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THE COMMON BAT. 



THK bat tribe, of which we have four species, seem to 

 occupy a middle station between quadrupeds and birds ; 

 but though at a first glance they may seem more nearly 

 allied to the former than the latter, it is only in their 

 power of raising themselves into the air, by means of 

 membranes that extend their body, that they have any 

 resemblance to birds. Like quadrupeds, they bring forth 

 their young alive and suckle them; their lungs and their 

 intestines are formed in a similar manner ; and humilia- 

 ting as it may appear, in some respects they so nearly 

 approximate the human conformation, that Linneeus has 

 placed them in the very first rank of animated nature. 



The common bat is about the size of a mouse, or nearly 

 two inches and a half long. The body is covered with a 

 short fur of a mouse colour, tinged with red ; the eyes are 

 small, and the ears exactly resemble those of a mouse. 

 The members, usually called wings, are merely the four 

 interior toes of the fore feet, extended to an enormous 

 length, and connected by a thin membrane, capable of 

 being contracted at pleasure, reaching also to the hind 

 legs, and from them to the tail. The first toe is entirely 

 loose and flexible, serving as a heel when the bat walks, 

 or as a hook when it is desirous of adhering to any thing. 

 The hind feet are disengaged from the surrounding skin, 

 and divided into five toes, furnished with sharp claws. 



This little animal makes its appearance in the summer 

 evenings, and flies about in quest of its prey, with a 

 laborious undulating motion. It principally frequents the 

 sides of woods, glades, and shady walks; but it also skims 

 along the surface of rivers and lakes, or wherever it can 

 find gnats, moths, and other nocturnal insects. If it 

 happens in its flight to strike against any object, and falls 

 to the ground, it is caught with facility. It pursues its 

 prey with open mouth, and when satisfied, retires to its 

 habitation, which is commonly the chink of a ruined 

 building, or the trunk of a tree. There it sleeps away the 

 greatest part of the day, even in summer, never venturing 

 abroad by day-light, or in rainy weather ; but as soon as 

 winter sets in it becomes wholly torpid, and remains in 

 that state till the return of spring. 



