BASUTOLAND 



620 



BATANGAS 



BASUTOLAND, basoo'tohland, the finest 



grain-producing and cattle-raising country of 



rican continent, noted especially for its 



breed of ponies, which equals that of the 



Arabian horses of the desert for speed and 



endurance. Basu- 

 toland is a native 

 province and 

 British pos-' 

 of South Africa, 

 bounded on the 

 northwest by Or- 

 ange River Col- 

 ony; on the south 



BASUTOLAND 



and southeast by Cape Colony and on the 

 northeast by Natal. The region is mountain- 

 ous. with wril-waterod valleys and fertile slopes, 

 and it has several peaks which rise to a height 

 of 10,000 feet. In 1871 the Basutos, who had 

 ;nder a semi-protectorate of the British 

 since 1848, were proclaimed British subjects 

 and the province was joined to Cape Colony. 

 In 1879 the native tribes caused a revolt which 

 the Cape forces were unable to put down, and, 

 finally, in 1884, when peace was restored, Basu- 

 toland was separated from Cape Colony and is 

 now governed by a resident commissioner under 

 the high commissioner of South Africa. The 

 Basutos are of Bantu stock, hardy, intelligent 

 ano! quick to adopt modern ideas (see BANTU). 

 Population, in 1911, 405,600. 



BAT, a little creature of the night, one of 

 the group of wing-handed, flying, back-boned 

 animals. Its best-known characteristic is that 



THE BAT 



(a) One of the common bats (pipistrelle), 

 with winga extended; (b) Australian flying fox, 

 or fruit bat; (c) same as (!), in sleeping posi- 

 tion. 



it cannot see well in the bright light of day, 

 from which fact comes the expression, "Blind as 

 a bat." At night, however, its sight is keen, 

 and it is therefore a nocturnal animal, or night- 



flier. Bats are common in temperate and warm 

 regions, but most numerous and of largest size 

 in the tropics. 



All European bats are small and have a 

 mouse-like skin. Extending from thumb to 

 toe is a delicate membrane forming the wings, 

 the forearm and fingers forming ribs like those 

 of an umbrella. It has been discovered that 

 this flying membrane and parts of the skin on 

 the face are very sensitive to touch. The 

 thumb of each hand has a sharp nail which the 

 bat uses to cling to trees. With its wings at its 

 sides the bat very much resembles the monkey, 

 but walking is difficult as its knees bend back- 

 ward. 



Many bats are remarkable for having a curi- 

 ous growth on the nose, shaped something like 

 a horseshoe. In some bats these growths 

 resemble leaves, and in one species the entire 

 nose looks like a flower. During the day this 

 strange little animal remains in caverns, iri 

 crevices of ruins, hollow trees or other lurking 

 places. At night, like a ghost, it flits out in 

 search of food, which consists chiefly of insects. 

 In a voice high-pitched and squeaking, its call 

 carries far on the still .night air. When the 

 mother bat leaves her shelter, her young either 

 cling to her neck and are taken along, or she 

 leaves them on a tree, hanging safely hidden by 

 leaves. We should not fear the bat as a harm- 

 ful goblin, but rather look on it as a helpful 

 worker in the night, for the food it eats the 

 night insects and mice are enemies of gardens 

 and orchards. There are two species of South 

 American bats known tp suck the blood of 

 other mammals, and hence they are called 

 vampire bats (see VAMPIRE BAT), though the 

 name has also been given to a species not 

 guilty of this habit. 



As winter approaches in cold climates bats 

 seek shelter in caverns, vaults, ruined and 

 deserted buildings and similar retreats, where 

 they cling together in large clusters, hanging 

 head downward, and sleep until the returning 

 spring recalls them to life. The brown bat, the 

 heavy bat of the Eastern states, the big-eared 

 bat of the Mississippi valley, the leaf-nosed 

 bat and the lyre bat are common species M.S. 



BATANGAS, bah tahn ' gahs, a seaport and 

 capital of the province of the same name in 

 Luzon, one of the Philippine Islands, about 

 seventy-two miles south of Manila. It has an 

 excellent harbor on Batangas Bay. Interesting 

 features of the city are the former royal palace, 

 the convent and the prison. Situated in the 

 midst of a fertile territory, producing sugar, rice, 



