186 FAMILY RHINOLOPHIDJS. HORSE-SHOE BATS. 



These families are all distributed in large numbers over a con- 

 siderable part of the globe, extending almost to the coldest 

 regions; but it is in tropical regions that the Bats are most 

 abundant, and attain the largest dimensions. No fewer than 

 fifteen species are known to inhabit this country ; of these, all 

 but two belong to the family Vespertilionidae. 



169. The family RHINOLOPHID.&, distinguished from the 

 other insectivorous Bats, by the extraordinary development of 

 the nasal appendage, contains a large number of species, most of 

 which are inhabitants of the Eastern hemisphere, especially the 

 islands of the Indian Archipelago. Two species are known in 

 England, under the name of the Greater and Lesser Horse-shoe 

 Bats ; which designation they have received from the peculiar 

 form of the front of the nose-leaf. These animals are not 

 common ; for they inhabit only the darkest and least accessible 

 caverns, subterranean quarries, and other like situations, scarcely 

 ever coming forth into daylight. Hence their habits are but 



little known. Most of this 

 family are remarkable for 

 the great development of 

 their integuments ; in the 

 Megaderms of Africa and 

 the Indian Archipelago, 

 there is not only an enor- 

 mous nose-leaf, but a very 

 large pair of ears; the 

 wings too, being of great 

 size ; whilst in the Nyc- 

 terins of the same coun- 

 tries, the skin is loosely 

 attached to the body, 

 and may be distended by 

 air blown beneath it, so 

 as to make the animal 

 look like a little balloon, 



FIG. 88. HEAD OF MEGADERMA FRONS- ., . . , ,i T j 



furnished with head, wings, 

 and feet. This is done by the animal itself, through an aper- 



