BATS OF THE BELGIAN CONGO 



565 



bat-k toward the pelvic ivgioii. The vocal 

 cords, of course, arc also greatly broad- 

 ened in proportion. Furthermore, they 

 have one air sac on either side of the 

 neck that can be inflated at 'will, as in 

 certain frogs. Indeed, when the old 

 males were in full assembly, their 

 chorus made us think of a pondful of 

 noisy American wood frogs, greatly 

 magnified and transported into the 

 tree-tops. The natives assured us that 

 these poor males had to croak from sun- 

 set to sunrise for the enjoyment of the 

 females, supposedly deaf. Whatever 

 may be the cause of their rapidly 

 reiterated "pwok" or "kwok,'' they are 

 completely fearless or dull of hearing 

 during the time they make this racket. 

 They wonld not mind even the detona- 

 tion of a gun, much less the flash of a 



lain]), alibdugh at other times they are 

 exti'cniely shy. 



In no other creature is everything 

 so completely sui)ordinated to the or- 

 gans of voice. In (be bowler monkey 

 (Alouatta), famous for its fai'-sound- 

 ing cries, the hyoid only is ti'an-formed 

 into a resonating apparatus, but in the 

 males of this species of Ijat everything 

 seems to be designed to jjroduce con- 

 tinuity of noise rather than a loud re- 

 verberating sonnd. 



In their manner of feeding, these 

 bats are equally interesting. Thc'r 

 relatively large teeth merely lacerate 

 the outside of fruits. The hardened 

 ruffles on the nose probably are used 

 in the manner of a pig's snout, to 

 loosen the ])ulp inside the fruit. The 

 tongue, instead of becoming slender 



Two other newly discovered spe<ies (Chtcrrphon rtisnaliix, iit the rigl.t. and Mo/jx cuniiifus, iit 

 the left). These cling to the rough decayed surface of the inside of hollow trees, with their dark 

 wings tucked closely to their plump bodies. In the waning light they look more like glistening lumps 

 of fungus than live creatures. They huddle together in great numbers, screaming and fighting for 

 desirable positions 



