78 BRITISH MAMMALS 



of resemblance to the lowest of the Primates. On one point 

 they differ markedly. The thumb and generally the big or first 

 toe on hands and feet in all the Primates down to the lowest of 

 the Lemurs is armed with a nail, and not with a claw, while there 

 is a strong tendency to develop flat nails instead of claws on all 

 or several of the fingers. But the thumb and the big toe in the 

 bats are terminated by curved claws not in the least resembling 

 a nail. 



As regards the terminations to the phalanges of the hands 

 in all bats, there is very rarely a claw at the end of the 



ist finger (thumb). 



nd finger. 



5th finger. 



Skeleton of a Bat's Hand. 



second finger,^ but in the rest of the fingers the attenuated 

 terminal joint of bone is entirely unarmed, and there is nothing 

 to indicate whether it was originally furnished with a claw or 

 a nail. The proportionate length of the fingers in the bats is not 

 dissimilar to what obtains amongst the Primates, the third finger 

 being the longest. The second, or index finger, tends towards 

 neglect and degeneration in the bats, but in the fruit-eating 

 sub-order still has three joints or phalanges, and is terminated 

 by a small claw. Even among the fruit-eating bats the second 



^ A remarkable feature of all existing Lemurs as opposed to other existing 

 Primates (monkeys and man) is that the second (our first) finger is armed 

 with a claw, and not a nail. 



