson's Monograph.

SIZE.--Head and body, 1.65 inch; tail, 2 inches.

NO. 85. VESPERUGO PACHYPUS.

HABITAT.--Darjeeling, Tenasserim, and Andaman Islands.

DESCRIPTION.--Crown of head very flat; ears short, triangular, with broadly rounded tips, tragus short; under surface of the base of the thumb and soles of the feet with broad fleshy pads; wings rather short; fur fine and dense, above reddish brown, paler beneath.

SIZE.--Head and body, 1.75 inch; tail 1 inch.

NO. 86. VESPERUGO ANNECTANS.

HABITAT.--Naga Hills and Assam.

DESCRIPTION.--Muzzle sharper; face hairy; ears pointed; tragus long; colour dark brown; illustration in Dobson's Monograph.

SIZE.--About 2 inches; tail, 1.6 inch.

Unites the appearance of a _Vespertilio_ to the dentition of _Vesperugo_.

NO. 87. VESPERUGO DORMERI.

HABITAT.--Southern India and Bellary Hills.

DESCRIPTION.--Head flat; ears shorter, triangular, with rounded tips; tragus with a small triangular lobe near base of outer margin; fur brown, with ashy tips above, darker brown below, with the terminal third of the hairs white. Dentition approaches the next genus, there being only one pair of unicuspidate upper incisors placed, one by each upper canine.

NO. 88. (VESPERUGO) SCOTOPHILUS SEROTINUS. _Syn_.--VESPERUGO SEROTINUS. _The Silky Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 35_).

HABITAT.--Europe, but extending through Asia to the Himalayas, Beluchistan and Kashmir.

DESCRIPTION.--Ears shorter than head, widely separate, ovate, angular, projecting forward, terminating in a convex; lobe ending on a level with the corner of the mouth; tragus twice the length of its breadth, semi-cordate; fur deep bay or chestnut brown; above fulvous, grey beneath; hairs of back long and silky, but the colour of the fur varies considerably.

SIZE.--Head and body, 2-1/2 inches; tail, 2; wing expanse, 13.

This is a rare bat in India, though Captain Hutton has procured it at Mussoorie. In England it is not uncommon even near London; it flies steadily and rather slow, and is found in ruins, roofs of churches, and sometimes old hollow trees.

NO. 89. (VESPERUGO) SCOTOPHILUS LEISLERI. _Syn_.--VESPERUGO LEISLERI. _The Hairy-armed Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 36_).

HABITAT.--Himalayas.

[Figure: _Vesperugo Leisleri_.]

DESCRIPTION.--Ears short, oval, triangular; tragus short, rounded at tip; membrane attached to base of outer toe; all toes short; membrane over the arms very hairy, some cross-lines of hair on the interfemoral membrane; fur long, deep fuscous brown at base, chestnut at the tip; beneath greyish brown.--_Jerdon_.

SIZE.--Head and body, 2-1/4 inches; tail, 3-3/4; expanse, 11-1/2.

SCOTOPHILUS PACHYOMUS. (_Jerdon's No. 37._)

Synonymous with his No. 35; see Dobson's Monograph.

NO. 90. (VESPERUGO) SCOTOPHILUS COROMANDELIANUS. _Syn_.--VESPERUGO ABRAMUS; VESPERTILIO COROMANDELICUS. _The Coromandel Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 38_).

HABITAT.--India generally, Burmah and Ceylon.

DESCRIPTION.--Ears triangular, rather large; outer margin straight or slightly concave; tragus lunate; feet small; wing membrane attached to the base of the toes; fur short, above dingy brown, the hairs tipped with a lighter tinge, paler beneath.

SIZE.--2-1/2 inches, including tail, which is about 1-1/8; wing expanse, 7-1/2.

This is a very common little bat, akin to the English Pipistrelle, and is found everywhere in roofs, hollow bamboos, &c.

NO. 91. (VESPERUGO) SCOTOPHILUS LOBATUS. _Syn_.--VESPERUGO KUHLII. _The Lobe-eared Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 39_).

HABITAT.--India generally.

DESCRIPTION.--Ears small, triangular; the base of the margin very convex forward; a triangular lobule above the base of the outer margin; tragus short and uniform in width; a short muzzle; wings from the base of the toes; feet small; calcaneum long; tip of tail free; fur blackish yellow above, ashy beneath.

