BATS OF THE BELGIAN CONGO 



5(j3 



considcraltly iiici'ca.-cs its use 

 as a hand to help hohl tlie fruit 

 while feeding. When these 

 hats are at rest, the extensible 

 membranes are often folded 

 about the body as a pi'oteetion 

 against the rain or the glare 

 of the sun. Contrary to the 

 behavior of insectivorous bats, 

 the larger fruit bats, when let 

 loose in a room, fly against ob- 

 stacles and windows with the 

 same injurious elfect as birds, 

 because they lack highly devel- 

 oped sense organs in their wing 

 membranes. The tail is either 

 nnieli reduced or entirely ab- 

 sent. They also are devoid of 

 a continuous caudal membrane, 

 relying chiefly npon their long- 

 legs for steering. At any rate, 

 flight for them is only a 

 means of travel from tree to 

 tree to obtain fruit, and not an 

 im])ortant factor in the rapid 

 and eager pursuit of fast-fly- 

 ing pjrey, as in the case of in- 

 sectivorous bats. These highly 

 specialized forms at times dis- 

 play abilities that place them 

 among the most successful 

 predatory types. They open 

 the mouth wider than other 

 mammals and suggest compari- 

 son with the wide gape of swal- 

 lows or goatsuckers. Such a 

 large opening acts as a net. 

 EA'ery insect entering it is put 

 to death instantly by the sharp 

 dagger-like teeth. We greatly 

 admired the speed of the fast- 

 est among them. Their suc- 

 cess and cleverness in catching 

 insects and the rapidity with 

 which they masticated the tiny 

 beetles in full flight were proved 

 •through the microscopical evidence of 

 the stomach contents from specimens 

 shot on the wing. They literally cut 

 and grind their prey to dust in a few 

 bites. 



Faces of two of the newly discovered species (Hippnsi- 

 deros gigas niangarce and Rhinolophus axillaris). It is 

 more or less easy to see ears, eyes, and mouth, but the 

 strange structures between eyes and mouth are various 

 nasal appendages. These serve during flight as wireless 

 stations announcing in due time the proximity of objects, 

 be they ever so minute. Thus in the Congo forests these 

 bats dodge in and out among the branches with an ease 

 that calls forth admiration. The nasal appendages are 

 different in different species, and, to the scientist, reveal 

 tlie identity of the bat and its general habits 



The wings are either narrow and 

 pointed, as in those that fly as swiftly 

 as swallows, or broad and rounded, as 

 in those that flutter about apparently 

 in the aimless fashion of butterflies. 



