3i6 



MAMAIALS OF AMERICA 



which filled the air. Upon investigating the 

 cause of it, we discovered a large cave of a very 

 interesting character, inhabited by thousands of 

 Bats, and floored with a layer of Bat guano a 

 foot or more in depth, representing the accumu- 

 lation of a century." 



In the warm countries. Bats inhabit hollow 

 trees. But it is questionable whether they 

 inhabit such homes and actually hibernate in 

 them in winter, in the temperate zone, or mi- 

 grate. Dr. C. Hart Merriam has proved that 

 some Bats of the North American temperate 

 zone do migrate, as birds do, going south in 

 winter and returning in spring. 



From their swift flight through the air, we 

 might think that Bats had wings like birds, but 

 birds have feathers, while Bats are covered with 

 soft fur. Their wings are not like those of a 

 bird, but consist of a tough, leather-like mem- 

 brane, or skin, which extends from the sides of 

 the body to the ends of the feet. 



The legs are very slender. The hind feet are 

 provided with claws, and from the extremity of 

 the fore legs or hands are four long, bony fingers 

 that pass through the membrane which forms the 

 wings, and support it. At the top of the wing 

 is the thumb, with a sharp claw that is a very 

 useful hook. Bats can fold their wings by draw- 

 ing them close to their body as one would close 

 an umbrella. When they rest or sleep, these 

 odd creatures hang head downward, holding to 

 their perch by means of the claws of their hind 

 feet. 



Bat's wings seem to have a delicate nervous 

 organism, which enables them to feel that they 

 are approaching an object before they have 

 actually touched it, and then they quickly alter 

 their course and fly in another direction. They 

 depend more upon their sense of feeling than 

 upon sight, and this explains why a Bat which 

 has almost touched an object will suddenly wheel 

 away to avoid contact. 



The Bat's flight, while seemingly aimless, is 

 actually purposeful ; for it is while flying that 

 the Bat gets his food. He feeds wholly upon 

 insects, chiefly those that fly by night, and at 

 every sudden turn we see him make, we may 

 assume that he has captured an insect. 



The Big Brown Bat, which is called also the 

 Carolina Bat, House Bat, and Serotine Bat, is 

 one of the commonest Bats in the Middle States, 

 but is also found in other states from Oregon to 

 Maine, as far north as Lake U'innipeg, and 

 southward to Central .America, ft is nearlv five 



inches long, with a wing expanse of twelve 

 inches or a little over. Its ears are of medium 

 length and slightly pointed. Its fur, which is 

 silky in texture, is dark brown above and some- 

 what lighter below. 



Brown Bats make their appearance late in the 

 evening ; they fly lower than the Red Bats ; and 

 they may always be distinguished by their great 

 size. They have enormous appetites, and drink 

 a good deal. Dr. R. W. Shufeldt is authority 

 for the statement that one specimen, in the course 

 of a single night, consumed twenty-one full- 

 grown June bugs, leaving only a few legs and the 

 hard outside wing-sheaths. Xothing is known 

 concerning the breeding of this Bat. Of its 

 habits. Stone and Cram write : " The large 

 Brown Bat is seen late in autumn and on mild 

 evenings in mid-winter, and they not infre- 

 quently fly into houses during the latter season 

 and seek temporary shelter, only to sally forth 

 again the next night to the terror of certain of 

 the occupants of the bedrooms, causing an ex- 

 citement that could scarcely be surpassed were 

 they the famous Vampires of the tropics. In 

 summer-time they still more frequently enter 

 houses in the evening in pursuit of flies and 

 other insects which are attracted by the lights, 

 and pass back and forth wheeling and twisting 

 with the utmost dexterity, and always avoiding 

 objects which may stand in their path. Since 

 the introduction of electric lights along the 

 streets of Philadelphia, the Bats are frequently 

 to be seen flying about in their radiance, reaping 

 a rich harvest of their favorite food." 



Rhoads, in " Mammals of Pennsylvania," has 

 this to say of the Big Brown Bat : "Among 

 American Bats this species may be said to cor- 

 res])ond in its fondness for the homes of man to 

 the Mouse and Rat, or to the robin and the wren 

 among birds. During summer, they are as likely 

 to hang up for day-dreams behind an unused 

 shutter or door, or a crack in the wall, or a 

 shady porch or out-house, as anywhere else. 

 This Bat is accused of bringing bed-bugs and 

 other insect vermin into houses. I have never 

 found any vermin on them except lice of a 

 species not parasitic on man." 



Jaws of this Bat have been found among other 

 bones in pellets under the nest of the great 

 horned owl, in southwestern Texas ; and in 

 British Columbia rainbow trout have been seen 

 to leap after the Bats as they skimmed the sur- 

 face of a lake in the evening. The species is 

 supposed to be migratory. 



