NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



tinge, especially in the neck region. It occurs plen- 

 tifully from the vicinity of the Zambesi, northwards 

 through Africa. I have obtained specimens from 

 the midlands of the Cape Province, in the district 

 of Steynsburg. All species or kinds of Fruit Bats, 

 otherv^ise known as Flying Foxes, are a pest to man, 

 and are of no economic value to him as far as is at 

 present known. 



The Insectivorous Bats 



Bats are flying mammals. A mammal is a warm- 

 blooded animal which suckles its young. Bats are 

 all grouped in a class or order known as Chiroptera, 

 or hand-winged, derived from the Greek word chier, 

 which means '' hand," and fteron, '' wing." The 

 bat class is divided into two sections, or sub-orders. 

 The group called Fruit Bats are known collectively 

 as the Alegachiroptera, which means "large bats, "for 

 all the species or kinds of fruit bats are large. Those 

 which are known as Insectivorous Bats are of smaller 

 size than the Fruit Bat group, and are in consequence 

 known as the Alicrochiroptera, which means " little 

 bats." The Insectivorous Bats are cosmopolitan, 

 that is, they inhabit all parts of the world. They 

 are, however, most abundant in the tropical regions. 

 There are hundreds of species or kinds. In South 

 Africa alone there have been nearly half a hundred 

 species and sub-species so far identified. 



Insectivorous Bats can usually be distinguished 



94 



