370 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



The late Andrew Murray, F.L.S., a well-known naturalist, 

 was some years ago among the most zealous members of the 

 Eoyal Physical Society here, and was formerly one of our 

 presidents. He afterwards removed to London, where, I 

 regret to say, he died not long ago, after doing much excel- 

 lent work as a naturalist, preparing, among other works, 

 one of the South Kensington Science Handbooks — that on 

 " Economic Entomology," "Aptera," the iirst of an intended 

 series of most valuable handbooks. Many years ago Mr 

 Murray exhibited to this Society, also from Old Calabar, 

 another fruit-eating bat, the singular Hypsignathus monstrosus 

 of Allen, described in {Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc, Phil.) 1861 ; which 

 he at that time was inclined to consider as an undescribed 

 genus, and named it accordingly Spyrocephalus labrosus. Mr 

 Dobson, however, includes the subgenus Hypsignafhus, H. 

 monstrosus, in his "Catalogue," but classes it simply as a 

 very distinct species of Ei^omophoriis, the E. monstrosus. 



I also exhibit two other smaller but insectivorous bats 

 from Old Calabar, the Nycteris hispidus and Nycteris grandis. 

 These bats are found in other parts of West Africa, and I 

 now include them among those found in Old Calabar. 



It is interesting to notice the special adaptation of these 

 different bats to their peculiar necessities. 



The large fruit- eating bats, with little or no tail, and 

 very small interfemoral membranes; nothing more being 

 required than the simple powers of a straightforward flight 

 to enable them to reach their food, growing on the various 

 fruit-bearing trees, and, at the same time, the greatest pos- 

 sible freedom of motion of their unincumbered lower ex- 

 tremities, to enable them to clutch with facility the branches 

 over the fruit. The dependant bat then seizing it between 

 the thumb and forefinger of each wing, both being specially 

 provided with claws, and so, with roughened tongue and 

 sharp teeth, breaking up, sucking, and eating the fruit at its 

 pleasure. 



The other and smaller bats exhibited {Nycteris), being 

 insect-feedincr bats, have long tails and widely-expanded 



