Vespertilio from China. 301 



the ankles, as is the basal half of the interfemoral and the 

 surface of the calcar. Wings quite naked. Ears of medium 

 length, laid forward in a spirit-specimen they do not reach to 

 the tip of the muzzle ; their inner basal lobe small, square, 

 but not sharply angular ; inner margin at first straight, then 

 evenly convex to just below the tip, where there is a slight 

 concavity, tip narrowly rounded off; outer margin slightly 

 concave in its upper, convex in its lower half ; a notch oppo- 

 site the base of the tragus. Tragus rather short, slightly 

 curved outwards ; inner margin convex, outer straight, tip 

 rounded off; outer basal lobe well developed. Thumb with 

 a very long slender claw. Interfemoral membrane very acute- 

 angled in the centre, the tail projecting by one vertebra from 

 it ; calcar very long, extending fully four fifths towards the 

 tail. Hind feet exceedingly large and provided with remark- 

 ably elongated claws, whose length, measured in a straight 

 line from base to tip, is greater than the distance from tip to 

 tip of the upper canines ; the length of the whole foot with 

 the claws is nearly equal to that of the lower leg. 



Whole of upper surface drab {Ridgway) , the region between 

 the ear and muzzle somewhat darker. Under surface white, 

 the bases of the hairs inconspicuously plumbeous. 



Upper incisors large, subequal, the inner bi-, the outer 

 tricuspid. Second premolar in both jaws small, internal to 

 the tooth-row. Lower incisors transverse, overlapping. 



Dimensions of the type (B. M. 94.9.1.22), an adult female 

 in spirit : — 



Head and body 69 millim., tail 48, ear 18, tragus (inner 

 margin) 6"2, forearm 58, middle finger 94 ; lower leg and 

 foot with claws 38, lower leg only 22 ; calcar 18 ; longest 

 claw 6'3. 



The forearm of the skin measures 55 millim. 

 Hab. Foochow, S. China. Coll. C. B. Rickett, April and 

 November 1894. 



This bat at first sight, mainly from its size and general colo- 

 ration, resembles Vespertilio murinus, but is clearly a member 

 of the subgenus Leuconoe as defined by Dobson, and among 

 the species of that group there does not appear to be any one 

 to which it is especially closely allied, while it is considerably 

 the largest of them all. 



The object of its extraordinarily long and pointed claws it 

 is difficult to guess ; and I hope that Mr. Rickett may follow 

 up his discovery of the species by finding out something as 

 to its habits which may afford an explanation of this struc- 

 tural peculiarity. 



Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 6. Vol. xiv. 21 



