112 
subcolumellari inconspicud ; peristomate continuo, libero, albo, ex- 
panso, reflexiusculo. 
Long. 18, diam. 4 mill. 
From Japan (Sieboldt). 
July 1], 1848. 
R. C. Griffith, Esq., in the Chair. 
A letter was read from the Right Hon. Sir George Clerk, Bart., 
V.P., in which he informed the Secretary of Lord Hardinge’s inten- 
tion of placing under the care of the Society a living specimen of the 
Monaul (Lophophorus impeyanus), which he had brought with him 
from India. 
A letter was read from Admiral Bowles, V.P., announcing the 
presentation of three living specimens of Haliaetus aguia (Temm.), 
and a male Condor, by Rear-Admiral Sir George Seymour. 
The following papers were communicated to the Meeting :— 
1. On tHE OccuRRENCE AND Hasits oF VESPERTILIO EMARGINATUS. 
By R. F. Tomes. 
The specimen of a Bat, the habits of which I am about to describe, 
was taken in Warwickshire, near Stratford-on-Avon, whilst flitting 
around the tops of some high elms by the Avon-side on the 20th of 
June, 1847. It was in company with several others when I suc- 
ceeded in shooting it, which I found very difficult on account of their 
exceedingly crooked, irregular mode of flight. 
I believe I have never seen one of these flying in open places in a 
straightforward manner, as the commoner species, the Noctule and 
Pipistrelle, usually do; but they follow intimately and exactly the ex- 
tremities of the top branches of high elm or ash trees, always in the 
most sheltered and quiet spots, never appearing on the windward 
side of a tree, even on the calmest evening. They seem of a much 
more social disposition than any other kind of Bat, being usually in 
parties of about half-a-dozen, and all of them most commonly hawk- 
ing round the same tree for a few minutes, then moving off to the 
next, and so on till all the trees of the group have been searched; 
and then a re-examination of the same trees takes place. 
As above stated, their flight is never straight, even for a moment, 
but is excessively vacillating and butterfly-like, though rather slow,— 
performed, as I believe, with the head directed towards the centre of 
the tree, so that they in fact fly ina sideward direction. From this 
circumstance I conclude that they take their food, which consists of 
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