BATS. CHIROPTERA 173 



sense of sight like that of owls, or this sense is 

 suppressed, and in its stead an extremely delicate 

 sense of touch is developed. Bats possess a most 

 highly specialised tactile sense located in the delicate 

 wing membranes, and in some cases in the folds of 

 skin around the outer ears and nose. 



The Chiroptera or '' wing-handed ones " for the 

 most part inhabit the warmer regions of the globe, 

 and are divided into two big groups, which accord 

 more or less with the nature of their food and their 

 size, viz. the " fruit-eating bats " and the " insecti- 

 vorous bats.'^ 



The members of the first group, which is known 

 technically as the sub-order Megachiroptera, or 

 '' great wing-handed ones,^^ are of much greater 

 size ; while the smaller insectivorous bats are 

 included in the sub-order Microchiroptera — " small 

 wing-handed ones.^^ 



Fruit-eating bats are always to be seen at the 

 Zoological Gardens, and frequently are found mounted 

 in museums. They will be recognised by their great 

 size, the body being often as big as that of a rat. 

 They are also known as " flying foxes," their long 

 muzzles and rusty-brown fur suggesting the face of 

 a small fox. But this is merely a superficial resem- 

 blance ; no bats have any connection with foxes 

 beyond the fact that they are both mammals. Nor, 

 indeed, are they connected with any other mammals. 

 They are a perfectly distinct order, and no fossil 

 forms have yet been found to bridge over the gap 

 that separates the bats from every other mammalian 

 order. 



