372 PTFRorcs goui-dj. 



Northern Territory (^Ph. Essington, Alligator R., Pt. Darwin, 

 Daly E.). 



Cutypes ill the Berlin Museum. 



Habits. — In Norl'.h Australia this Flying Fox spends the day in 

 the mangroves or in the bamboo jungles along the water-courses, 

 assembled in flocks numbering several thousands. A camp is never 

 perfectly quiet, even in the middle of the day numbers are flitting 

 about in and around the trees, uttering their hoarse shrieks. Tho 

 buzzing noise issuing from one of these camping grounds when 

 heard at a distance may be compared to that of a gigantic beehive, 

 and the clamour of the colony when disturbed is deafening. 

 Although by no means numerous, at least one of these camps may 

 be found on any large river in N. Australia, and its numbers 

 comprise probably nearly all the individuals of a considerable 

 district. At sundown the bats commence travelling, sometimes 

 great distances, to reaih a patch of the forest where the Eucalypts 

 are in blossom, the flowers of these trees forming their principal 

 food. A constant string of animals is then for hours issuing from 

 the camp, and the observer who posts himself on their roving route 

 may to a certain extent form an idea of their numbers. By this 

 means the number of individuals issuing from a large camping 

 ground on the bank of the Victoria River, X. Australia, was 

 estimated at about 32,0U0, an average of 300 passing every minute 

 for nearly two hours. On another occasion this species was observed 

 in countless numbers, towards dusk, flying from the mainland (Cape 

 York) to islands in the Straits, and returning in the early part of 

 the morning on their way to the scrubs. Young are born in 

 N. Australia in March and April, and in August many of the 

 females have young of considerable size attached to the breasts 

 (compare Ft, morio). The fat flesh of this species is considered 

 a great delicacy by the aborigines, notwithstanding its strong 

 smell of Eucahjptwi. Being of a pugnacious and irritable temper, 

 a wounded Ft. gouldi will sometimes attack the legs of the hunter, 

 and disturbed in their feeding-ground or in the camp the bats 

 exude their stinking excrements on the intruder. (Knut Dahl, 

 1897; Pierson Ramsay, 1878; ll.s.c). 



Pteropus gouldi, Peters; 1867. — Type locality, Rockhampton, 

 Queensland. Two cotypes, viz., an adult female, mounted, skull 

 separate. (Berlin Museum, no. 3408), and a young specimen of the 

 same sex, skin in alcohol, skull loose in skin (3409), both from the 

 Godeffroy Museum. The skull of cotype 3408 is the original of 

 pi. vii. fig. 2 in ' Megachir&ptera des Berliner Museums.' 



Gould OoU. 46.4.4.83. 



Gould Coll. 53.10.22.1. 



Dr. F. M. Rayner 62.2.8.11. 



[P.]. 

 Howickgroup(H.MS. Capt. Stanley [P.]. 50.7.2a.fl7. 



' Eattlesuake ■ ; J. 50.7.20.131. 



A/acGillivrai/). 

 Gould I. (H.M.S. r»r. J. B. .Jukes 44.1.\9^.m. 

 ' 'Fiy').' ■■ ■- '•■■[?•.]■ 



