7*2 CHEIROPTEROUS ANIMALS, 



in that of Man and the Monkey tribe, but which would 

 diminish the force of the impulse necessary for flight. 

 Their thorax is proportionally wide, their sternum 

 large, with a prominent crest or ridge, and their pec- 

 toral muscles well developed. Their hind feet are 

 of moderate length, with the toes equal, and fur- 

 nished with strong hooked claws, of which the 

 toes of the fore feet are destitute, excepting the first, 

 and sometimes also the second. Their abdomen is 

 very narrow, so that the form of their body ap- 

 proaches to that of a Hawk or Owl; their tail short 

 or of considerable length; their neck moderate or 

 short; their head oblong or elongated. Their in- 

 cisors vary in number; their canine teeth are gene- 

 rally large, and their grinders are furnished with 

 tubercles, which are either sharp or blunt; so that 

 no decisive general characters can be derived from 

 their dentition. They have two pectoral mammse, 

 which, with the disposition of the other parts, in- 

 dicate an affinity to the Quadrumanous animals. 

 Their skin is covered with a soft fur, which is not 

 generally extended over its lateral expansions, al- 

 though sometimes their upper surface is more or 

 less hairy. A similar disposition to expand in the 

 dermal system is manifested in the ears, which are 

 often very large, with curious appendages, with 

 which the nose is also sometimes furnished. Their 

 eyes are generally very small, in which respect they 

 differ from many other nocturnal animals. But a 

 compensating faculty exists in the extreme sensi- 

 bility of the naked lateral membranes, by which they 



