FAMILIES OF CHEIROPTERA. - I27 



cradle, and holds it pressed against her breast to receive its first nourish- 

 ment. After some days, the youngster can hang by the claws of its hind 

 feet to the fur of the mother, and it is not rare to see her Hying about 

 with this strange burden. When, exceptionally, the progeny are double, 

 then the winged nurse carries both in her aerial voyages. 



The bats are a very difficult study, and it is quite uncertain how 

 many distinct species are really known. The genera too are exceedmgly 

 numerous, and are in a very unsettled state, while the synonymy is 

 exceedingly confused. We shall commence by dividing them into five 

 families, the Pteropid.^, or fruit-eating bats ; the Phyllostomid.€, or 

 leaf-nosed bats, among which the blood-sucking Vampire is found ; the 

 Rhinolophid^, or horse-shoe bats ; the Vespertilionid^, or common 

 bats, and the NOCTILIONID^, or short-headed bats. We will mentioa 

 their range of distribution under each family. 



