40 MAMMALIA ORDER ILCHIROPTERA* 



membranes of which can be folded away between the arms and legs, while the 

 membrane joining the hind-legs can be drawn upwards along the tail ; and it 

 appears that all the members of the sub-family are better adapted for crawling 

 than are any other bats. The mastiff-bats are confined to Tropical and Sub- 

 Tropical America, and generally have 26 or 28 teeth, with two pairs of lower 

 incisors. The large ears, in which there is generally a small tragus, are 

 united at their bases ; the lips, in common with those of two allied genera, 

 are very large, and often thrown into pouches ; while the wings are remark- 

 ably long and narrow. 



The large Malayan naked bat (Chiromeles torquata) takes its name from the 

 thick and puckered skin being almost entirely naked ; and is further peculiar 

 in that the large first hind-toe can be opposed to the other digits. But the most 

 curious feature about the animal is the presence of a large pouch on the under 

 surface of the body below the armpits, in which the young are carried during 

 the period of suckling. The object of this special development is sufficiently 

 apparent, since, owing to the absence of fur, the young would be quite unable 

 to cling to the body of the parent in the usual bat fashion. The muzzle of 

 this curious bat is remarkably long and pig-like ; and the rather large ears 

 are widely separated from one another. Although most abundant in Africa 

 south of the Sahara, the wrinkled - lipped bats, constituting the genus 

 Nyctinomus, are the most widely spread, and, at the same time, the most 

 numerously represented group of the present sub-family, being found in 

 India and Burma, China, Australia, New Guinea, Tropical America, and 

 Madagascar ; while a single species (N. cestoni) is found in Southern and 

 Central Europe, where it is the sole representative of the entire family. 

 Closely allied to the rnastiff-bats, the members of the present genus may be dis- 

 tinguished by the gap dividing the upper incisor teeth in the middle line, and. 

 likewise by the greater development of the wrinkles on the full, fleshy lips. 



The last member of the family that will be mentioned is the New Zealand 

 bat (Mystacops tuberculatus), distinguished by having three joints to the 

 third finger of the wing, the first of which, when at rest, is folded back 

 beneath the metacarpal bone, instead of above it, as in the other members of 

 the family. Owing to a peculiarity in the structure of the wings, this species 

 is better suited for crawling than any other bat. The other species of bat 

 inhabiting New Zealand (Chalinolobus tuberculatus) belongs to a genus nearly 

 allied to Vesperugo, and is also found in Australia. 



The great family of vampire-bats is exclusively confined to Tropical 



America and the West Indies, and bears nearly the same relation to 



the preceding family as is presented by the horse-shoe bats 



Vampire-Bats. to the typical bats. In addition to the features common to 



Jamily Phyllo- the Emballonuridce, all have three joints to the middle 



stomatidce. or third finger of the wing, while there is either a well- 

 developed nose-leaf, or folds and warts are present on the 

 chin. A distinct tragus in the moderately-sized ears will always serve to 

 distinguish the numerous representatives of this family which have a nose- 

 leaf from the horse-shoe bats, without the necessity of counting the number 

 of joints in the middle finger of the wing. Vampire-bats are exceedingly 

 numerous, both as regards genera and species, so that only a few of the 

 former can be referred to here. All are strong flyers; but the various groups 

 present great differences in the nature of their food, some devouring insects 

 and fruits alike, while others are wholly frugivorous, and others again have 

 taken to a blood -sucking habit. 



