CriAP. 2. 



QUADRUPEDS OF VERMONT. 



25 



S4.Y S BAT. 



HOARY BAT. 



CAROLINA BAT. 



'^. 



^L 



SAY'S BAT- 

 Vcspertilio suhdotus. — Say. 

 Description. — Head short, broad and 

 flat ; noso blunt with a small, flat, naked 

 muzzle ; eyes small, situated near the 

 ears and covered with fur ; ears longer 

 than the head, thin ovate, obtuse and 

 hairy at the base behind ; tragus thin, 

 broadly subulate below, tapering upwards 

 and ending in an obtuse tip, at about two 

 thirds the height of the ear ; color of the 

 back yellowish brown, the belly yellow- 

 ish gray ; fur soi't and fine, and blackish 

 towards the roots ; .head covered with 

 fur, excepting about the nostrils ; color 

 blackish about tlie mouth; whiskers few, 

 short and stitP; membrane between the 

 hind legs broad, thinly covered with 

 fur next the body, and tapering to a point 

 near the extremity of the tail, which it 

 envelopes; toes of the hind feet long; 

 hooked tliumb including the nail j of an 

 inch. Length of the specimen before 

 me, from the nose to the insertion of the 

 tail, 2 inches ; tail 1^ inches ; spread of 

 the wings, 10 inches. 



History. — This Bat seems to be distrib- 

 uted very generally through the conti- 

 nent. It was first described scientifically 

 by Mr. Say, in the notes to the account of 

 Long's expedition, from a specimen ob- 

 tained at the foot of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. It was afterwards minutely descri- 

 bed by Dr. Richardson from specimens ob- 

 tained on the upper branches of the Sas- 

 katcliewan and Peace rivers.* Speci- 

 mens have since been obtained from Lab- 

 rador, Georgia, Ohio, New Hampshire 

 and Columbia river. It is one of the small- 

 est, and, I think, the most common Bat 

 found in Vermont, especially in the cen- 

 tral mountainous parts, where it enters 

 the houses in the evening and is easily 

 captured. The specimen, from which my 

 description was drawn was taken in Wa- 

 terbury. 



THE HOARY BAT. 



Vesperlilio jirvinosus. — Say. 

 Description. — Ears broad, shorter than 

 the head, broadly ernarginate behind, hairy 

 on the outside inore^ than half the length. 



* Fauna Boreali Americana, part !. p. 

 Ft. I. 4 



and at the central part of the inside , tra- 

 gus bent, club-shaped and blunt at the 

 tip. Canine teetJi large and prominent; 

 incisors in the upper jaw conical with a 

 tubercle near the base, very near the ca- 

 nines, and nearl3r in a line with them ; 

 snout cartilaginous and moveable ; nos- 

 trils wide apart. Eyes black and promi- 

 nent. Fur on the body blackisli brown 

 at its base, then pale brownish yellow, 

 then brownish and terminated with clear, 

 delicate white, like hoar frost ; furonthe 

 throat, on and about the ears, and on the 

 inside of the wings towards their base, 

 fulvous; snout, chin, margin of the ears 

 and the posterior part of the wing mem- 

 brane, blackisli ; the anterior part of the 

 wings and the base of the fur on the in- 

 ter.*emoral membrane, dark chestnut. 

 Tail, wholly embraced in the interfemoral 

 membrane, whicli is thickly covered with 

 fur, except at the very posterior extremi- 

 ty. Length of the specimen before me, 

 from the snout to the extremity of the 

 t;ul, .5^ inches ; spread of the wings, when 

 fully extended, ItJ.i inches. 



History. — This bat was also finst de- 

 scribed by Say in Long's expedition and 

 has since been minutely described by 

 Richardson,* Coopert and others. Ithas 

 been ibund in most parts of the United 

 States and Avas obtained by Dr. Richardson 

 as far north as lat. 54°. It is not common 

 in Vermont, but is occasionally met with. 

 The only Vermont specimen, which I have 

 examined, and that from which the pre- 

 ceding description was drawn, was sent 

 me alive by my friend, David Reed, Esq., 

 of Colchester. It was taken at his place 

 in Colchester the latter part of October, 

 1841, and was kept alive for some time in 

 a large willow basket witn a flat cover of 

 the same material. On opening the bas- 

 ket^ he was almost invariably found sus- 

 pended by his hind claws from the central 

 part of the cover. When the basket was 

 open, he manifested little fear, or disposi- 

 tion to fly, or get away, during the day 

 time, but in the evening would readily 

 mount on the wing and fly about the 

 room, and on lighting always suspended 

 him.selfby his hind claws with his head 

 downward. He ate fearlessly and vora- 

 ciously of fresh meat when oftered to him, 

 but could not be made to eat the common 

 house fly. 



CAROLINA BAT. 



Vespertilio carolitiensis. — Geoff rot. 

 Description. — Ears rather large and 

 naked, except on the back side near the 



* Fauna Boreali Americana f . [>■ 1. 



t Annals N. Y, Lyceum ../ Nat. His. Vol. IV. 54. 



