164 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM tol. no 



Distribution: East-central United States (fig. 19). North to 

 Nicholas County, W. Va.; Adams County, Ohio; Putnam County, 

 Ind. ; V/abash and Alexander Counties, 111. West to Putnam County, 

 Ind.; Alexander County, 111.; and Obion County, Tenn. South to 

 Obion County, Tenn.; Colbert and Madison Counties, Ala.; Towns 

 County, Ga.; and Macon, Transylvania, and Alexander Counties, 

 N.C. East to Alexander County, N.C. and Nicholas County, 

 W. Va. Zonal distribution: Upper Austral and lower portions of 

 Transition. Altitudinal distribution: From 400 feet above sea level 

 in western Tennessee to 3,850 feet in western North Carolina, 



Description: As for the species. In adults, hairs of upperparts 

 blackish basally; tips between Sepia and Buffy Brown. Hairs of 

 underparts black at base, almost pure white at tip. 



Measurements: See tables 9, 15. 



Comparisons: For comparison with P. r. macrotis, see page 162. 



Remarks: Rafinesque's specimens, which led to the description of 

 P. rajinesquii by Lesson, are not known to be still in existence. 

 This material is said to have been secured on the "... lower parts 

 of the Ohio, the Wabash, Green River, Barrens, Prairies, and the 

 states of Indiana, Illinois, etc." (Rafinesque, 1818, p. 446). The 

 big-eared bat is not known to occur as far north as the Green River, 

 and it has not been taken on the barrens or prairies of Illinois, Indiana, 

 or Kentucky. Neither has it been taken on the banks of the Ohio 

 River, although it undoubtedly occurs there. However, there are 

 specimens in the U.S. National Museum secured in 1896 and 1903 at 

 Mount Carmel on the Wa,bash River in Illinois, a region specifically 

 mentioned by Rafinesque. In addition, the species is also known to 

 have occurred at other localities in Illinois and Indiana. Conse- 

 quently, I propose that the type locality of Plecotus rajinesquii rajines- 

 quii Lesson be restricted to Mount Carmel, Wabash County, 111. 



Plecotus rajinesquii seems to be rare near the northern limits of its 

 range. Despite repeated investigations, the caves and mines of 

 Illinois have produced but two recent records (Elder, 1946, p. 433; 

 and Smith and Parmalee, 1954, p. 204); Indiana, two (P. M. Smith, 



1953, specimen submitted to U.S. Nat. Mus.; and R. E. Mumford, 



1954, in litt.); Ohio, one (Goslin, 1954, p. 430); West Virginia, one 

 (Frum, 1948, p. 418); and Kentucky, two (Barbour, 1957, p. 141; 

 and Hibbard, 1954, in litt.). 



Plecotus may have occurred in Penns^dvania within historic times, 

 but it has not been found there by recent investigators (Mohr, 1954, 

 p. 21). Harrison Allen (1864, p. 64) stated that "I am informed by 

 Prof. Baird that specimens of a Synotus, probably of this species 

 [Synotus macrotis], were received some years ago by the Smithsonian 

 Institution, from Meadviile, Pa., but that they have become in some 



