656 



CHIROPTERA 



Family Rhinolophid^e. 



In all the species of this family the nasal appendages are highly 

 developed, and surround the sides of the nasal apertures, which are 

 situated in a depression on the upper surface of the muzzle; the 

 ears are large and generally separate, Avithout trace of a tragus ; the 

 premaxillse are rudimentary, suspended from the nasal cartilages, 

 and supporting a pair of very small incisors ; the molars have acute 

 "W-shaped cusps ; the skull is large, and the nasal bones which support 

 the large nasal cutaneous appendages are much expanded vertically 

 and laterally ; in the females a pair of teat-like appendages are 

 found in front of the pubis ; and the tail is long and produced to 

 the posterior margin of the interf emoral membrane. This family is 

 found in the temperate and tropical parts of the eastern hemisphere. 

 From whatever point of view the Rhinolvphidce may be con- 

 sidered, they are evidently the most highly organised of insect- 

 ivorous Bats. In them the osseous and cutaneous systems reach the 

 most elaborate development. Compared with those of the present 

 family the bones of the extremities and the flying-membranes of 

 other Bats appear coarsely formed, and even their teeth seem less 

 perfectly fitted to crush the hard bodies of insects. The very com- 

 plicated nasal appendages, which evidently act as delicate organs of 

 special perception, here reach their highest development, and the 

 differences in their form afford valuable characters in the discrimi- 

 nation of the species, which resemble one another very closely in 

 dentition and in the colour of the fur. 



Subfamily Rhinolophinse. — First toe with two, other toes Avith 

 three, phalanges each ; ilio- pectineal spine 

 not connected by bone Avith the antero- 

 inferior surface of the ilium. 



Bhinolophus. 1 — Dentition : i J, c {, p f, 

 m f ; total 32. Nose-leaf (Fig. 304) with a 

 central process behind and betAveen the nasal 

 orifices, posterior extremity lanceolate, anti- 

 tragus large. Includes more than tAventy 

 species. R. luctus, in which the forearm has a 

 length of 3 inches, is the largest species, inhabit- 

 ing elevated hill tracts in India and Malayana ; 

 It. hypposiderus of Europe, extending into 

 South England and Ireland, forearm 1*5 

 inches, is one of the smallest ; and II. ferrum- 



\\ 



Fig. 304. — Head of Indian 

 Horse-shoe Bat (Rhinolophus 

 mitratus). (From Dobson, 

 Monogr. Asiat. Chiropt.) 



equina m, 



with the forearm 2 - 3 inches in 



length, represents the average size of the species, Avhich are mainly 

 distinguished from one another by the form of the nose-leaf. The 



1 Geoffroy, Nour. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. vol. xix. p. 383 (1803). 



