1901.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 295 



A STUDY OF THE GENUS CENTURIO. 

 BY JAMES A. G. REHN. 



A recent study of the Bats in the collection of the Academy 

 revealed the fact that three alcoholic specimens of the curious 

 genus Centurio were preserved therein. As comparatively little 

 material of the genus had ever been examined, I secured, through 

 Mr, Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., a loan of the three representatives con- 

 tained in the collection of the United States National Museum. 

 The acquisition of these specimens considerably enlarged the series 

 for examination so that it numbered five alcoholic specimens, one 

 skin and one odd skull. 



With this series, probably the largest ever gathered together, I 

 have made some notes and observations, the results of which have 

 induced me to publish a summary of our knowledge of the genus. 



Record of Specimens. — The first specimen of Centurio known to 

 naturalists was collected on the cruise of H. M. S. " Sulphur," 

 and was examined by Dr. Oray, of the British Museum, who 

 described the genus and applied the specific name senex to the 

 specimen.^ The locality was stated to be Amboyna, but later^ 

 Gray seemed doubtful of this, as he says : * * Captain Sir Edward 

 Belcher informed me this bat was found in Amboyna, but Mr. 

 Hinds (surgeon of the expedition) does not appear to be so confi- 

 dent on the subject, and rather suspects it came from South 

 America. It was taken from a bottle containing animals from 

 both countries." 



In 1854 Lichtenstein and Peters described a specimen supposed 

 to be from Cuba, as C. flavogularis,^ but later Alston^ informs us 

 Dr. Peters had written him that the locality was erroneous. 



Saussure was the next author to inform us further regarding this 

 genus, a specimen from * ' les re'gions chaudes du 3Iexique ' ' being 

 described by him as C. mexicanus.^ 



The acquisition by the Smithsonian Institution of a specimen 



^ Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., X, p. 259. 1842. 



'^ Voyage of th'. "Sulphur," Mamm., p. 26. 1844. 



' Monatsh. K. Preuss. Akad. WissenscJi., Berlin, p. 335. 1854. 



* Biol. Cent. Amer., Mamm., p. 51. 1879. 



'"Rev. ei Mag. de Zool., 2e ser., XII, p. 381. 1861. 



