ON NORTH AMERICAN ZOOLOGY. 



139 



Rhinopoma carolinensis, Geoff. Mus.* 

 Taphuzms ritftis, Wils. Am. Or. 50. 

 Vespertilio carolinensis, Geoff. Mus. 47. 



„ arquatus, Say. Long's Exp. 



„ subulatus, Id. Tb. 



„ Audubonii, Harlan. 



„ melanotus, RAFiNEsauE. 



„ calearattts, Id. 



„ cyanopterus, Id. 



Vespertilio monackus, Raf. 



„ phaiops, Id. 

 Plecotis megalotis. Id. 

 Nycticeiiis noveboracensis, Penn. 31, 2. 



„ humeralis, Raf. 



„ tessellatiis, Id. 



„ pruinosus, Godm. p. 72. f. 3. 

 Hypexodon mystax, Raf. 



The first species of the above list is in Geoffroy's opinion not 

 a true rhinopoma, and the native country of the only individual 

 which has been seen is very doubtful f. The red bat of Penn- 

 sylvania is the only American taphozous, the other members of 

 the genus being inhabitants of Africa and the East Indies. 

 The remaining bats of the list are analogous to those of the 

 temperate parts of Europe; but most of the species are still 

 imperfectly described, nor have their distinctive characters been 

 properly investigated, and consequently nothing certain can 

 be stated respecting their distribution. It can scarcely be 

 matter of surprise that these nocturnal animals are so little 

 known in the New World, when we consider that though Pen- 

 nant described only five species as natives of Great Britain, 

 seventeen are figured in Mr. Bell's recent work. The American 

 bats which have been admitted into systematic works, on M. Ra- 

 finesque's authority, have been named rather than characterized; 

 and few of the many genera proposed by this author have been 

 adopted by naturalists, owing to his want of precision and inat- 

 tention to structure. His labours are not, however, to be en- 

 tirely disregarded; for he has certainly detected many new 

 animals both in Europe and America, being one of the first in- 

 vestigators of the natural history of the latter country who was 

 not prevented from judging for himself by an overweening de- 

 ference to European authority. His genus nycticeius, charac- 

 terized by having only two widely separated upper incisors, 

 includes a considerable number of species hitherto ranged with 

 vespertilio, and according to M. Temminck comprises even the 

 genus atalapha, which Rafinesque had incorrectly founded on 

 the vespertilio novehoracetisis, from a supposed want of these 

 two incisors, which nevertheless exist. The characters of hy- 

 pexodon are equally vague, and it is not likely that any one of 

 these three genera will be permanently adopted. Nycticeius 

 pruinosus has been taken on the Saskatchewan, the Missouri, 

 and at Philadelphia ; and vespertilio subulatus, having a range 



• Tlie doubtful species, or those which particularly require further elucidation, 

 are in italics. 

 f Desniar., I. c. 



