A New Species of the Genus Nyctinomus. 237 



a succinct description of it, and shew that it belongs to the genus 

 Nyctinomus, forming a very natural species of that genus, hitherto 

 found only in the old world. 



The genus Nyctinomus is allied, as is known, to the American 

 genus Molosse, (Dysopes. Ilig.) The ears, the tail, the physiog- 

 nomy, the proportions of the most visible parts, are almost the 

 same in both genera ; so that, when I first saw the new Bat from 

 Brazil, struck with the circumstance of its being American, I 

 took it, for the moment, for a Molosse ; but soon perceiving that 

 the feet were covered with long hair, the lips deeply wrinkled, 

 and the membranes of the wings bordered with hair, a doubt 

 arose in my mind, which was soon dissipated by examining the 

 teeth ; I compared them with those of a Nyctinomus from Bengal, 

 brought from Pondicherry in 1818 by M. Leschenault, and I 

 saw,with surprise, that not only their number, but, with the excep- 

 tion of the lower inscisors, (which are birfurcate to the root, and 

 very much crowded (tres entassees) before one another in the 

 Brazilian Bat, rather less so in the Asiatic,) their disposition and 

 form was similar in both. The crania evidently belonged to 

 species nearly allied ; the only distinction between them, was 

 that the cranium of the American Bat is a little wider, and not 

 quite so long as that of the Bat from Asia. 



All these characters leave no doubt that the new Bat must be 

 referred to the genus Nyctinomus, nor that it makes a very na- 

 tural species of that genus ; what follows will confirm, I will even 

 dare to assert, rigorously prove this. 



The most remarkable circumstance connected with the new 

 Bat, being the country it comes from, I shall give it the name of 

 the Nyctinome of Brazil, Nyctinomus Brazillensis. 



An objection, however, may be started in this place, which 

 though it has little foundation in itself, acquires it by circum- 

 stance; I have spoken of a pretended American Roussette 

 (Pleropus): this Roussette, did iudeed come from America; but 

 it had been carried thither from India. It may be asked, was 

 not the new Bat also imported into America ? Thanks to the 

 zeal of the celebrated traveller, I am not only well assured, that 

 it is absolutely and originally native in Brazil, but I can even add, 



