Zoological Society. 149 
gatd, obtusiusculd; anfractibus 8 planiusculis, ultimo 4 longi- 
tudinis paulo superante ; columella antrorsum arcuatd, prope basin 
aperture abrupte truncatd ; aperturd elliptico-semiovali ; peristo- 
mate simplice. 
Long. 20, diam. 7 mill. 
From St. John’s, Portorico (under stones). 
14. Cuavsiiia Srepoupt1, Pfr. Claus. testd arcuato-rimatd, fusi- 
Sormi, solidd, confertim costulatd, vir nitiduld, corneo-fuscd ; spird 
sensim attenuata, acutd ; anfractibus 10 convexis, ultimo penulti- 
mum non superante, basi rotundato, obsolete gibbo; aperturd 
magnd, pyriformi ; lamellis mediocribus, convergentibus ; lunelld 
profundd, arcuatd, extus conspicud; plicd palatali 1 mediocri 
subcolumellari inconspicud ; peristomate continuo, libero, albo, ex- 
panso, reflexiusculo. 
Long. 18, diam. 4 mill. 
From Japan (Sieboldt). 
July 1].—R. C. Griffith, Esq., in the Chair. 
The following papers were communicated to the Meeting :— 
1. On THE OccURRENCE AND HaBiTs oF VESPERTILIO EMARGINATUS. 
By R. F. Tomes. 
The specimen of a Bat, the habits of which I am about to describe, 
was taken in Warwickshire, near Stratford-on-Avon, whilst flitting 
around the tops of some high elms by the Avon-side on the 20th of 
June, 1847. It was in company with several others when I suc- 
ceeded in shooting it, which I found very difficult on account of their 
exceedingly crooked, irregular mode of flight. 
I believe I have never seen one of these flying in open places in a 
straightforward manner, as the commoner species, the Noctule and 
Pipistrelle, usually do; but they follow intimately and exactly the ex- 
tremities of the top branches of high elm or ash trees, always in the 
most sheltered and quiet spots, never appearing on the windward 
side of a tree, even on the calmest evening. They seem of a much 
more social disposition than any other kind of Bat, being usually in 
parties of about half-a-dozen, and all of them most commonly hawk- 
ing round the same tree for a few minutes, then moving off to the 
next, and so on till all the trees of the group have been searched ; 
and then a re-examination of the same trees takes place. 
As above stated, their flight is never straight, even for a moment, 
but is excessively vacillating and butterfly-like, though rather slow,— 
performed, as I believe, with the head directed towards the centre of 
the tree, so that they in fact fly in a sideward direction. From this 
circumstance I conclude that they take their food, which consists of 
very minute gnats, while resting on the outer leaves, or when about 
to settle on them. 
If watched very closely for a little time, they move on to some 
other tree, appearing to shun observation very carefully. 
Gilbert White, I think, remarked of the Noctule, that it usually 
came abroad later than the Pipistrelle, which I can from personal 
