SHREWS AND BATS 297 



branches, but almost invariably hanging themselves 

 up on the under surfaces of large leaves, such as 

 those of plantains and aroids, so that it is only acci- 

 dentally that their presence is discovered (Plate 

 XVII.). Whilst passing through a group of plantains 

 one's attention may be arrested by dark objects 

 adhering to the lower surfaces of the great over- 

 arching leaves, but their form and colouring is so 

 like that of one of the detached spathes or torn and 

 brown strips of leaf-tissue that are so often to be seen 

 in like positions, that there is a great chance that 

 their true nature may be mistaken. This re- 

 semblance is, doubtless, highly protective, and has 

 been beautifully elaborated in relation to the nature 

 of the environments in which the animals ordinarily 

 spend their times of rest. Owing to their larger 

 size and social habits, the common fly-foxes have 

 less need of protection of this nature, but, in spite 

 of this, they do show distinct traces of resemblance 

 to certain features often met with in their immediate 

 surroundings ; for, when hanging from the branches, 

 they do present a curious likeness to the bunches 

 of drying pods that abound on some of the trees 

 in which colonies are to be found. Where such 

 colonies are established in pipals or bamboos they 

 certainly show no evidence of this, but when they are 

 located in tamarinds, and very specially when in trees 

 of Parkia biglobosa, the resemblance between the 

 hanging bats and the pendent clusters of brown pods 



