78 BULLETIN 43, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



oblique, the widest part of the tragus being just above the small 

 semicircular uotch; the external basal lobe with a disposition to turn 

 inAvard, i. c, toward the interior of the auricle. 



The sides of the muzzle with well-developed glands, which give the 

 face a swollen appearance. The chin is provided with a triangular 

 naked space whose apex is often slightly prolonged; the nostril with 

 nearly central septum, and separated from the mouth by the width of 

 the labial border only. 



Tlie wing membrane extends to the base of the toes; the tip of the 

 tail is moderately exsert. The postcalcaral lobe slightly developed or 



absent. 



The fur of the back is of a prevalent dark brown or olive brown color; 

 basal third, plumbeous black. The browu color is apt to be somewhat 

 lighter on the head and base of the ears than elsewhere. It varies in 

 character, being sometimes dark brown and often light, or shades with 

 admixtureof russet, yellow, and even of gray. The basal two-thirds may 

 be smoky brown instead of dark plumbeous. The under surface of the 

 body is of a light gray, verging to tawny shades; the basal two-thirds 

 of the hair is black. The skin from chin to a point as far back as the 

 oral angles scarcely lighter in color than the rest of the body. 



The melanic variety of V. (jrijplim is much less common than with 

 V. nitidus or V. albescens. A good example of it is seen in a speci- 

 men in the United States Department of Agriculture (No. 23276, from 

 Cherokee, N. C). The dorsal brown is of so deep a hue in this example 

 as to appear black in alcohol. 



The variations of V. gryphus are two in number, as follows: {a) 

 The pedomorphic forms (See p. 73), examples of which can be found in 

 any of the geographical varieties and find their best expression in the 

 V. lueifiujus of Leconte; [h) a geographical variety confined to northern 

 parts of the United States and Canada, and not embraced in other 

 groups. 



Var. (a)— Vespertilio gryphus lucifugus (Lecoute). 



r. lucifugm Leconte, Ciiv. An. Kin.^^dom (McMnrtrie's ed,), I App- 1831, 431; Ibid, 

 Proc. Acafl. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1855, 436; Dobson, Cat. Cliirop. Brit. Mus., 1879, 

 328; Alston, Biol. Centrali-Amer., Mam., 1879-'82, 25. 



F. crassus Ft. Cuv., Nouv. Annales du Museum d'Hist. Nat., 1832, 15. 



F. brevirostris Max. Prince von Wied, Verzeich. Beobach. Saugetli. N. A., 1860, 19. 



J)esmi)<toM.— Head rather large, somewhat flatfish ; lips moderately 

 whiskered; snoutmoreobtusethan in other varieties of Vespertilio; nos- 

 trils sublateral, some distance from free border of upper lip ; ears narrow, 

 blunt at tip, slightly emarginated on outer side— the internal basal lobe 

 produced, rounded, and somewhat obtuse, not thicker than other portions 

 of ear. Tragus half as high as auricle, mostly blunt, unfrequently 

 abruptly acuminate. Mental space well defined. Feet large; inter- 



