1G4 JOURNAL OP THE TRINIDAD 



according to Mr. Olclfield Thomas, were rather uncommon and 

 only represented in the national collection by one specimen from 

 Trinidad. A number of specimens of Peripatus trinitatis from 

 St. Anns were also on view and the Secretary informed the meet- 

 ing that he had recently secured large numbers of specimens which 

 evidently represented at least two species. The reason why these 

 comparatively rare creatures had been recently found in such 

 abundance was the exceptional dryness of the season which had 

 caused them to congregate in the ravines for the sake of the 

 little moisture to be found in them. Upwards of 100 specimens 

 had been secured in this manner. The specimens were compared 

 with the illustrations in a splendid Monograph (Sedgwick) of 

 the Peripati with a considerable degree of interest. 



CLUB PAPERS, 



BATS. 



By Henry Caracciolo, F.E.S., M.S.Ent. de France, &c. 



BY recent systematists bats have been divided into two groups, 

 viz. : Megachiroptera or fruit eaters and Microchiropfera or 

 insect devourers. Amongst the former we have the larger bats, 

 the insectivorous ones being generally small. According to Dobson's 

 Catalogue (1878) there are on an average about 100 fruit-eaters 

 known, whilst 300, more or less, are recognized as insectivores. 

 These have been arranged in 80 genera and six families, but 

 since 1878 many species have been added and the number now 

 described must be very nearly 500. These creatures at one 

 time were supposed by some naturalists to have evolved from 

 terrestrial mammals, which gradually developed wings to 

 adapt themselves to circumstances, but remains of bats have 

 been found in the Eocene deposits and even further back, 

 which proves that they are a distinct class, though closely allied to 

 the insectivorous mammals, and, more wonderful still, the sloths. 

 The distinctions between the insectivorous and frugivorous species 

 are as follows. The former have their teeth cusped or sharp in the 

 form of a W and the molars are divided transversely, whilst the 

 teeth of the fruit eaters are flat and longitudinally grooved. 

 Tire index finger of the insect eaters never has more than 

 two joints, but usually only one, and it never terminates in 

 a claw as it frequently does in the fruit bats. Then again the 

 two margins of the conch of the ear arise from separate points 

 instead of being joined together and the tail is joined to the 

 membrane and appears always on the upper surface. Though 

 there are many other distinctive marks characterising the two 



