1899J BATS IN BURMESE CAVES 259 



Bats in Burmese Caves. 



The Administration Report of the Marine Surrey of India for the official 

 year 1897-98 contains much valuable matter, that contributed by the 

 Surgeon-naturalist, Captain A. K. S. Anderson, being of chief interest 

 to our readers. We extract an account of a visit to some caves at 

 Hpagat, 2 6 miles up the Salween from Moulmein : — 



" These natural caves are hollowed out in the base of an isolated 

 limestone hill, about 250 feet high, rising very precipitously from the 

 river, and appear to be very extensive, but difficult and most unpleasant 

 to explore, owing to the great deposits of offensive bats' dung collected 

 into heaps on the floor by the lessee of the caves. The entrance is 

 about 12 feet high, much ornamented by Buddhistic sculptures, and at 

 an elevation of some 2 feet above the level of the river. As the sun 

 was settiug we took our stand on a sand-spit facing the entrance of 

 the caves, and soon saw a pair of falcons leave their perch on the trees 

 on the summit of the cave hill, and restlessly fly to and fro over the 

 river. They were speedily joined by Brahminy and common kites and 

 jungle crows, and the entire flock, to the number of probably 60 to 

 100 individuals, then flew to the entrance of the caves, close to which 

 they remained wheeling about in mid-air. A few minutes later the 

 bats began to issue in ones and twos, and were at once pursued by the 

 watchful kites and crows, but appeared to have no great difficulty in 

 eluding capture by their rapid and jerky flight, and their pursuers 

 made no very determined or long- sustained efforts to capture them, 

 but soon returned to their vigil over the cave. A minute or two 

 passed, and a sudden rush of wings is heard, and the bats are seen to 

 emerge from the cave in a dense stream which slowly becomes more 

 and more closely packed, continues of about the same density for some 

 ten minutes, and then gradually thins away, till about twenty minutes 

 from the exit of the first bat the last has emerged. The stream of 

 bats when at its maximum is some 10 feet wide by 10 feet deep, and 

 so dense as to closely resemble smoke pouring from a chimney in a 

 gale of wind, a resemblance increased by the slightly sinuous course 

 pursued by the bats as they fly off into the after-glow. Indeed, in the 

 great rush the bats are so crowded together that they frequently upset 

 each other, and fall helplessly into the river below, whence by using 

 their wings as paddles, and flapping over the surface of the water, they 

 struggle ashore only instantly to fall a prey to the expectant crow. 

 When the great rush occurs, the falcons, kites, and crows enter the 

 stream of bats, and flying along, in, and with it, and .striking right and 

 left, seize as many bats as they require for food. By merely throwing 

 my walking-stick twice into the stream of bats I obtained six specimens, 

 but after the second throw the bats Hew at a greater height than before, 

 and out of easy reach of a stick. All the bats I obtained proved to 



