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Quadrupeds. 

 III. Cheiropterous Animals. 



THE BAT. (Vespertilio Noctula.) 



THE BAT has the body of a mouse, and the wings of 3 

 bird. It has an enormous mouth, and large ears, which 

 are of a kind of membrane, thin and almost transparent. 

 The pinions of its wings are furnished with hooks, by 

 which it hangs to trees or the crevices in old walls 

 during the day, a great number of them together, as 

 they only fly at night. The wings of the Bat are very 

 large ; those of the Great Bat measuring fifteen inches 

 across. It feeds on insects of various kinds, particu- 

 larly on cockchafers and other winged beetles, part of 

 which, however, it always throws away. A female Bat 

 that was caught, and kept in a cage, ate meat when it 

 was given to her in little bits, and lapped water like a 

 cat. She was very particular in keeping herself clean, 

 using her hind feet like a comb, and parting her fur so 

 as to make a straight line down the back. Her wings 

 she cleaned by thrusting her nose into the folds, and 

 shaking them. She had a young one bom in the cage. 

 It was blind, and quite destitute of hair, and its mother 

 wrapped it in the membrane of her wing, pressing it so 

 closely to her breast, that no one could see her suckle it. 

 The next day the poor mother died, and the little one 

 was found alive, hanging to her breast. It was fed with 

 milk from a sponge, but only lived about a week. 



