3i8 



MAMMALS OF AMERICA 



relationship by their general similarity to one another. 

 Some 21 species and subspecies are known north of the 

 Rio Grande. 



REL.\Tiiu Species 



Little Brown Bat. — Myotis lucifugus lucifugus 

 (LeConte). Typical animal ot the above description. 

 Nearly whole of North .\merica. 



Large-eared Little Brown Bat. — Myotis vclifcr 

 (Alk-n I. Ears long; size large for the genus; fur dull 

 sepia throughout, paler on belly ; total length, 4 inches. 

 Southern United States into Me-xico. 



California Little Brown Bat. — Myotis calif amicus 

 californicus (.Audubon and Bachman). Size very 

 small; total length, 3.15 inches; yellowish-brown above, 

 paler below. Western United States east to Wyoming 

 and Te.xas. 



Pallid Little Brown Bat. — Myotis californicus pal- 

 lidus Stephens. Size small; ears small: above, light 

 ochraceous-buflf ; below, dull-white. Arid regions of 

 southern California. 



Say's Little Brown Bat. — Myotis suhutalus siihula- 

 tiis (Say). Snnilar to Little Brown Bat but ears longer 

 and tragus more sharply pointed. North America east 

 of the Rocky Mountains. 



The Little Brown Bat is one of the commonest 

 of our small visitors, yet the popular miscon- 

 ception of its appearance and habits is aston- 

 ishing. Probably forty out of every fifty per- 

 sons to whom the head of a Little Brown Bat 

 was shown would be unable to name the animal 

 to which it belonged ; a few miglit say it be- 

 longed to some kind of Mouse. How many of 

 us know that these little denizens of twilight- 

 land have fingers and thumbs so long that, were 

 a man's built on the same scale, the human fin- 

 gers would be four feet in length? .-\nd what 

 fear one of these little creatures brings ui)on 

 persons who, at least, ought to know that Bats 

 are not only among the least harmful of ani- 

 mals, but, by their consumjition of insects, are 

 really to be clased among man's benefactors. 



A typical incident will illustrate the con- 

 sternation caused by one of these unexpected 

 winged callers. It was in the dusk of a warm 

 September evening. Most of the family were on 

 the piazza, but the daughter of the house was 

 playing the piano in the parlor. .Suddenly the 

 music ceased, and a '..hrick from the ])erformer 

 brought the party from the porch in haste, to 

 discover that a Little Brown Bat, attracted — who 

 knows ? — by the strains of Chopin, or, more 

 probably, chasing some insect for supper, had 

 entered the house and was circling round the 

 parlor. Instantly there was commotion and, 

 among the ladies, consternation. The colored 

 butler was hastily summoned to eject the un- 

 welcome intnuler, but neither he nor his wife 

 could be persuaded to approach it. .'Xfter con- 

 siderable " shooing," the Bat was driven from the 

 room and peace was restored. 



The Little Brown Bat is one of the smallest of 

 American Bats, measuring but three or three 

 and one-half inches from snout to tail-tip, and 

 having a spread across the wings of nine inches. 

 Its eyes, which are nearly hidden in its fur. are 

 small and beadlike ; and its ears are short and 

 pointed, barely reaching, when thrust forward, 

 to the tip of the nose. Its fur is dark glossy 

 brown above : below, the color is paler and more 

 yellowish. Save for a small strip near the body, 

 the membranes of the wings, as also that of the 

 tail, are quite naked. This Bat can always be 

 distinguished in the air by its eccentric flight. 



Little is known of the Little Brown Bat's mat- 

 ing habits. It, in common with all .American 

 Bats, does not make any nest. There are usually 

 two young at a birth, and these, according to 

 Rhoads, " cling by their mouths to the teats of 

 the mother until large enough to grasp her body. 

 Thus laden, she pursue • her nightly avocations 

 until they can be left ' hung up ' in some secret 

 place till her return." Until about three months 

 old the young Bats remain at home and are 

 fed by the mother. The father does not seem to 

 trouble himself much about the welfare of his 

 offspring. 



Like the rest of the family, this Bat spends the 

 daylight in caves, or, if it cannot find these, in 

 ruins, hollow trees, and even garrets. In cer- 

 tain parts of Texas, Bats have frequented cav- 

 erns in such numbers that they have created 

 valuable deposits of guano. It hibernates, at 

 aiiv rate for a season, during frosty weather; 

 and it seems to take advantage of the later warm 

 davs to migrate southwards, since it is not known 

 to torpify for all winter. 



