AMERICAN BATS — HANDLE Y 125 



damp and bedraggled, one foot from river's edge (Parker, 1952, p. 

 480); hanging from rock projection in closed springhouse (Parker, 

 1952, p. 481); hibernating above large pool of water in cave (Hardy, 

 1941, p. 293). One was found hanging [impaled?] on a fence (J. A. 

 Allen, 1891, p. 195) and one with injured wing was found clinging to 

 the lower side of a rock at the base of a cliff (Hall, 1939, p. 103). 



Five of the specimens were dead, two were obviously injured, and 

 all but one of the remainder died within a few hours after capture. 

 Several that were obtained alive showed great thirst for water, and at 

 least 10 of the live individuals were exposed to daylight where found. 

 Of the 22 recorded occurrences, 13 were about houses. Six of the 13 

 were clinging to the outside of the structures. 



The normal habitat of this species is unknown. The foregoing facts 

 suggest departures from its normal habitat in response to stimuli of 

 rather frequent occurrence. A narrow tolerance in habitat selection 

 by the spotted bat could explain the lack of natm-al collections and 

 the frequency of abnormal ones. Suppose that the bat's habitat were 

 very restricted and were such that it might frequently change to the 

 bat's disadvantage. Suppose for instance that Euderma maculatum 

 requires absolute privacy from other bats and requires moist places 

 for roosting in its normally arid surroundings. This might restrict it 

 largely to moist crevices, which because of their limited extent might 

 occasionally dry up and force the bat out, to alight, thirsty and dying 

 from desiccation, on porches, sides of houses, in driveways, etc. 



The spotted bat fits very well Amadou's description (1953, p. 464), 

 of relict species : 



Relicts are species that tend to become more and more restricted both geo- 

 graphically and ecologically, because they are unable to compete successfully with 

 other species .... On continents, relicts often survive by becoming more and 

 more specialized, through a process of natural selection, to a narrow ecological 

 niche where they do manage to retain a competitive advantage. 



Behavior: Most recorded individuals appear to have been solitary 

 wanderers. Although Euderma maculatum has been observed at all 

 seasons, seven of the 17 occurrences for which the date is recorded are 

 for the months of August, September, and October, the period of post- 

 breeding season wandering characteristic of many bats. Only at 

 Yosemite Valley, Calif., where two specimens were collected 20 years 

 apart, has more than one specimen been secured, although Hardy 

 (1941, p. 293) was told that four had been found hibernating in a 

 Utah cave. C. Hart Merriam was told by ranchers in the Vegas 

 Valley, Nev., that "a very large bat 'with ears like a jackass and a 

 white stripe on each shoulder' is abundant in that place in the summer" 

 (MHler, 1897, p. 49). 



Two reports suggest possible association of Euderma with other 



