ZOOLOGY. 



They are very widely distributed, and the Common 



Common Shrew (Sorex araneus). 



Shrew (Sorex araneus), and Water Shrew (S. 

 fodiens), may serve as examples. 



ORDER 10. Cheiroptera (Bats) are suited for 

 an aerial life, and have the four digits of the fore- 

 limb greatly elongated, the thumb being short, and 

 terminated by a hook-like nail, which serves the 

 animal for climbing on precipices. Across the 

 lengthened fingers is stretched a membrane, which 

 is continuous with the sides of the body, and 

 extended between the fore and hind limbs. The 

 hind-limbs are short, and all the toes are fur- 

 nished with claws, by which the bats suspend 

 themselves from the trees or walls on which they 

 rest, hanging with the head downwards. The 

 bats have the power of true flight, like birds, and, 

 from some peculiar sensitiveness of wing, they 

 can make their way, while deprived of eyesight, 

 and even of hearing, among a confused variety of 

 objects, without ever coming in contact with any. 

 In many of the insectivorous bats, the organ of 

 smell is furnished with curious leaf-like append- 

 ages, formed of the integument, doubled, folded, 

 and cut into curious and most grotesque forms. 

 The Cheiroptera, inhabiting temperate climates, 

 all remain in a torpid state during the winter. 

 They are nocturnal in their habits, and may be 

 divided into two divisions, according as their diet 

 consists of insects or of fruits. 



Section (A). Insectivora which feed upon in- 

 sects, and have the molar teeth tuberculate, like 

 the order Insectivora, and the intestines short. It 

 comprises three families : 



Family I. Vespertilionidce which includes most 

 of the bats of temperate climates. At least fifteen 

 species exist in this country, the largest of which 



Long-eared Bat (Plecotw auritus). 



is the Noctule, or Great Bat ( Vespertilio noctula), 

 which seeks its retreat under the eaves of houses 



Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolo- 

 phus Ferrumequinum). 



and in hollow trees, and measures fifteen inches 

 in the expanse of wing. The Long-eared Bat 

 (Plecotus auritus) is not uncommon, and is distin- 

 guished by the character implied in its name. The 

 commonest species is the Pipistrelle (V. pipis- 

 trelld). 



Family 2. Rhinolophida contains the Greater 

 and Lesser Horse-shoe 

 Bats, which are found in 

 the darkest and most 

 secluded retreats of our 

 own country ; their name 

 is derived from the com- 

 plex leaf-like form of the 

 anterior nasal appendage. 

 In the Megaderma, an 

 Indian and African genus, 

 the ears are so large as 

 to unite over the forehead. 



Family 3. Phyllostom- 

 idce which have a nasal leaf-like appendage, and 

 short ears. It includes the well-known Vampire 

 Bat (Phyllostoma spectrum), which exhibits a con- 

 siderable degree of ferocity, and has the habit of 

 sucking blood from sleeping animals. It attains 

 a considerable size, the wings, when expanded, 

 measuring about two feet and a half. The Vam- 

 pires are confined to South America. 



Section (B). Frugivora in which the molar 

 teeth have flattened crowns, suited for grinding 

 fruits, and the stomach is complex. It includes, 

 but one family, the 

 Pteropidtz, or Fox- 

 bats, which have the 

 ears short, the head 

 long and pointed, and 

 bearing some resem- 

 blance to that of a 

 fox. The tail is either 

 short or absent. They 

 are widely diffused 

 throughout warm cli- 

 mates, and contain 

 some of the largest 

 species of the order 

 the Pteropus edulis, 

 or Kalong of Java, 

 measuring five feet across its expanded wings.. 

 Where they abound, they are eaten as food by the 

 inhabitants. They are specially characteristic of 

 the Pacific Archipelago. 



ORDER u. Quadnimana, or Monkeys have- 

 an interest for us beyond most orders of Mam- 

 malia, on account of their being the animals- 

 nearest to man in external form and in intelli- 

 gence. They are omnivorous animals, dwelling 

 chiefly in the forests of warm countries, and spend- 

 ing much of their time on the branches of trees,, 

 among which they are well fitted to move by 

 reason of the grasping power of their extremities* 

 They are characterised by having the inner- 

 most toe of the hind-limb separate from the 

 other toes, and opposable to them, so that the 

 hind-feet become converted into prehensile hands. 

 When the innermost toe of the fore-limb is pres- 

 ent, it also is opposable to the other toes, so that 

 the animals are really four-handed, hence the 

 name. All of these, like man, possess three sorts- 

 of teeth ; the canines, in the full-grown animal, 

 are much more developed than in man ; and there 

 are intervals between them and the other teeth. 



189 



Head of Pteropus. 



