COLOUR PHASE i OF THE RUFOUS HORSES HOE-B ATS. 263 



yellow (III, 15, i) or ochvficeoiis-orange (XV, 15') beneath. The 

 new dark hairs appear on the back of the neck and anterior dorsum ; 

 on parting the fur of these regions of the upper side it looks, on a 

 hurried inspection, as if the coat had dark bases to the hairs ; the 

 dark '• bases " are in realit}- the new short dark-coloured crop of 

 hair. On the underside the new grey coat appears on the throat, 

 chest, anterior portion of flanks, and anal region, leaving the breast, 

 belly, and posterior flanks mars-yellow or ochraceous-orange. 

 One ot these specimens (1935) is figured on pi. 1, fig. 1. The 

 twelve other October specimens of this group illustrate the gradual 

 progress of the moult. The new dark brown (mouse-coloured) 

 fur spreads on the upperside from the back of the neck forward, 

 over the head, and backward, over the middle of the dorsum, so that 

 the last remnant ot the old orange coat is, as a rule, an orange 

 stripe along each side of the rump, next to the membranes (as in 

 specimen 1944, figured on pi. I, fig. 3) ; at the same time the new 

 grey hair of the underside spreads from the throat outward to the 

 sides of the neck, and from the flanks and anal region mediad and 

 forward over the bell}*, so that the last portion of the old mars-yellow 

 coat to disappear is, in most individuals, a transverse stripe or cres- 

 cent across the thorax (same specimen, pi. I, fig. 3). 



(2) Eight October specimens (same ages as above) showing 

 the completed moult.* — These are in new coat without trace or with 

 only very slight traces of the old. The pelage of the upperside is 

 roughly dark brown (approaching clove-brown, XL, 17 ' ' ', m), 

 but faintly powdered with greyish, owing to the extreme tips of the 

 hairs being of this colour, and the base of the fur is again paler ; 

 the underparts are nearly uniform mouse-grey (LI, 15 ' ' ' ' '). One 

 (1958) is figured on pi. I, fig. 4. 



Let us pause for a moment to consider what these two groups of 

 October specimens have taught us. Tn the first place, we have seen 

 that this bat has an autumn moult j, which, at least in this part of 

 India,, takes place in October ; we must, of course, even within the 

 same province, allow for some variation of the exact date ; some indivi- 

 duals may begin moulting already late in Septemlier, others perhaps 

 as late as early in November, though of this there is no direct evi- 

 dence in our material. Secondly, the old orange fur is replaced not 

 by a new orange coat, but by a coat of dark brown and grey (mouse- 

 coloured) hair. What happens to this new very plain-coloured coat 

 we shall see in a moment, but first we must examine the bats of the 



year, 



• Collectors Numbers, G.CS. 19.-,4-19.-,S, 19r.U, 19tj2-l9(;:s. 



t It seems to me unnecessary to chanjre these terms, '• spring moult "" and 

 '•'autumn moult," " summer coat ", an J "winter coat" when dealinjr with a 

 tropical Indian mammal. The moults (in this bat) in fact take place very nearly 

 at the same time of the year as in temperate climates, and the terms can hardly 

 cause any confusion. 



