CARNARIA. 



67 



THE FIRST FAMILY OF CARXARIA,— 



CHEIROPTERA,— 



Preserves some affinities with the Quadrumana hy the pendulous penis*, and mamma! which 

 are placed on the breast. Their distinctive character consists in a fold of the skin, which, 

 commencing at the sides of the neck, extends between their four feet and their fingers, sustains 

 them in the air, and even enables such of them to fly as have the hands sufficiently developed 

 for that purpose. f This disposition required strong clavicles, and large scapulars, to impart 

 the requisite solidity to the shoulder ; but it was incompatible with the rotation of the fore- 

 arm, which would have diminished the force of the stroke necessary for flight. These animals 

 have all four large canines, but the number of their incisors varies. They have long been 

 distributed into two genera, according to the extent of their organs of flight J [sustaining 

 membrane] ; but the first requires numerous subdivisions. 



The Bats (Vesper tilio, Lin.) — 

 Have the arms, fore-arms, and fingers excessively elongated, so as to form, with the 

 membrane that occupies their intervals, real wings, the surface of which is equally or 

 more extended than in those of Birds. Hence they fly very high, and with great rapidity. 



Their pectoral muscles have a thickness pro- 

 portioned to the movements which they have 

 to execute, and the sternum possesses a 

 medial ridge to afford attachment to them, 

 as in Birds. The thumb is short, and fur- 

 nished with a crooked nail, by which these 

 animals creep and suspend themselves. Their 

 hinder parts are [generally] weak, and divided 

 into five toes, nearly always of equal length, 

 and armed with trenchant and sharp nails. 

 They have no ccecum to the intestine. Their 

 eyes [except in the frugivorous species] are 

 extremely small, but their ears are often very 

 large, ai*l constitute with the wings an enor- 

 mous extent of membrane, almost naked, and 

 so sensible that the Bats guide themselves 

 through all the intricacies of their labyrinths, 

 even after their eyes have been removed, pro- 

 bably by the sole diversity of aerial impres- 

 sions. § They are nocturnal animals, which, in 



During the day they suspend themselves in 



other sources. Heme, therefore, the organisation should be con 

 ildered as having reference to, rather than u occasioning the par- 

 ticular habit, - Ed. 



" Tlii, origan, however, as in the ( urni aorw, cor tains a bone ( lh< -ugh 

 only within the glans,] with it* accompanying p sir of muscle*. — Ed. 



f Tin* character applies to all, with the exception ol the Colugo 

 {li<il.rufntti<vut), a genu! Which has little claim to ran^e in Ihil Ji'l- 

 lion Kn. 



t This term is Inapplicable to the pnru.'iutr im mliraur o( the 

 Colugo. — Ed. 



j I hare reason to suspect that the tlrlicatc tact alluded to residrs 

 principally In the facial membrane, preeent in only some genera. A 

 specimen of /''«/». tVof/rreri, which I have just been ubserrini 

 which mulcted genus there i* no developement «>i membrane on the 

 face,) has several time., in Bring about the room, napped agaiait * 

 < nsc. — Kd. 



Fig. /.—Skeleton of Bat. 



our climates, pass the winter in a torpid state 



superfluity, It being clear, speaking generally, that the consumed 

 must have pre-existed to the consumer ; or, to embody the proposi- 

 tion in "till mire general terms, >he conditions must hive been first 

 present, in especial reference to which any species has been or- 

 ganised i in conformity with which theorem, it ma] ba r. marked, that, 

 however reciprocal, on a superficial vien . maj appear the relations of 

 the preyer and the prey, a little reflection on the observed facts 

 ■offices to intimate that the relative adaptations "f tin- former i nly 

 arr spe< ml, 'hose of the latter being comparatively vague and general i 

 iting thai there having been .1 superabundance which mbjhl 



serves, nutriment, in the lir,t iiinI.uk , , and which, in many ci-cs, 



was unattainable by ordinary means, particuUr ipeeieahave therefore 

 seen so organized (that la to say, modloed upon some more or leas 



I >/"■ or p| 111 of structure.) t.. » » rsjl themielvX - Ol 111. supply ; . 



which special adaptation, however, does r..,i necessarily prevent them 

 'Ina vast proportion of eases! from also deriving nourishment trom 



