THE NOCTULE, OR GREAT BAT 71 



not a single bat would leave the dormitory, although crowds 

 might be seen hawking in the air outside each evening. It 

 appears, therefore, probable that a summer "camping out" 

 season is a regular feature of the animal's annual routine. 

 The order of leaving the den was very "curious. A loud 

 squeaking would be heard for a minute or two near the inside 

 of the hole ; then a Noctule would appear, and launch itself 

 into the air, followed in quick succession by four or five more. 

 Then silence ensued for a minute or so, followed by the squeak- 

 ing noises again, and another party of five or six would follow 

 each other out. This mode of procedure would be carried on 

 continuously. Silence, squeakings, and then bats in constant 

 succession. Most of the ' parties ' consisted of from five to 

 eight individuals, though on occasions (particularly on evenings 

 when the greatest number were leaving) I have seen as many 

 as a dozen or more follow each other without a break, but this 

 was exceptional. These small parties were called families by 

 my friends, but they scattered off individually and in separate 

 directions immediately they were clear from the hole." The 

 bats were never detected returning to their den in autumn, 

 although always there in the spring. 



Working mainly in Cheshire, Messrs Coward and Oldham 

 have added largely to our knowledge of the times of flight of 

 this bat, and no account of its natural history could be regarded 

 complete that did not include substantial quotations from their 

 essays on the subject. In Cheshire, "on fine evenings," writes 

 Mr Oldham,^ "one's attention is often attracted by the shrill 

 squeak of the Noctules which are flying in company with the 

 Swifts, at an altitude difficult to estimate accurately, but 

 certainly not less than from seventy to eighty feet. . . . As 

 the light fades, the Bats descend to a lower level, and feed 

 at a height of from fifteen to thirty or forty feet above the 

 fields, pools, and open places in the woods. The crunching of 

 their jaws as they masticate their insect prey may then be 

 heard distinctly. 



" The time at which the Noctule issues from its retreat does 

 not always bear the same relation to the hour of sunset, and 

 sometimes differs considerably on consecutive evenings. Wind, 



^ Zoologist^ iQOij 51-59- 



