302 Miscellaneous. 



interfemoral membrane ; he then put his head under his body, with- 

 drew the fly from the bag, and devoured it at leisure. This appeared 

 always to be the modus operandi, more or less cleverly performed. 

 Several times, when the fly happened to be on the flat surface of the 

 ground, the capture appeared more difficult, and my little friend was 

 by his exertions thrown on his back ; the tail could then be seen 

 turned round, with its tip and the margin of the membrane pressed 

 against the stomach, forming a capital trap, holding the fly, the 

 captor remaining on his back till he had withdrawn the fly from 

 the bag. 



I had no opportunity of observing the action when the Bat was in 

 full flight ; but if the insect was captured a few inches from the side 

 of the cage, the mode was the same. When flying, the interfemoral 

 membrane is not extended to a flat surface (and appears not capable 

 of being so stretched), but always preserves a more or less concave 

 form, highly calculated to serve the purposes of a skim-net to cap- 

 ture insects on the wing. Occasionally, when the Bat was sleepy, 

 sitting at the bottom of the cage, nodding his head, a poor silly 

 " Bluebottle Fly," no doubt of tender age, and not read in the 

 natural history of the Vespertilionidee, with the greatest confidence 

 walked quietly under his friend, passing nose, ears, and eyes without 

 danger ; but immediately he touched the sensitive membrane of the 

 bag it was closed upon him, and there was no retreat except by 

 being helped out of the difficulty by the teeth of the Bat. 



On looking through books at hand to see if the above was noticed, 

 I find that most accurate of observers of nature's works, Gilbert 

 White, of Selborne, speaking of a tame Bat, says, " If you gave it 

 anything to eat, it brought its wings round before its mouth, hover- 

 ing and hiding its head in the manner of birds of prey when they 

 feed " (a capital description of the action of my little friend, only no 

 mention is made of the bag). Also, in Bell's ' British Quadrupeds ' 

 is the following : — " Of Bats, the interfemoral membrane is probably 

 intended to act as a sort of rudder in rapidly changing the course of 

 the animal in the pursuit of its insect food." " In a large group of 

 foreign Bats which feed on fruits or other vegetable substances, as 

 well as some of carnivorous habits, but whose prey is of a less active 

 character, this part is either wholly wanting or much circumscribed 

 in extent and power." 



May it not also be, that they do not require an entomological 

 bag-net ? Believe me yours truly, 



To W. Francis, F.L.S. Wm. Sowerby. 



On the Habits of the Water-Shrew (Crossopus fodiens). 

 By N. L. Austen, Esq. 

 I am induced to offer you the following account of the Water- 

 Shrew, as the animal in question, though tolerably abundant in many 

 localities, may not have come under the personal observation of some 

 of my hearers. I have also never seen it mentioned as having been 

 kept with success in confinement, and therefore will attempt to de- 

 scribe as accurately as possible the habits of a pair that lived in my 

 possession for a considerable time, hoping that the details may not 



