Zoological Society. 425 



height, as being closed at the top, the darkness prevented my seeing 

 more than a few yards up. I remarked to my servant that it was a 

 likely locality for bats ; but the appearance of a large Gecko drew 

 off my attention, and I attempted to capture it. The reptile darted 

 however within the cavity, and I then noticed that beneath the hol- 

 low was piled a heap, several feet in diameter, and at least a foot in 

 height, of a soft granular substance, which on examination I found 

 to be the dung of some insectivorous animals, with a very rank pe- 

 culiar odour. I had now no doubt of the tree being the abode of 

 bats, but had little expectation of being able to ascertain the fact. 

 While peering carefully up, however, I distinctly heard the flapping 

 of wings and some shrill squeakings, and this determined me to fire 

 my fowling-piece at random up the cavity. This I did twice, and 

 though I brought down nothing but a little rotten wood, yet presently, 

 when the smoke had a little subsided, on looking up again I dis- 

 cerned amidst the darkness one or two heads, which seemed those of 

 rats, and immediately another just above them, evidently crawling 

 downwards. I pointed them out to my negro lad, who saw two or 

 three more, and presently, as it became more clear of smoke, the 

 whole sides of the cavity appeared full of curious round faces. I 

 now fired, no longer at random, and had the pleasure of bringing 

 down this beautiful bat, which fell dead. The smoke of this dis- 

 charge made the others more anxious to come down to the fresh air, 

 and we could see them descending fast, head downwards. As the 

 shot lacerated the membranes considerably, I bethought myself of 

 another plan : cutting a long switch with a few twigs at its extre- 

 mity, I stood at the bottom and whipped one down ; he came sprawl- 

 ing with expanded wings on the ground, apparently with but little 

 notion of flight, although unwounded. On being taken up by the 

 wings he displayed uncommon fierceness, biting savagely and power- 

 fully anything within his reach. Three or four more I obtained in 

 the same manner and brought home. 



" When thrown up into the air in a room, they would not fly, but 

 merely opened the volar membranes to break their fall, as with a 

 parachute. Two, which I kept alive, hung themselves up by the 

 hind-feet from the side of a cage into which I put them, and would 

 not move, except to shift an inch or two ; nor did the approach and 

 arrival of night excite them to activity. One, however, which had 

 contrived to secrete himself in the room, when, having taken both 

 out of the cage, I turned my back for a moment, and which I had 

 vainly searched for, I found at night, by going into the room with a 

 candle : hearing a scrambling, I looked up to the top of the wall, 

 where was my lost bat, endeavouring to suspend himself. On being 

 touched he flew off, but immediately alighted, and so repeatedly ; 

 sometimes, when he failed of taking a hold of the wall, he came to 

 the floor, whence he readily rose, though very obliquely. I was 

 struck with his expanse of wing when performing his noiseless flight 

 around the room, and with his resemblance to a bird, aided by the 

 enormous interfemoral membrane, which being expanded by the hind- 



Ann.^ Mag. N. Hist. Vol.xx. 30 



