38 G. ROOPEK — BATS ANB SOME OTHER BEASTS. 



but this species retires into winter quarters some six weeks later 

 tlian the others, and is moreover sometimes tempted out by a bright 

 winter sun to prey upon the insects, also awakened from their 

 winter sleep on such rare occasions as when the thermometer rises 

 to above 50 degrees. The great bat is very similar in appearance 

 and habits, though larger, its stretch of wing being 14 inches ; that 

 of the pipistrelle is only eight inches. The long-eared bat is dis- 

 tinguished by the enormous size of the ear, almost equal in extent 

 to that of the whole body. "Within it is a second or supplemental 

 ear, the use of which is not very apparent. These creatures appear 

 to be susceptible, to some degree, of being tamed. When kept in 

 confinement they exhibit a certain fondness for those who feed and 

 tend them, taking flies or bits of meat from the hand or lips, and 

 apparently distinguishing individuals. Their voracity is extreme, 

 a bat of this species having been known to devour two-thirds of its 

 own weight of solid meat in the course of one day. 



The young of the bat, for a considerable time after birth, cling to 

 the breast of their mother, to which they adhere like limpets to a 

 rock, and from which not even the rapid turns in the air made by 

 her in pursuit of her prey dislodge them. One young one only is 

 generally produced at a birth, though twins are not uncommon. 

 The bat, probably from its uncanny appearance, has always been 

 the object of dislike, and sometimes of superstitious dread. 



Since the disappearance of the beaver, the wolf, and the bear, the 

 fauna of Great Britain has not contained an animal so interesting, 

 so well-known, or, to my mind, so calumniated as the Fox. His 

 evil deeds are magnified, his good qualities, those of an untamed, 

 untameable, but most sagacious wild beast, ignored, and the doubt- 

 ful attribute of cunning alone admitted to him. I think that this 

 quality is credited to him principally from his cast of countenance, 

 the erect ears, the long snout, the obliquity of the eye, and the 

 general expression of the physiognomy being such as generally 

 indicate in their possessor the quality of cunning. But, although 

 evincing wonderful skill in the conception and carrying out of his 

 marauding exploits, I do not consider the fox to be a cunning animal, 

 at least, not in the worst sense of that derogatory epithet. No 

 animal, unhappily, is more easily trapped or poisoned than the fox. 

 No animal is less careful to conceal his whereabouts. His night's 

 excursion in search of food over, he curls himself up in his earth, 

 and sleeps peacefully until the welcome night, his "opening day," 

 calls him forth again to pursue his natui^al instincts. If, on his 

 return, he finds, perhaps for the third or fourth time, the entrance 

 to his castle barred and closed against him, it does not seem to 

 occur to him that the obstacle presented to his enti'ance is the 

 prelude to the visit of the hounds and himtsmen next morning. 

 On the contrary, he accepts the situation, seeking an extempore 

 lodging in an adjacent brake or stump imtil aroused by the sound 

 of the horn and the crack of the whip in the morning. Cunning 

 would point to the necessity of seeking ' ' fresh woods and pastures 

 new," before the advent of his enemies, who have given such 



