140 THE WOODLANDS. 



Only two kinds of bats are addicted to trees ; these 

 are the Noctule or Great Bat, and Natterer's Bat, 

 but these are by no means confined to woods. Bats 

 may often be seen flying about in woodlands in search 

 of insects ; and so many other of our indigenous ani- 

 mals, not enumerated here, are occasionally to be 

 met with in such situations, shrews, rats, mice, 

 rabbits, &c. ; but as they are not exclusively or chiefly 

 sylvan species, it has not been considered necessary 

 to notice them. No " hard-and-fast line " can be 

 drawn, either with animals or plants, in many in- 

 stances, because, in some conditions, and under some 

 circumstances, they will be found in one locality, and 

 at other times in another. There are animals, as well 

 as plants, which have the faculty of accommodating 

 themselves to varied conditions. 



The total number of British quadrupeds is small, 

 but after eliminating the aquatic species it will be 

 observed that half of that number, and certainly those 

 which possess the greatest interest, are sylvan in their 

 habits. If the whole number be estimated at sixty 

 species, there are not less than eighteen of these 

 aquatic, and sixteen bats ; so that there really remain 

 only twenty-six to be accounted for, and of these one- 

 half are more or less sylvan in their habits, the residue 

 including deer, hare, rabbit, rats, mice, shrews, otter, 

 -and arvicoles. 



