1 9oi. Notes. 51 



Winter Flight of Bats. 



Not only as marking the extreme mildness of the season, but also as 

 a curious incident in itself, it may be worth notice that yesterday evening 

 (January 2nd), about six o'clock, a bat (of what species I cannot say) flew 

 close overhead and directly between me and the moon, which was shining 

 brightly at the time. 



W. E. Hart. 



Kilderry, Co. Donegal. 



Is it unusual for bats to fly at this season ? I was out walking on 1st 

 December, at 4.40 p.m. I observed a bat fly over my head ; it returned 

 several times, passing over my head almost within reach, but I failed to 

 catch it. I tried to attract it by throwing up my white handkerchief. It 

 was too dark to make an attempt at identification. While in sight it 

 covered a distance of about thirty yards, and during its course would 

 make several short turns to right and left — perhaps to secure flies. A 

 manure heap was convenient, and flies were likely to be on the wing. 

 The evening was dry and very mild. 



Hugh I,. Orr. 



Belfast. 



The Vision of Whales. 



Some years ago, while yachting on the west coast of Scotland, we 

 noticed one of the whales which the crew called a Finner, coming 

 towards us. It seemed to be about fifteen feet long, and when a 

 few yards off it came up to the surface, then dived, and we all watched 

 it sink down, go under the keel and come up on the other side. It was 

 so close to us before it dived that I could see the blow-hole quite 

 distinctly— it was the shape of a fleur-de-lys. I think this animal 

 must have seen us, for if it had not, it would scarcely have had time to 

 clear us at the pace it was going. We have seen this happen more than 

 once ; small whales coming up, having a look at the boat, then diving 

 under her and going away. The one I have described dived twice under, 

 no doubt thinking the yacht was some strange monster of the deep. 



When steaming through the Straits of Gibraltar, one nearly always 

 sees the Dolphins playing about the bows of the ship. When I was there 

 in 1895, about eight of them came up and played about the bow of the 

 steamer, shooting out of the water within three feet of her stem ; she 

 was going about twelve knots an hour, they seemed to spend at least quite 

 as much time above water as under it. Now I do not know how these 

 animals could get along if they did not see pretty well above water, their 

 lives would be in great danger of the ship's bow cutting them, and I have 

 never heard of such a thing happening. I think this goes some way, at 

 any rate, to prove that whales see pretty well above water. 



W. H. Workman. 

 Belfast. 



