THE TYPICAL BATS 



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a person finds himself in close proximity to a bat of somewhat thick and clumsy 

 form, but of rather small size, whose flight is so desultory that it appears to be 

 flapping lazily about hither and thither, seemingly without purpose, and intruding 

 so closely that the flutter of its wings may be heard, and even the cool air thrown 

 by their movement felt upon the cheek, it may with almost certainty be regarded as 

 the barbastelle. Although there is no English bat which resembles the barbastelle 

 in its mode of flight, yet in choice of situation there are several. Where the 

 whiskered bat and pipistrelle are seen, the barbastelle may be seen also; but, having 

 been once observed, it will probably be useless to make search again at the same 

 place. Equally uncertain is its diurnal retreat ; most likely not the same place for 



THE BARBASTEtl.E. 



(Natural size. ) 



long together, as we have found it in places where it could not have rested the day 



previously. A crevice in a wall or tree, the spaces between the rafters and tiles of 



a cow-shed, the timber over a saw-pit, the thatch of a shed in a brickyard, or behind a 



cottage window shutter, are suitable places of repose for the barbastelle, in all of which 



situations we have met with it, and always alone." The barbastelle appears earlier 



in the evening than the long-eared bat, and probably retires as the night advances. 



As we have already mentioned, the genus Synotus resembles Plecotus in being 



represented only by two species. Whereas, however, the second species of long- 



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