170 



CHIROPTERA 



External characters. — General form slender and delicate, the 

 legs and tail rather long, the membranes thin and semi-trans- 

 parent. Muzzle with rather noticeable glandular swellings. 

 Ear extending slightly beyond nostril when laid forward, its 

 general form rather slender, the tip narrowly rounded off, the 

 posterior border with shallow inconspicuous concavity extending 

 from just below tip to near middle of conch ; inner surface of 

 conch without well defined transverse striations. Antitragus 

 small (length about 2 mm.) but well defined Tragus a little 

 more than half as high as conch, its width slightly above level 

 of anterior base contained about 2J times in length of anterior 

 border, the anterior border straight, the posterior border convex 

 below ; from widest region it narrows rather rapidly upward to 

 a rather blunt point ; posterior basal lobe well defined. Wing 

 rather narrow, with no special peculiarity of form, the third, 

 fourth and fifth metacarpals sub-equal, their distal extremities 

 falling short of elbow by about 3 mm. : membrane inserted at base 

 of outer toe. Foot about half as long as tibia ; calcar slender, 

 with barely indicated rudiment of keel and terminal lobe, its 

 length slightly greater than that of free border of interfemoral 

 membrane. Tail about as long as head and body, and twice as 

 long as tibia, its terminal vertebra free from membrane. 



Fur and colour. — The fur is soft and loose, the hairs on middle 

 of back about 10 mm. in length, those of underparts a little more 

 than half as long ; it is closely confined to body, extending on 

 wings to extreme base of membrane only, slightly farther below 

 than above, and on interfemoral membrane over basal fifth or 

 fourth of both surfaces ; free border of uropatagium not fringed. 

 Colour of upper parts a clear light brown resembling the wood- 

 brown of Ridgway, but usually more yellow and always with a 

 distinct metallic gloss, the basal portion of the hairs blackish- 

 slate, this colour sometimes appearing at the surface and 

 prodvTcing a general darkening effect ; underparts paler and more 

 buffy, usually not forming any decided contrast with back, but 

 occasionally almost whitish, especially on 

 chest ; muzzle and cheeks dusky ; ears and 

 membrane blackish. 



SJmll. — The skull is slender and lightly 

 built, the breadth of brain-case conspicuously 

 greater than that of rostrum and slightly 

 but appreciably less than half greatest length. 

 Dorsal profile rising abruptly above low ros- 

 trum in interorbital region and forming a 

 strong convexity over anterior portion of 

 Fig. 29. brain-case ; occipital region distinctly pro- 



Mi/oti^mystacums. ^^^^^ backward and rising slightly but evi- 

 dently above level of anterior portion of 

 brain-case, from which it is marked off by a shallow but notice- 

 able transverse constriction following anterior margin of inter- 



