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BATS 



Comoro islands, two hundred miles distant. Probably the best known of all 

 the species is the Indian fox-bat {Pteropus medius}, characterized by its naked 

 and sharply-pointed ears. All who have resided in India are familiar with the 

 long strings of fox-bats which may be seen, as the shades of evening ap- 

 proach, wending their way from their sleeping-places to the scene of their 

 nocturnal depredations. Writing of these bats, the late Dr. Jerdon says that 



THE KAI,ONG, OR MAI,AY FOX-BAT. 

 ( One-third natural size. ) 



"during the day they roost on trees, generally in large colonies, many hundreds 

 often occupying a single tree, to which they invariably resort if not driven away. 

 Toward sunset they begin to get restless, move about along the branches, and by 

 ones and twos fly off for their nightly rounds. If water is at hand, a tank, or a 

 river, or the sea, they fly cautiously down and touch the water, but I could not 

 ascertain if they took a sip, or merely dipped part of their bodies in. They fly vast 



