24 SOUTH AFRICAN MAMMALS 



upon bananas, but would also eat other soft fruits, such 

 as apricots, &c. It would crawl down from its perch or 

 branch (where it lay hidden all day) as soon as its food 

 was put in the cage at about 4.30 p.m., and devour as 

 many as three and four bananas at a time. 



Family RHINOLOPHID^E. 



This family contains bats of small size with peculiar 

 membrane-like expansions on the muzzle, the so-called 

 "nose-leaf" surrounding the nostrils, whence the ver- 

 nacular names of " Horseshoe " and " Leaf-nosed " Bats. 

 Ears large and without an " inner-ear " or ''tragus." 

 First finger without a phalanx. Tail distinct. 



There are two genera of these insect-eating bats in 

 South Africa : (a) Bliinoloplius, with a complicated nose- 

 leaf and the base of the lobe of the ear expanded ; teeth, 

 32. (b) Hipposideriis, in which the nose-leaf has the 

 upper and hinder portions not terminating in a point ; 

 no expanded margin of the ear ; teeth, 30. 



Genus RHINOLOPHUS. 



This genus contained in 1914 six South African 

 species : Bkinolophiis ferrum-equinum, R. capensis, B. 

 hildehrandi, B. augur, B. darling i, and B. denti. 



The first-mentioned is the common European Horse- 

 shoe Bat, characterized by the ears being very pointed 

 and attenuated at the tips, the colour above being of a 

 reddish-brown, and below of a pale yellow. Length of 

 head and body 3 inches, forearm 2j^q inches. 



The Cape Horseshoe Bat {B. capensis) is smaller than 

 the European species (head and body 2jJ inches), and is 

 of a paler red. 



The Augur Bat {B. augur) seems to be the common 

 bat of the Transvaal and Bechuanaland. It is recorded 



