March, 1899.] 



53 



THE NATURAL HISTORY OF IRISH BATS. 



BY N. H. AI,COCK, M.D. 



The Whiskered Bat, 



Vespertilio (Myotis) mystacinus, I^eisler. 



[Plates 3 and 4.] 



Up to the present time this little bat has been found in 



only four counties in Ireland, so that it may rank as the 



most uncommon of our native species. Belonging to the 



genus Vespertilio, it presents the characteristics of the group, 



the most easily recognisable of which are the narrow muzzle 



and the absence (fig. 1) of the post- calcaneal lobule (fig. 2, 2), 



on the tail-membrane. Two other bats of this genus occur 



with us, Vespertilio Nattereri (Kuhl.), Natterer's Bat, and 



Vespertilio Daubentonii (Leisler), DaUbenton's Bat. 



Fig. r. 

 Foot of the Whiskered 

 Bat. 1. — Calcaneum. 



Fig. 2. 



Foot of the Hairy-armed Bat. 



1. — Calcaneum. 2. — Post-calcaneal lobule. 



From the first, which it much resembles, it may be dis- 

 tinguished as lacking the fringe of stiff hairs along the side of 

 the tail, so characteristic of Natterer's Bat, and from the 

 second by the smaller size of the present species, its compara- 

 tively smaller feet, the wings arising from the base of the 

 toes, and by the inner margin of the ear-conch (fig. 3), which 

 is at first convex, and then straight, while in Daubenton's Bat 

 this margin is convex throughout (fig. 4.) 



