292 BA TS 



which are the only representatives of the entire order (as, indeed, they are of the 

 whole class of Mammals) found in New Zealand ; but the range on either side is 

 mainly restricted to the belt lying within thirty degrees of the Equator. 



THE SHEATH-TAILED BATS 

 Genus Emballonura 



The mountain sheath-tailed bat {Emballonura monticola) is a fairly well-known 

 representative of a group of this family in which the tail is slender, and has its free 

 extremity perforating the membrane between the hind legs, while the legs are rela- 

 tively long, and the upper incisor teeth comparatively small and weak. The special 

 characteristic of the genus is that there are two pairs of upper incisor teeth ; the 

 total number of teeth being 34, of which f on each side belong to the incisor, and f 

 to the cheek series. The production of the muzzle is more or less strongly marked, 

 the top of the head is flat, and the ears are not united, and have a tragus of some- 

 what oblong form, and expanded above. 



The mountain sheath-tailed bat is of a chocolate-brown color, and measures 

 about one and one-half inches in length, exclusive of the tail. It is found in Java, 

 Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines ; the other four species of the genus inhabit- 

 ing various islands in the region extending from Madagascar to the Navigator 

 group. The genus is, therefore, exclusively an insular one, and, in this respect, 

 quite peculiar. The Polynesian sheath-tailed bat (-". semicaudata) is found in the 

 Mergui archipelago lying off Tenasserim. 



THE POUCH-WINGED BATS 

 Genus Saccopteryx 



Omitting two small genera, we come to the remarkable pouch-winged bats (Sac- 

 copteryx'} of Central and South America, which do not generally exceed two inches 

 in length, and have fewer teeth than the foregoing ; the number of incisors being %, 

 and the cheek-teeth f on each side. They derive their name from the presence of 

 a peculiar glandular pouch on the under side of each wing, at or near the elbow 

 joint. These pouches, which are well developed in the males but rudimentary in 

 the females, secrete a red-colored strongly-smelling substance, which appears to act 

 as a sexual attraction. In one species from British Guiana (S. leptura), these 

 pouches are unusually large, and from each of them projects a prominent white frill 

 of skin, which seems capable of being protruded and withdrawn at the will of the 

 animal ; the use of this is unknown. In Demerara these bats may be seen flying 

 about quite close to the houses at dusk. Moseley relates that he caught an example 

 of another species (S. canina) in Bahia, resting fast asleep on the bare bark of a 

 large tree ; the dense forest growth overheard making such an exposed situation 

 quite dark enough for a resting place throughout the day. Nearly all the six species 

 have the fur of a uniform dark brown color, although one has a reddish tinge. 



