28o BA TS 



while, as its name implies, it does not venture forth till late in the evening, and, in 

 suitable weather, continues on the wing till dawn. The southern counties appear 

 to be the only part of England in which this bat is found ; but in France, and other 

 continental countries, it is widely distributed, and far from uncommon. Observers 

 in the country last named state that it may generally be found flying around the 

 tallest trees in forests ; and that it frequents the timber yards in Paris, among the 

 woodstacks of which it conceals itself during the day. In North America, where it 

 is known as the dusky, or Carolina, bat, the habits of the serotine appear to be very 

 nearly the same as in Europe. Thus, in writing of these bats, Dr. A. K. Fisher 

 observes that " they are the last to make their appearance in the evening. In fact, 

 when it gets so dark that objects are blended in one uncertain mass, and the bat- 

 hunter finds that he is unable to shoot with any precision, the Carolina bats make 

 their appearance as mere dark shadows, flittering here and there while busily 

 engaged in catching insects. We have to make a snap shot as they dodge in and 

 out from the dark tree tops ; and we are left in doubt as to the result until in the 

 gloom we may perchance see our little black-and-tan, seemingly as interested in the 

 result as we are, pointing to the dead animal. This species is particularly fond of 

 fields well surrounded by trees. ' ' 



The last of the bats of the genus Vesperugo, reckoned as British, is 

 _ the parti-colored bat ( V. discolor}, which, while belonging to the same 



group as the serotine, differs in that the widest part of the short tragus 

 is above, instead of below the middle. Apart from this, the parti-colored bat is, 

 however, readily distinguished by the comparative richness of its coloration, which 

 has a somewhat marbled appearance, owing to the light tips of the hairs. Above, 

 the color of the fur is reddish brown, with the tips of the hairs white; while 

 all the under parts are of a dirty white tint. Up to the year 1874 only one indi- 

 vidual captured at Plymouth of this bat had been obtained in Britain, and we 

 are not aware that any instance of occurrence has been recorded since. It has 

 accordingly been suggested that the Plymouth example may have been imported in 

 the rigging of some ship. On the Continent the parti-colored bat is widely spread, 

 but it is chiefly found in mountain districts; its range extending from Italy and 

 France to Southern Sweden and the Ural mountains. In Asia it has been observed 

 in Western Siberia and Eastern Turkestan. 



The last member of the genus to which we allude is a North- 

 American species, known as the silver-haired bat ( V. noctivagan s) , 

 which is the sole representative of a group characterized by having 

 three premolar teeth on each side of the lower jaw, and also by the hairiness of the 

 membrane between the legs. In the upper jaw there are two premolars on each 

 side. The fur above is dark brown, becoming silvery white at the tips in the region 

 of the back; and there is a very characteristic white spot at the base of the 

 brown ears. 



The silver-haired bat has the most northern range of any American species, 

 extending to Hudson's Bay, and southward to California. In the Adirondack 

 mountains, near New York, Dr. Hart Merriam states that it is by far the com- 

 monest of all the bats. " Like many bats," writes Dr. Merriam, "it has a decided 



