SMALLER MAMMALS OF NORTH AMERICA 



599 





i 



CoNote. rt.fort 





iff' -'^St- " 



THE TRACK OF A COYOTE 



This track cannot be distinguished with certainty from that of a small dog (see pages 596 

 and 597). The greater size of the side toes in the hind track I have often noticed, but there 

 is no corresponding disproportion in the animal's foot. 



a burden. They hang to the teats with the 

 greatest tenacity and apparently rely mainly on 

 this hold to prevent being dropped as they are 

 carried on the wild aerial hunting excursions. 

 With the unusual fecundity indicated by the 

 number of young, it is difficult to account for 

 the scarcity of these bats unless their habit of 

 hanging in the open, exposed to the elements 

 and to other dangers, may cause a heavy mor- 

 tality among them. 



Note. — The attention of the reader is called 

 to an error on page 566, where the Little Brown 

 Bat, Myotis bicifugiis, on the tree trunk, a 

 common species throughout most of North 

 America, is labeled "Hoary Bat, Nycteris cine- 

 reiis," which is a much larger and very differ- 

 ent animal. 



THE MEXICAN BAT (Nyctinomus 



mexicanus and its subspecies) 



{For illustration, see page 56J) 



Reference has been made in several preced- 

 ing sketches of this series to the mammals of 

 tropical origin which have invaded our south- 

 ern border. The Mexican bat is a notable 



member of this class. It differs in many curi- 

 ous ways from the bats with which it associates 

 in temperate regions. It is smaller than any of 

 the other three bats treated here and is strongly 

 characterized by a flattening of the head and 

 body which enables it to creep into a surpris- 

 ingly narrow crevice in the rocks or elsewhere. 

 The ears are broad and flaring and extend for- 

 ward over the eyes like the visor of a cap, and 

 the end of the tail is not confined within the 

 membrane extending between the hind legs, but 

 projects from it. Another pronounced char- 

 acteristic of this bat and one highly disagree- 

 able is the rank musky odor which it gives ovit. 

 This pollutes the air about its harboring places, 

 rendering it a most imwelcome guest. 



Whoever has visited the Southern and South- 

 western States or Mexico must have noted 

 the offensive odor in many places about the 

 verandas of houses and especially about old 

 churches and other public buildings. This is 

 the sign of occupancy placed on the premises 

 by the Mexican bats, which, to the number of 

 a few dozens or actually by thousands, as con- 

 ditions permit, may lie snugly hidden in cracks 

 and dark openings' of all kinds about the roof 