SIZE.--Two and a-half inches, of which the tail is 1-1/4; expanse 7-2/3. Jerdon, quoting Tomes, states that this is the same as _V. Abramus_, but that is the synonym of the last species.

_GENUS SCOTOPHILUS_.

Muzzle short, bluntly conical, devoid of hair; ears longer than broad; tail shorter than the head and body; wing membrane attached to the base of the toes.

Dentition: Inc., 1--1/6; can., 1--1/1--1; premolars, 1--1/2--2; molars 3--3/3--3.

Jerdon's formula gives upper incisors 4.

NO. 92. SCOTOPHILUS FULIGINOSUS. _The Smoky Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 40_).

HABITAT.--Central Nepal.

DESCRIPTION (_apud_ Hodgson).--"Feet very small, included in the wing membrane nearly to the end of the toes; ears acutely pointed, shorter than the head; muzzle groved, nudish; face sharp; rostrum somewhat recurved; wholly sooty brown; a little smaller than _Vesp. formosa_."

I cannot find this bat mentioned by any other author, and Jerdon says it does not seem to be recognised.

NO. 93. SCOTOPHILUS TEMMINCKII. _Syn_.--NYCTICEJUS TEMMINCKII (_Jerdon_).

HABITAT.--India generally; Burmah and Ceylon.

[Figure: _Scotophilus Temminckii_.]

DESCRIPTION.--Ears short, rounded and narrow; tragus narrow, curved and pointed inwards; muzzle thick, blunt and conical; the fur varies, sometimes dark olive brown, fulvous beneath, and occasionally chestnut, with a paler shade of yellow below.

SIZE.--Four and a-half inches, of which the tail is 1-1/2; expanse, 13.

A very common species, appearing early in the evening. Horsfield says of it that it collects by hundreds in hollow trees, and feeds chiefly on white ants.

NO. 94. SCOTOPHILUS HEATHII.

HABITAT.--India and Ceylon (Rajanpore, Punjab).

DESCRIPTION.--Similar to the above, but longer in all its measurements (_Dobson_). Judging from drawings, the head and muzzle of this are more in a line than in the last species, the ears project forward, and are also larger, the tragus especially, and there is a greater width between the ears.

SIZE.--Five inches, of which the tail is 2.

NO. 95. SCOTOPHILUS EMARGINATUS.

HABITAT.--India; precise locality unknown.

DESCRIPTION.--Head broad and flat; muzzle obtuse and thick; ears long and large, with rounded tips turning outwards; tragus short; thumb long with a strong claw; wing membrane quite devoid of hair, except on the interfemoral membrane, which is half covered; fur tricolored, first dark chestnut, buff, and then yellowish brown.

SIZE.--Head and body, 2-1/10 inches; tail, 2 inches.

NO. 96. SCOTOPHILUS ORNATUS. _Syn_.--NYCTICEJUS ORNATUS.

HABITAT.--India and Burmah.

DESCRIPTION.--Head broad; muzzle short; ears triangular, erect, with rounded tips, and broadly rounded lobe at the base; tragus narrow, semi-lunate, curved towards the front; fur a light Isabelline brown, spotted with white; a white spot on the centre of the forehead, and from the back of the head down the spine for two-thirds of its length a narrow white streak; on each side of the body two white patches; a broad white collar, or rather demi-collar, from one ear spot to the other, passing under the throat. Dr. Dobson says the position of these patches is very constant, but the size varies, being greatest in individuals of a pale rusty red colour, and these he found always to be males.

SIZE.--Head and body, 3 inches; tail, 2 inches; expanse, 15.

NO. 97. SCOTOPHILUS PALLIDUS.

HABITAT.--Mian Mir, Lahore.

DESCRIPTION.--Head and muzzle as in _S. Temminckii_; ears slightly shorter than the head; internal basal lobe convex, evenly rounded; tip broadly rounded off; tragus moderately long and rounded at the tip; a prominent triangular lobe at base. Wing membrane from base of toes; lobule at the heel very narrow and long; last rudimentary caudal vertebra free; fur of the body, wings, and interfemoral membrane pale buff throughout.

SIZE.--Head and body, 2 inches; tail, 1.4 inch.

NOCTULINIA NOCTULA. (See _ante: Vesperugo noctula--Jerdon's No. 41_.)

NYCTICEJUS HEATHII. _Large Yellow Bat_ (_Jerdon's No. 42_). (See _ante: Scotophilus Heathii_.)