Little Brown-bat 1153 



The sum of many observations shows that the young are young 

 usually 2 in number, but occasionally i, and, on rare occa- 

 sions, 3. 



We have no direct light on the parturition of any of our partu- 

 Bats, but the observations of M. Rolinat and Dr. E. Trouessart 

 on Vespertilio murinus, a common Bat in France,' will afford 

 valuable side-light. 



On June 9 they saw a captive female clinging to the wire 

 of the cage, head up. The hind-legs were much spread; the 

 tail was curved up in front. Her flanks were heaving and she 

 seemed in pain. At 10 the left knee of the little one appeared. 

 The mother made violent efforts to lick it and uttered a feeble 

 cry like rapidly opening and shutting the lips. At 10:20 the 

 body of the little one appeared. It was at once licked by the 

 mother. At 10:30 the body, and immediately afterwards the 

 head and front limbs came forth, and the new-born dropped 

 into the sack made by the interfemoral membrane. The 

 mother had been much agitated, but now grew calmer, and she 

 licked the young one vigorously. Thus stimulated, it climbed 

 out of the pouch and hung on to the old one's fur. At 10:55 

 the mother turned nearly head down, and the young one seized 

 the left teat, to which it continued attached for several days. 

 It was blind at birth, but its eyes opened on the fifth day. On 

 the thirteenth day it quit its mother's protecting wing, and 

 thenceforth roosted much alongside. 



These observers conclude that it is the habit of the mother 

 to carry her young one with her as she flies, until it is about 2 

 weeks old, after which she leaves it at home in the den. 



At 35 days the one described above was still nursing. 



At 50 days it was eating cockroaches. 



At 2 months it no longer nursed, and would eat 34 to 37 

 cockroaches each night. 



Rhoads says:^ "These [the young of lucifugus] cling by 

 their mouths to the teats of the mother until large enough to 



' Sur la reproduction des Chauve-Souris, Mem. Soc. Zool. de France, 1896, IX, 

 pp. 230-1 and 234. 



' Mam. Penn., 1903, p. 209. 



