LIFE ABOUT OUR HOMES IN FALL 77 



When the sun has set, the bats come out of their hiding- 

 places and flutter about trees and houses, uttering from 

 time to time a shrill chirp. 



The general color of bats is that of mice. Some kinds 

 are brown or reddish, others rather black, and their fur is 

 as soft as that of a mouse. The little animal resembles a 

 mouse so much in color, size, and general appearance that 

 the Germans call it " Fluttermouse " (Fledermaus). But 

 bats are very different from mice in several respects. They 

 have a peculiar kind of wings with which they can fly, and 

 their teeth are quite different from those of mice. We have 

 seen how the legs of the frog are made for jumping and 



FIG. 20. A BAT. 



swimming. The limbs of the bat are so changed that they 

 have become organs of flight. 



A thin skin, or mantle, connects the fore and hind legs, 

 and is also attached to the tail. The four long thin bones 

 in which the fore limbs end are really the four digits, or 

 fingers, much lengthened. Only the thumb of the fore 

 limbs is short and bears a claw. Does the mantle remind 

 you of a parachute or umbrella ? With this parachute the 

 bat can fly almost as well as the bird flies with his wings. 



When bats fly about, they hunt for moths and other noc- 

 turnal insects, of which they eat a great many. Flying 

 makes them very hungry, just as it does the birds. 



