50 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. 



deficient of the great power of sight possessed 

 by these animals at night, I might state that, 

 having by accident omitted to close an opening 

 in a pane of glass, in a room where one of these 

 animals was lodged, I was mortified to find that 

 during its first night's flight about the apart- 

 ment it had escaped through the aperture. 

 Sp. 3. Vesp. Noctula, or Great Bat. There is suffici- 

 ent evidence of this species being found here. 

 I was told by a labourer, at Oreston, that he 

 had now and then seen a bat of the size of a 

 pigeon, fly in the direction of the quarries ; and, 

 once or twice, I saw it myself. I have also 

 been informed that a surgeon of this town poss- 

 esses the skeleton of one obtained here ; its 

 width is 14 J inches. 



Colonel Montagu found the Greater and Lesser 

 Horse-shoe Bats at Torbay, and the Barbastelle 

 at Kingsbridge. The best accounts of the habits 

 and economy of these creatures will be found in 

 the "Natural History of Selbburne/ 1 and in 

 " Bingley's> British Quadrupeds ;" and the best 

 scientific characters in " Fleming's British Ani- 

 mals." 



ORDER FERJE. 



Genus, Phoca, or the Seals. 



Sp. 4. Ph. Vitulina, or Common Seal, is not, I believe, 

 ever noticed nearer to Plymouth than at the 

 Lands End, where this species is said to be 

 pretty numerous ; but I am not aware if the 

 skins form a branch of commerce at that spot. 

 The Ph. Bicolor and Ph. Barbata seem con- 

 fined to more northern latitudes. 



(lewis, Catns 9 or the Dog tribe. 



I shall not allude to the common dog which 

 being a domesticated animal and liable to great 

 variation would prove too diffuse a subject. 



Sp. 5. Canis Vnlpes, or Common Fox, is sufficiently 

 abundant around here both to provide ample 



