64- VESPERTILIONID^. 



the fingers for flies which were concealed there. A fly 

 put on a smooth table was always a tempting but tanta- 

 lizing bait for them, for the Bats, in attempting to take 

 hold of it, almost invariably pushed it to the outside 

 of the table, from which it fell and was lost. When a 

 fly or other food was taken which was rather large, the 

 carpus was always brought into use to do the office of 

 a hand, and the food was pushed into the mouth with it, 

 but it did not appear that the claw on the thumb was 

 made use of; however, as at these times the nose was 

 always thrust more or less downwards under the breast, 

 it was not easy to make an accurate observation, from the 

 operation being so much concealed by the body of the 

 animal. Their constitution appeared delicate, and it was 

 difficult to keep them alive for any long period ; a good 

 flight round the room in the evening appeared necessary 

 to their existence, whilst the hardy little Pipistrelle and 

 the Noctule will live in a box without exercise for a 

 long time, if well supplied with food. 



The most northern English locality for this species 

 which has come to our knowledge is Durham, from which 

 place the Vespertilio cediiis of the Rev. L. Jenyns, was 

 obtained, which is now referred to Vespertilio Dauben- 

 tonii ; but in Scotland it has been met with as far north 

 as Aberdeen, specimens having been deposited in the 

 British Museum by Mr. John Macgillivray which had 

 been collected near that place. So recently as the 

 autumn of 1861 we received, through the kindness of 

 the Rev. G. Gordon, a specimen which had been taken 

 in the church of Peterculter, also in Aberdeenshire. 

 Its occurrence in Ireland in two localities has been es- 

 tablished ; viz., in Donegal, by the late Wm. Thomson, 

 and in Kildare by Dr. Kinahan.* It is found in various 

 * See Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Dublin, vol. ii. p. 154, et seq. 



