MAMMALIA. 



551 



IX. — The Bat {Pteropiis edulis). The ^rial type. 



The Fox- bat belongs to the order Chiroptera and to the 

 sub-order Megachiroptera The other sub-order of the 

 Microchiroptera includes the small British bats. As a rule, 



Fig- 379-— Female and Young of a Fox-Bat 



{Xantharpyia coUaris). 



(From ScLATER, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1870.) 



the Megachiroptera are fruit-eating and the Microchiroptera 

 feed upon insects. As shown below, this is correlated with 

 the greater adaptation to flight in the latter. However, 

 the fox-bat is here taken as a type because its greater size 

 facilitates an examination of its anatomy. 



