156 Mv. G. E. Dobson on certain Mammals 



to that of no other species of bat. This species, Mystacina 

 tuhercuJata, has the claws of the poUex and toes remarkably 

 elongated, very acutely pointed, and provided at the base of 

 each with a small talon projecting from its concave surface 

 near the base ; the wings are peculiarly folded so as to occupy 

 the least possible space, and they and the interfemoral mem- 

 brane are preserved from injury by being encased, when so 

 folded, in a specially thickened part of the wing and inter- 

 femoral membrane, analogous to the thickened part of the 

 anterior wings in Hemiptera and to the elytra of the Coleo- 

 ptera ; furthermore, the plantar surface of the foot, including 

 the toes, is covered with very soft and very lax'integument 

 deeply Avrinkled, and each toe is marked by a central longi- 

 tudinal groove, with short grooves at right angles to it, as in 

 the species of the Gecko genus Hemidactylus. All these 

 peculiarities of structure must accompany some corresponding 

 peculiarities in the habits of this species. There can be little 

 doubt that the denticles at the bases of the claws of the 

 thumbs and toes give additional grasping-power to these 

 organs, and this, taken into consideration with the peculiar 

 manner in which the wings and interfemoral membrane are 

 protected from injury when not employed in Hying, and with 

 the manifestly adhesive nature of the sole of the foot and in- 

 ferior surface of the legs, leads me to believe that this species 

 hunts for its insect food, not only in the air, but also upon 

 the branches and leaves of trees, among Avhich its peculiarities 

 of structure most probably enable it to climb with security 

 and ease. 



The insect food of this species consists chiefly, in all pro- 

 bability, of the Longicorn beetles and Carabida3, which form 

 so large a proportion of the New-Zealand insect-fauna, and 

 are found on and under the bark of trees. In searching for 

 these the peculiarly mobile projecting snout is, no doubt, 

 actively employed, while the very large scalpriform incisors 

 are evidently most effective in seizing and crushing them. In 

 fact, this quasi-terrestrial bat represents the only arboreal 

 insectivorous mammal in the islands, and probably takes also 

 the place of the insectivorous woodpeckers. 



To return to the distribution of the species of the widely 

 spread large genus Pteropiis^ with more than forty species, 

 including the great frugivorous bats, of which Pt. edulis 

 (inhabiting Java and adjacent islands) measures 5 feet in 

 expanse of wings. These bats, as I have already remarked, 

 have their head quarters in Australia and in Madagascar and 

 the Mascarene Islands. It is a noticeable fact that, although 

 the small islands of ]\Iauritius, Bourbon, and the Comoro 



