THE COMMON OR LITTLE BAT. 39 



insects, which the hot evenings bring to life. Mr. 

 Bill, of Christchurch, Hants, some years ago caught 

 a Bat of this species with an artificial fly, as he was 

 one evening about to angle for roach in the river 

 Stour. 



Perhaps none of the English Bats are so well able 

 to bear the effects of cold as these. They are (o 

 be seen abroad, more or less frequently, in almost 

 every month of the year. Even in the depth of 

 winter they are sometimes roused from their torpid 

 state, and venture out, as usual, in search of prey. 

 I have more than once observed them in perfect 

 vigour, in the early part of the month of December. 



They are exceedingly voracious of their proper 

 food ; and will sometimes devour even raw flesh. 

 The farmers in many parts of England assert that 

 they occasionally descend the shafts of chimneys, 

 and gnaw the bacon which is hung there to be dried 

 in the smoke. 



At different times I have had several of these 

 Bats alive ; but in the spring of 1804 I caught one, 

 which, within an hour afterwards, had courage suf- 

 ficient to take food out of my hand. I held one of 

 the common house-flies in my fingers, in such rnan- 

 ner as to touch the animal's nose, and rouse it from 

 sleep : it made a kind of smack with its mouth, 

 threw itself suddenly forward by its hind-feet, and 

 immediately devoured the insect. I then caught 

 for it one of the large blue flesh-flies. I touched 

 its nose with this, as I had done with the former, 



and 



