TYPICAL BATS. 25 



Thompson states, however, that a specimen he once obtained 

 from an uninhabited house in the month of January did not 

 exhibit any symptoms of torpidity, flying readily in the room 

 in which it was placed. The same writer observes that " when 

 the roofs of old houses are being repaired or taken down in 

 the north of Ireland, numbers of these Bats are often dis- 

 covered. The Pipistrelle frequents similar places, but is prob- 

 ably less gregarious, as I have not known it to be found so 

 plentifully under similar circumstances, although it is more 

 frequently seen flying about." 



In connection with the shrill cry of this species, it may be 

 mentioned that many persons, whose ears are not attuned to 

 receive such high-pitched sounds as those of others, are totally 

 unable to hear them. It may, therefore, be that when a num- 

 ber of Bats are on the wing, while the air will be rent with 

 their piercing cries to one person, to another absolute silence 

 will reign. 



GENUS SYNOTUS. 



Synotus, Keyserling and Blasius, Wirbelthiere Europ. p. 55 

 (1840). 



Ears united by their inner margins on the forehead, rather 

 large, and with their outer margins also carried forward in 

 front of the eyes to terminate on the upper lips, so that the 

 eyes are enclosed within the bases of the ears ; earlet triangular 

 above and narrowed towards the tip ; nostrils opening on the 

 upper surface of the extremity of the muzzle, in front of a 

 naked space, margined by the raised edges of the face ; upper 

 lip divided on each side by a deep vertical groove passing 

 down from each nostril; the space between these grooves 

 being swollen. Feet slender, with long toes ; tail nearly equal 

 to, or exceeding the body in length ; skull considerably 

 elevated above the plane of the short muzzle ; the upper 



