54 NATURAL HISTORY 



love to frequent waters, not only for the sake of drink- 

 ing, but on account of insects, which are found over 



occupied in swallowing a large fly. Those which I offered, in the first 

 instance, were eaten entire ; but I subsequently observed detached wings 

 in the bottom of the box in which the bats were kept : I never, however, 

 observed the rejection of the wings by the bats, and am inclined to think 

 that they are generally swallowed. The olfactory nerves of the pipis- 

 trelle are acutely sensible, readily distinguishing between an insect and 

 a bit of beef; for when one of them has been hanging at rest, attached 

 by its hinder extremities to one of the bars in the front of its cage, I have 

 frequently placed a small piece of beef within a short distance of its 

 nose, but the beef has always been disregarded ; when, on the other 

 hand, I have put a fly in the same situation, the bat instantly commenced 

 snapping after it. They would eat the beef when they were hungry ; 

 but they never refused a fly, 



" In the day time they sometimes clustered together in a corner of the 

 cage. Towards evening they became very lively, and gave rapid utter- 

 ance to their harsh, creaking notes. The longest survivor of them died 

 after a captivity of nineteen days. 



" My intimate acquaintance with the noctule bat, the species of which 

 Gilbert White appears to have been the first English observer, and for 

 which he indicated the specific name altivolans, commenced on tin Kith 

 of May, 1834. I obtained on that day from Hertfordshire five specimens, 

 four of which were pregnant females. The fifth individual, a male, was 

 exceedingly restless and savage from the first ; biting the females, and 

 breaking his teeth against the wires of the cage in his attempts to escape 

 from his place of confinement. He rejected all food, and died on the 

 18th. Up to this time the remaining four had continued sulky ; but 

 towards the evening they ate a few small pieces of raw beef, in prefer- 

 ence to flies, beetles, or gentles, all of which were offered to them : only 

 one, however, fed kindly. On the 20th one died ; and on the 22nd, two 

 others. The survivor was tried with a variety of food, for I was anxious 

 to preserve her as long as possible ; and as she evinced a decided pre- 

 ference for the hearts, livers, &c. of fowls, she was fed constantly upon 

 them. Occasionally I offered to her large flies, but they were always 

 rejected ; although one or two May chafers placed within her reach 

 were partially eaten. In taking the food the wings are not thrown for- 

 ward in the manner of the pipistrelle, as if to surround a victim and 

 prevent its escape ; the action of the noctule in seizing the meat was 

 similar to that of a dog. The appetite was sometimes voracious; the 

 quantity eaten exceeding half an ounce, although the weight of the 

 animal was no more than ten drachms. It was in the evening that it 

 came down to its food : throughout the day it remained suspended by its 

 hinder extremities at the top of the cage. It lapped the water that 

 drained from the food, and in this, no less than in its manner of feeding, 

 there was a marked distinction between the noctule and the pipistrelle : 

 the latter in drinking raises its head. The animal evidently became 

 quite reconciled to her new position. She took considerable pains in 



