140 



CHIROPTERA 



to tip of lancet. Sella broadly rounded at tip, noticeably con- 

 stricted somewhat above middle, the resulting outline pandurate. 

 Connecting process rising slightly but evidently above level of 

 sella, its upper border straight anteriorly, its tip rather abruptly 

 rounded off. Ear large, extending when laid forward slightly 

 beyond extremity of muzzle, abruptly narrowed to a rather acute 

 recurved tip ; antitragal lobe less than half as high as conch, 

 its width about equal to its height, its upper border nearly 

 horizontal. Wings broad, the membrane attached to ankle. 

 First phalanx of fourth linger noticeably more than half as long 

 as second. Foot slender, nearly half as long as tibia. 



Colour. — General effect a light greyish or drabby brown 

 produced by varying combinations of the pale ecru-drab under 

 colour and the darker hair tips, the region between ears, across 

 shoulders and at sides of lumbar region usually paler than back. 

 The colour of the tips is usually either a clear, rather light sepia, 

 or a bufiy brown resembling the wood-brown of Eidgway. While 

 intermediate shades occur the extremes are more often met with, 

 evidently representing two dichromatic phases. Underparts 

 usually rather lighter than back but neA^er approaching whitish. 

 Skull. — General outline of skull long and narrow, the breadth 

 of brain-case much less than twice that across canines, and con- 

 tained about 2^ times in greatest length ; zygomata projecting 

 slightly beyond general outline ; interorbital region greatly con- 

 stricted and conspicuously hour-glass shaped ; occipital portion of 

 brain-case noticeably overhanging foramen 

 magnum and marked off from main portion 

 by a slight transverse depression corre- 

 sponding to suture between parietals and 

 unusually large interparietal ; sagittal 

 crest well developed, extending forward to 

 •narrowest portion of interorbital region : 

 lambdoid crest low but evident ; auditory 

 bulke small, covering less than half surface 

 of large cochleae, between which the floor 

 of brain-case is reduced to a longitudinal 

 bridge less than 1 mm. in diameter ; 

 mesopterygoid fossa slightly wider 

 anteriorly than posteriorly, about 1^ 

 times as long as wide, its rounded 

 anterior margin at level of jjostero- 

 internal angle of )*('- ; palate with an 

 evident emargination on each side ex- 

 tending between m^ and mesopterygoid space ; anterior palatal 

 emargination extending back to line joining protocones of 

 anterior molars ; premaxillary ligulate, somewhat wider pos- 

 teriorly than anteriorly, the inner border entire, the outer border 

 with a deep almost circular emargination posteriorly, the two 

 bones closely applied to each other along inner margin and to 



'r^\r:^eEa^ 



Rhinolophusferrum-equinum. 

 Nat. size. 



