1188 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



to their mothers that the milk teeth of Bats differ in form 



from those of other mammals. 



******* 



"The young ones were less than a third grown as to weight, 

 and about half grown as to linear measurements. The com- 

 bined weights of the four young amounted to 12.7 grammes, 

 while the mother weighed but 11 grammes." 



Three of the young were females, i a male. 



Titian Peale, of Philadelphia, is responsible for the fol- 

 lowing interesting story of maternal instinct in a Red-bat:' 



"In June, 1823, the son of Mr. Gillespie, keeper of the 

 city square, caught a young Red-bat {Vespertilio noveboracen- 

 sis L.), which he took home with him. Three hours afterwards, 

 in the evening, as he was conveying it to the Museum in his 

 hand, while passing near the place where it was caught, the 

 mother made her appearance, followed the boy for two 

 squares, flying around him, and finally alighting on his breast, 

 such was her anxiety to save her offspring. Both were brought 

 to the Museum, the young one firmly adhering to its mother's 

 teat. This faithful creature lived two days in the Museum, 

 and then died of injuries received from her captor. The 

 young one, being but half grown, was still too young to take 

 care of itself, and died shortly after." 



"The young of this species continue to nurse till at least 

 a month old. I shot a female on the 31st of July (1883) whose 

 udders still contained milk, and whose long nipples were much 

 drawn out. A week later (August 7) I killed a full-grown 

 young flying over the same meadow."' 



From the above I should rather infer that the young nurse 

 till about two months old, or even more. 



"The Red-bat [says Merriam]" generally makes its ap- 

 pearance earlier in the evening than the other species, evidently 

 fancying the dusk of twilight more than the increased darkness 

 of advancing night, and I have killed it even on a cloudy after- 



» Godman's Am. Nat. Hist., 1826, Vol. I., pp. 56-7. 



'Merriam, Mam. Adir., 1884, p. 184. ^ Ibid., pp. 181-2. 



