THE GREATER HORSESHOE BAT 81 



bats, that one exception being the mouse-coloured 

 bat, which is exceedingly rare. I have myself 

 frequently seen the great bat ; indeed, I have, 

 when a boy, occasionally shot it. 



With the common bat everyone is more or less 

 acquainted. 



The greater horseshoe bat so called from the 

 peculiar shape of its nostrils, which, as viewed 

 from in front, present the appearance of an 

 inverted horseshoe is, if not rare, at all events 

 by no means common. It frequents buildings and 

 caverns. There is a smaller variety of this bat 

 the smaller horseshoe bat but it is rare, and 

 restricted chiefly to some few places in the 

 South of England. It is considerably smaller 

 than the preceding variety, and differs in some 

 respects, notably in colour, for whereas the fur of 

 the greater horseshoe bat is reddish-gray above, 

 and pale gray beneath, that of the smaller variety 

 is grayish-brown above, the lower parts being pale 

 gray tinged with yellow, the measurement across 

 the wings being but eight and a half inches, as 

 compared with fourteen inches. 



The long-eared bat is one of the most common 

 of our British varieties. It is easily distinguishable 

 by the length of its ears, which are very large and 

 curious. It is one of the most active and agile 

 of the tribe. It is to be found distributed over 

 the whole of Britain, and frequents steeples, 

 towers, ruined buildings, and caverns. Like the 

 common, or, as it is termed, the pipistrelle bat, it 



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