82 



THE WING-HANDED ANIMALS. 



with agility and quickness. They eat insects, only, 



and for the most part such as are very harmful to 



Man. They make a loud, whistling, chirping sound. 



The The Long-eared Bat {Plccotiis aitritiis) 



Long-Eared cannot be mistaken for any other, be- 

 Bat - cause of its long, large ears. It is 

 one of the largest European Bats, measuring about 

 four inches in length, its tail occupying about one 

 and one-half inches, and the expanse of its wings 

 being ten inches. The ears are more than two 

 inches long, traversed by many furrows, and they 

 curve backwards. The inner margin of each is 

 furnished with a tongue-like flap, and the entire 

 ear is very mobile. The fur is brownish-gray, and 

 the face is bordered with white hair. Young animals 

 are darker than old ones. 



The Long-eared Bat is distributed all over Eu- 

 rope, south from the sixtieth degree of latitude ; 



Common Bat. 



EGYPTIAN RHINOPOME. What queer-looking creatures are here depicted, with their Hog- 

 like noses, great ears and long, Rat-like tails. They are African Bats and are found along the waters of 

 the Nile, being fond of low places, and diligent hunters for food. (Rhinopoma microphyllum.) 



and it has also been found in northern Africa, 

 western Asia and the East Indies. It is very 

 common, but lives singly, not in troops. It always 

 keeps in the neighborhood of human dwellings, 

 sleeping in summer as often in hollow trees as 

 behind window-shutters, and in winter it visits cel- 

 lars and basements as frequently as mines and quar- 

 ries. In the city it likes squares grown with trees 

 and shrubs, and, therefore, makes its appearance 

 nearly always in rooms overlooking gardens. 



Long-eared Bats bear captivity better than most 

 of their relatives, and may live for months or even 

 years, with very careful treatment. For this reason 

 they are usually selected for the purpose of a study 

 of the family in general. They may become more or 

 less tame. Faber had one in his possession which he 

 studied for several weeks. It was a very active little 

 animal, especially at dusk, and often flew about in 

 the day-time, but remained quiet towards midnight. 

 It could fly about in the rooms with the greatest 

 ease, avoiding obstacles by whirring around them. 

 It could climb upon the walls very well by the aid of 



its thumb. At the slightest noise it pricked up its 

 ears, like a horse. In repose the ears were always 

 folded back. It often turned its head, licked itself 

 with its tongue and sniffed. Like all Bats it suf- 

 fered much from parasites, and often scratched its 

 head with its nails. 



The Mouse-colored The Mouse-colored or Common Bat 

 or (Vcspertilio murinus) inhabits all of 



central Europe, beginning with 

 England, Denmark and middle Russia, southern 

 Europe, northern Africa and the greatest part of 

 Asia, up to the Himalaya Mountains. This is one of 

 the largest of European Bats. It measures nearly 

 five inches, two being occupied by the tail, and the 

 expanse of its wings is fifteen inches. Its upper 

 part is light gray-brown, the lower a dingy white ; 

 young animals being lighter gray. 



From March until October one is sure to see the 

 Common Bat in localities favor- 

 able to its existence, and it is 

 easily recognized by its flight, 

 which is clumsy and fluttering, 

 but devoid of zigzag movements. 

 It also lives in mountains and 

 spends the day under the roofs of 

 old buildings, or more rarely in 

 caverns, hanging in clusters. The 

 quarrelsome disposition and vi- 

 cious biting of these Bats drive 

 away all smaller varieties, except 

 the Blood-suckers. Koch's obser- 

 vations of captive Common Bats 

 lead him to think that the weaker 

 kinds have good reasons for avoid- 

 ing them, as they sometimes kill 

 the smaller ones with a bite and 

 then eat portions of them. 

 The Nodule The Noctule ( Vespe- 

 or migo noctula) is an 



Great Bat. ear i y flying Bat, and 

 is popularly known in England as 

 the "Great Bat." It is a common 

 animal in Europe and is about 

 four and one-half inches long, with 

 an expanse of wing of fifteen 

 inches. Its color is a reddish- 

 brown, the ears and wings being 

 brownish-black. The wings are 

 long and narrow and its flight is 

 very rapid, resembling that of a Swallow. 



The Noctule is the strongest of the European Bats. 

 It comes out earliest and flies highest. Not infre- 

 quently it is seen a few hours before sunset, dex- 

 terously eluding the pursuits of birds of prey. By 

 its sudden turnings it escapes nearly all attacks,, 

 and not even the quick Falcon, which captures Swal- 

 lows on the wing, can harm it. 

 The Barbastelle A strange looking creature is the 

 or Barbastelle (Sytiotus barbastcllus), 



Pug-Dog Bat. ca .lled in Germany the Pug- Dog Bat. 

 The ears, united over the crown of the head, give to 

 the face a remarkable expression. The wings are 

 long and slender ; the spur-bone at the heel shows 

 a projecting, rounded fold of skin. The tail is a 

 little longer than the body. This creature measures 

 four and a half inches in length, with an expanse of 

 wing of ten inches. Its upper side is a dark brown, 

 nearly black ; beneath it is a little lighter, being 

 grayish-brown. 



Blasius says that this Bat is common in England,. 

 France, Italy, Germany, Sweden and the Crimea* 



