27 
The Whiskered Bat is a species which was until recently 
considered to be rare. It often flies in the daytime, and when in 
sunlight, its light underparts are as conspicuous as those of 
Natterer’s Bat. Whiskered, Daubenton’s, and Long-eared Bats 
live together in winter in the sandstone tunnels at Alderley, and 
certainly there the winter sleep is not profound. From experi- 
ments made we should gather that the Bats feed in these tunnels 
on the abundant insects which frequent them. We have much 
to learn about Hibernation : it is not what we thought it was in 
squirrels, dormice, and bears. We may find that even in Bats, 
which undoubtedly do sleep at a very low temperature and under 
strange conditions, we have much yet to discover. 
In the discussion that followed, a series of questions were put 
to the lecturer. The President wondered at what speed the Bats 
fly, and what was the length of their life. It had been some- 
what of a revelation to him to find that there were such a variety 
of Bats, and that they were so full of interest. 
Mr. Wm. Thompson stated that he had intended to ask the same 
question as to the duration of the life of the Bat. He also 
wondered whether the long lazy life of the Bat—sleeping nearly 
six months and working only one hour a day—was conducive to 
longevity oc otherwise. They were told by vegetarians that those 
who ate meat were liable to more bursts of temper and passion 
than those who adopted a fruit diet. How did that theory bear 
out with those Bats which fed on insects, and those which lived 
on fruit alone? He rather gathered the Lecturer did not find it 
so, but that those which fed on fruit were a topsey turvey set of 
creatures, and reversed their ideas of what ought to exist. 
Many lessons advantageous to man had been derived from the 
observation of nature, such as the revolving screw of a ship being 
evolved from the fish’s tail. Was it possible for the evolution of 
the flying machine to be obtained from a close observation of the 
Bat ? If so, it would fill a useful and much needed requirement of 
the present day. He did not suppose that man’s future development 
was going to take the Bat’s particular method of lengthening his 
arm and shortening his leg, but some way ought to be found 
to solve the problem of the evolution of a flying apparatus which 
might possibly be achieved in our day. They had enormously 
increased the speed of locomotives, electric trams, and they had 
the rapid sweep of the motor car—almost a flying machine, and 
he could not see why the flying machine through the air should 
not be produced. (Hear, hear). 
Mr. George Gill asked if the wing membrane of the Bat 
always remained intact, or had the Bat any means of repairing 
it when injured? Had the hanging position of the Bat anything 
to do with its slow digestion ? 
