MAMMALIA. 731 



Order IX. CMroptera. 



Incisor teeth various in number ; canines distinct ; molars uni- 

 formly enamelled, multicuspid ate or furnished with crown de- 

 pressed, flat. Feet pentadactylous. Bones of anterior extremities 

 and especially of fingers (except the pollex, always unguiculate) 

 elongate, sustaining a very large membrane, serving for flight; 

 posterior toes short, all unguiculate. Two pectoral mammae. 



To the chiropterous or wing-handed mammals the genus Galeopi- 

 thecus is also usually referred, and thus this order becomes an 

 artificial union of two natural families presenting great differences. 

 Hence we consider it more expedient to I'eceive into this order no 

 other animals than those which are commonly named hats, and which 

 alone are, in reahty, wing-handed animals {Chiroptera), from the 

 elongation of four fingers of the anterior limbs; for they fly by 

 means of the membrane attached between the expanded palm of 

 the hands. But however well adapted for flight with the hands, 

 these animals are still capable in some degree of seizing, in which 

 respect they differ from birds, whose anterior limbs serve exclusively 

 for flying. The bats are nocturnal animals '. Their eyes are small ; 

 their ears large. They commonly produce one or two young ones 

 at a birth, which are of very large size in compai'ison with the 

 parent. In all clavicles are present; the fore-arm does not admit 

 of I'otation. These animals have no ccecum. 



On this order compare above all Geoffr. St.-Hilaire (pere) and Tem- 

 MINCK, whom we shall cite below. T. Bell has given a concise account 

 of the anatomy in Todd's Cyclop, i. pp. 594 — 600, 1836. 



Section I. Insectivorous Beets. 



3 — 3 

 True molar teeth ^ — ^ , cuspidate, crown with two triangles, 



the apices in the upper being internal, in the lower external. 

 Fore feet with pollex unguiculate, the rest of the digits unarmed. 



Whence the appellation Vesperfilio : 



" Lucemque perosce 

 Node volant, seroque Irahunt a vespere nomen." 



Ovid. Metamorph. iv. 414, 415. 



