126 ANIMAL LIFE OF CARLSBAD CAVERN 



Pecos River on September 17, 1901, were all males. 

 The caves are evidently their breeding grounds, al- 

 though Doctor Allen first recorded them from specimens 

 taken in a house in Texas, and so gave them the name 

 of house bat. 



The house bat is a small pale brown species, with 

 narrow ears, and a spread of wings of about eleven 

 inches. It weighs six or seven grams. 



FRINGED BAT 



Myotis thysanodes 



This rather large brown bat, with large, thin ears, 

 weighs about eight grams. One was found dead in the 

 rain barrel close to the ladder entrance to the big cave, 

 and as the species is a regular inhabitant of caves, it 

 had probably come out of the open shaft and in trying 

 to get a drink from the barrel had fallen into the water 

 and was drowned. 



The fringed bat has a spread of wings of about 11 J 

 inches. It is best marked by the hairy edge of the 

 tail membrane. 



CAVE BAT 



Myotis velifer 



An imperfect skull of this species was found in the 

 deep, far room of the cave, but like the skulls of other 

 species from there was very old and fragile and incom- 

 plete. No signs of recent occupation of this room by 

 bats were found, and it seems probable that some old 

 entrance from the surface has been closed within recent 

 years. In fact, a large sink hole over the top of this 



