Zoological Society, 149 



gatd, obtusiusculd ; anfractibus 8 planiuscuUs, ultimo ^ longi- 

 tudinis paulo superante ; columella antrorsum arcuatd, prope basin 

 aperturtB abrupt e truncatd; aperturd ellipticO'Semiovali j peristo- 

 mate simplice. 



Long. 20, diam. 7 mill. 



From St. John's, Portorico (under stones). 



14. Clausilia Sieboldti, Pfr. Claus. testd arcuato-rimatd, fust- 

 formi, soliddy confertim costulatd, vix nitiduld, corneo-fuscd ; spird 

 sensim attenuatd, acutd ; anfractibus 10 convexis, ultimo penulti- 

 mum nan superante, basi rotundato, obsolete gibbo ; aperturd 

 magnd, pyriformi ; lamellis mediocribus, convergentibus ; lunelld 

 profundd, arcuatd, extus conspicud; plied palatali 1 mediocri 

 subcolumellari inconspicud; peristomate continue, libero, albo, ex- 

 panse , refiexiusculo . 



Long. 18, diam. 4 mill. 



From Japan (Sieboldt). 



July 11 .—R. C. Griffith, Esq., in the Chair. 



The following papers were communicated to the Meeting : — 



1. On the Occukrence and Habits of Vespertilio emarginatus. 



By R. F. Tomes. 



The specimen of a Bat, the habits of which I am about to describe, 

 was taken in Warwickshire, near Stratford-on-Avon, whilst flitting 

 around the tops of some high elms by the Avon-side on the 20th of 

 June, 1847. It was in company with several others when I suc- 

 ceeded in shooting it, which I found very difficult on account of their 

 exceedingly crooked, irregular mode of flight. 



I believe I have never seen one of these flying in open places in a 

 straightforward manner, as the commoner species, the Noctule and 

 Pipistrelle, usually do ; but they follow intimately and exactly the ex- 

 tremities of the top branches of high elm or ash trees, always in the 

 most sheltered and quiet spots, never appearing on the windward 

 side of a tree, even on the calmest evening. They seem of a much 

 more social disposition than any other kind of Bat, being usually in 

 parties of about half-a-dozen, and all of them most commonly hawk- 

 ing round the same tree for a few minutes, then moving off^ to the 

 next, and so on till all the trees of the group have been searched ; 

 and then a re- examination of the same trees takes place. 



As above stated, their flight is never straight, even for a moment, 

 but is excessively vacillating and butterfly-Hke, though rather slow, — 

 performed, as I believe, with the head directed towards the centre of 

 the tree, so that they in fact fly in a sideward direction. From this 

 circumstance I conclude that they take their food, which consists of 

 very minute gnats, while resting on the outer leaves, or when about 

 to settle on them. 



If watched very closely for a little time, they move on to some 

 other tree, appearing to shun observation very carefully. 



Gilbert White, I think, remarked of the Noctule, that it usually 

 came abroad later than the Pipistrelle, which I can from personal 



