36 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
Resting Habits. 
In the day time “‘the bats may be seen suspended in rows from 
the midribs of the palm leaves.” They invariably select very high 
trees, and usually congregate in colonies of about six to ten on a 
tree, several such trees being together. Occasionally, they are to 
be seen on twigs and slender branches of other trees, but show a 
distinct partiality for cocos—mainly, I think, because these are 
higher and because the bare stem renders it more difficult for any 
enemy to approach unseen. These bats are very wary, and all in © 
the vicinity take to flight when disturbed in any way, as by firing 
a gun. They are extremely tenacious of life and very difficult to 
kill. 
Sexual Gregariousness. 
It is well known that amongst bats in general the species are 
social and gregarious, but that the two sexes do not, as a rule, 
intermingle, and only come together at the nuptial season. At 
other times they live apart, and sometimes at considerable distances, 
go that in a large colony of a given species not a single individual 
of the female sex may be found, while in another the females will 
abound and not a male occur. This colony of flying foxes at 
Barberyn appears to be entirely composed of males. Four speci- 
mens were shot and all proved to be males, nor were any females 
or young observed. Dr. Willey refers to a similar colony on islands 
in the Bentota river, and it would be interesting to ascertain the 
sex of the individuals of which it is composed, and, if a female 
colony, whether it is entirely mutually complemental to the colony 
at Barberyn. 
External Parasstes. 
The specimens shot were obtained with a view to examination 
for any peculiar fleas, but none were found. A large and very 
active bat-tick, however, was common, running freely over the 
body and wings; it is apparently a species of Nycteribia, a very 
remarkable apterous genus of parasitic Diptera. None of the 
flying foxes shot were free from these ticks, usually about half a 
dozen being present, but in one case only one adult specimen and 
one very immature. These parasites seem a great source of annoy- 
ance, the bats being seen often to scratch themselves as they hang 
on the trees. ; 
Preference for Islands. 
~ The habit of resting by day on islands, wherever these are access- 
ible, seems to be general amongst the species of this genus. Keller* 

* Keller, ‘‘ Madagascar, Mauritius, and other East African Islands,”’ p. 40. 
