SEROTTNE. 45 



described and well figured in the eighth volume of 

 Buffon's great work. 



It appears to have very much the habit of the Noctule, 

 at least as far as regards its late appearance in the spring, 

 its sound and long-continued slumber. It flies from 

 evening till morning, when the state of the atmosphere 

 is favourable. In France, where it is far from being rare, 

 it frequents forests, where it flies amongst lofty trees ; it is 

 also commonly found amongst the huge piles of wood in 

 the timber-yards of Paris, seeking its place of repose on 

 the tops of the highest piles. With us it appears to be 

 a local species, appearing only in the south-eastern parts 

 of our island. It is said to occur in the neighbourhood 

 of London, and we have examined a considerable number 

 of specimens from Folkestone, and the Isle of Wight. 

 We think it highly probable that it may be more 

 common in the southern counties than is generally sup- 

 posed, as from its size it would be readily confounded 

 with the Noctule. All our endeavours to meet with 

 this fine species in the midland counties have proved 

 unavailing, nor can we learn that it has ever been met 

 with in the West of England. Its flight is slow. It 

 shuns society more than most other Bats, being generally 

 found either solitary or in pairs. It has only one 

 young one at a birth, about the end of May in France, 

 probably somewhat later in this country. It is found 

 in Germany, Holland, France, Switzerland, and the 

 Pyrenees, and is included by Dr. Eversman in his de- 

 scriptive catalogue of the Bats of the Ural Mountains. 

 Prof. Brandt also mentions the Serotine in his work on 

 the Mammals of European and Asiatic Russia. We find 

 it given by M. Nordman in his Natural History notes 

 appended to the travels of M. Demidoif, in Southern 

 Russia and the Crimea. He says it was found in " Bess- 

 arabie, et dans le gouvernement d'Ekaterinoslaw." It 



