98 BRITISH MAMMAIS 



not so long proportionately as in the species next to be described. 

 The colour is reddish-gray above and light gray beneath, the base 

 of the hairs on the belly being blackish, and their tips grayish-white. 

 The flying membrane is nearly black in colour. This bat is 

 forest-haunting. It resorts exclusively to hollow trees for shelter, 

 and never enters buildings. It is also rather a solitary bat, and 

 if not alone it is never found in larger numbers than twelve or 

 thirteen, and they are generally all of one sex. Its occurrence 

 in England was originally somewhat doubtful, as it was only 

 known from specimens captured in the early part of the nine- 

 teenth century in the New Forest ; but in 1902 Mr. J. G. 

 Millais caught a Bechstein's bat at Henley-on-Thames. Else- 

 where its range is confined to nearly all parts of Europe, from 

 the south of Sweden in the north to the Pyrenees and the Alps 

 in the south. 



Myotis myotis. The Common Continental Bat 



This is the largest species of bat ever recorded from Britain, 

 as it probably exceeds in size (even in average specimens) the 

 noctule, or great bat. But as this species, though so common 

 on the Continent, is extremely scarce in England (where its 

 recorded certain occurrences are only two in number), it can 

 hardly be held to oust the noctule from its position as the largest 

 British bat. The British bats are, however, imperfectly known, 

 as this type of mammal is only interesting to specialists. 

 Moreover, bats are far less easy to observe and to obtain (owing 

 to their aerial and crepuscular habits) than other land mammals. 

 Further research may establish more certainly the claim of this 

 species to be considered a British mammal. 



The Myotis bat sometimes measures 3^ in. from the tip 

 of the nose to the base of the tail, and the tail itself is over 

 \\ in. in length. The ears are nearly an inch long, and the 

 tragus nearly half an inch. The wings measure about 1 5 in. 

 across from tip to tip. The eyes are exceptionally large in this 

 group of bats (in some members of which the eye has almost 

 become a negligible quantity), and they are not placed so close 



