192 FAMILIES NOCTILIONID^ AND PTEROPID.E. 



monly known as Bull-dog Bats, on account of their short thick 

 muzzle, which is cleft, in some species, by a furrow similar to that 

 in the lip of a Hare. The tail projects beyond the membrane 

 that connects the hind-legs ; and the claws of the hind-feet are 

 large and strong. The length of the body is about four or five 

 inches ; and the spread of the wings at least a foot and a half. 

 In an East Indian genus, Dysopus, or Cheiromeles (Fig. 94), the 

 wings of which measure nearly two feet across, the hinder thumb 

 is placed at a distance from the rest of the toes, and is capable 

 of being opposed to them, a character which obviously connects 

 this group with the Quadrumana. The tail is here short ; and 

 there is an almost entire absence of the membrane connecting the 

 hind-legs. 



173. The Bats of the frugivorous section have molar teeth 

 with rounded eminences, for bruising and grinding their food ; 

 and the complex structure of their stomach, with the length of 

 the intestinal canal (which in the Pteropus is seven times that of 

 the body), also indicate that they are destined to subsist, in part 

 at least, upon a vegetable diet. Like many of the Monkeys, 

 however, they are probably in a degree omnivorous ; feeding 

 chiefly upon fruits, but pursuing small birds or large soft -bodied 

 insects (such as moths), which may be obtained without much 

 difficulty. This tribe contains but one family, the PTEROPID.E ; 

 which is characterised by the entire absence of the nose -leaf, the 

 simplicity of the ears, the shortness of the tail, and the absence 

 (partial or entire) of the membrane stretching between the 

 thighs. The Bats of this family are widely diffused throughout 

 the tropical regions of the Old World ; and many of them 

 exceed in size any others of the order. One of the most remark- 

 able species is the Pteropus Javanicus, or Roussette of Java, a 

 Bat with a fox-like head, the expanse of whose wings is no 

 less than five feet. It is very abundant in the lower parts of 

 the island, and lives in troops, which do not appear to visit 

 the more elevated districts. Numerous individuals, says Dr. 

 Horsfield, select a large tree for their resort ; and suspending 

 themselves by the claws of their hind-limbs to the naked 

 branches, often in companies of several hundreds, afford to a 



