160 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. ho 



ber) avoided three persons and escaped out of the tunnel (Elder, 

 1946, p. 434). An immature that Hamilton (1930, p. 308) found 

 injured on a Kentucky roadway may have struck a vehicle. 



On the authority of a local informant Harper (1927, p. 280) reported 

 the voice of P. rafinesquii as a "fizzling noise." 



Food: The food habits of Plecotus rafinesquii appear to be un- 

 recorded. Specimens that Hahn (1909, p. 619) kept in captivity 

 refused food and soon died. 



Migration: There is no evidence of migration by this species. It 

 has been found at all seasons throughout its range except in the ex- 

 treme northern part, where it has been discovered only in winter 

 (October to May). 



Hibernation: Whether Plecotus rafinesquii becomes lethargic in 

 the winter in all parts of its range is not certain. At least under some 

 circumstances it does truly hibernate. Goodpaster and Hoffmeister 

 (1952, p. 365) found (13 March) big-eared bats hibernating near the 

 bottom of an open cistern. The bats were cold and sluggish and made 

 no attempt to escape when placed in a cage. A February observation 

 in the Okefenokee Swamp reported by Harper (1927, p. 280) suggests 

 injury or hibernation. On the other hand, specimens found in No- 

 vember in a culvert near Satsuma, Fla., had to be captured with a 

 net (Moore, 1949a, p. 60). One that Elder (1946, p. 433) found in 

 a mine in southern Illinois on 5 October was very alert and escaped 

 out of the mine when it was approached. Two that Hahn (1909, 

 p. 619) saw on 22 February in a Mitchell, Ind., cave escaped capture 

 and flew out into the cold air. 



Reproduction: The season of mating and length of gestation are 

 not known in this species. The young usually are born in late May 

 or early June, shed theu" millv dentition by mid- July, and reach full 

 size and assume the adult pelage in August or early September. 



With regard to a female captured near Satsuma, Fla., on 5 Novem- 

 ber, Moore (1949a, p. 60) reported that her "vulva was perforate, 

 reddish, and swollen. Her teats were dry and her uterus was empty." 

 Schwartz noted on specimen labels that testes were prominent in aU 

 males captured near .A.ndrews, N.C., on 19 and 20 January. Good- 

 paster and Hoffmeister (1952, p. 365) observed that bats taken in 

 hibernation in Obion County, Tenn., on 13 March began mating 

 after warm surroundings had overcome their lethargy. 



Vernon Bailey (field notes) collected females containing single 

 well-developed embryos in the attic of a large plantation house near 

 Houma, La., on 12 May. On 31 May, in a Tennessee cave, Ganier 

 (1954, in litt.) found females with pregnancy so advanced that birth 

 of the one young of each seemed imminent. Barbour (1957, p. 141) 



