24.8 FLYING FOXES. 



digestion of animal food. On the other hand, in the Frugi- 

 vorous Bats, the molar teeth are furnished with rounded 

 eminences adapted for the mastication of vegetable food, while 

 the stomach is of an exceedingly complex character, and the 

 intestines are many times the length of the body. In these Bats 

 too, there is no unusual development of the nose or ears, and in 

 many cases the tail is considerably shortened, and the meml.rane 

 between the hind limbs greatly reduced, or wholly absent. All 

 these characteristics mark the Bats of this division as being little 

 qualified for the pursuit of living prey, but rather designed to 

 subsist chiefly, if not exclusively, on vegetable food. 



The strictly Frugivorous Bats comprise but one family the 

 Pteropide or Rousette Bats, the Flying Foxes already alluded to. 

 These Bats are confined for the most part to the tropical regions 

 of the Old World, over which, however, they are widely dis- 

 tributed. One of the most remarkable of the number, and one 

 which, as to its habits, may be taken as a representative of the 

 rest, is the Kalong of Java (Pteropus Javanicus), an enormous 

 creature, with a fox-like head, measuring five feet in the expanse 

 of its wings. Our knowledge of this animal is chiefly derived 

 from Dr. Horsfield, who states that it is very abundant in the 

 lower parts of Java, where it lives in troops, often of several 

 hundreds, which frequent large trees like the banyan. The 

 greater part of the day they pass in sleep, hanging motionless, 

 with the head downwards, and the wings wrapped about the 

 body. They have little resemblance to living beings, and by 

 persons not accustomed to them are readily mistaken for a part of 

 the tree, or for fruit of uncommon size suspended from its 

 branches. In general these societies preserve a perfect silence 

 during the day, but if they happen to be disturbed, or a quarrel 

 arises amongst them, they emit sharp piercing shrieks, and 

 shuffle about in such an awkward manner as to present a very 

 ludicrous spectacle. In consequence of the sharpness of their 

 claws, their attachment is so strong that they cannot readily 

 leave their hold without the assistance of the expanded mem- 

 brane, and if suddenly killed in their natural attitude during 

 the day, they continue suspended after death. It is necessary 

 therefore to oblige them to take wing by alarming them, if it be 

 desired to obtain them during the day. Soon after sunset they 

 quit tfieir hold of the tree, and set off in quest of food to the 



