LEAF-NOSED BATS. 265 



sionally venturing forth at twilight when the warm southern winds are blowing. 

 The horseshoe-bats, with their near allies the leaf-nosed bats, may be regarded 

 as the most highly organised of the entire insectivorous group, as is especially 

 indicated by the great development of their nasal appendages, and also by their 

 compact and delicately-formed bones. 



The leaf -nosed bats (Hipposiderus) may be distinguished from the preceding 

 group by the form of the nose-leaf, in which the upper and hinder portion does 

 not terminate in a point, and there is also no median process hiding the nostrils. 

 Moreover, the large leaf -like antitragus found in front of the ears of the horseshoe- 

 bats is reduced to a very small remnant ; and the teeth, owing to a reduction in 

 the number of the premolars, are fewer than in the horseshoe-bats, the total 

 being either thirty or twenty-eight. Leaf-nosed bats are quite unknown in 

 Europe, but are widely spread over the warmer regions of Africa, Asia, and 

 Australia. Some of these bats exceed in size the largest of the horseshoe group ; 

 the largest of all being Commerson's bat (H. commersoni), from Africa and 

 Madagascar, next to which is the great Himalayan leaf -nosed bat (H. armiger), 

 extending from the Eastern Himalaya to China. Males of this species are just 

 over 4 inches in length, exclusive of the tail. The following account of its habits 

 is taken from Dr. J. Scully, who writes : " This bat usually harbours during the 

 day in caves, or commonly in lofts, outhouses, and sheds that are little used ; in the 

 latter localities it suspends itself, by the claws of the feet, from the rafters. - When 

 attaching itself in this way to the edge of a beam or rafter, the animal sways, 

 pendulum-like, a few times until the impetus given during flight is exhausted ; and it 

 then hangs motionless with its wings folded close to the body. If slightly alarmed 

 by the opening of a door, or any unusual noise in the room it occupies, the head is 

 thrust out and turned carefully in various directions, as if for the purpose of finding 

 out the cause of disturbance. On such occasions I have purposely dropped a heavy 

 book on the floor so as to alarm the bat thoroughly. The animal would at once fly 

 off, and either take several turns round the room or else leave it ; but it invariably 

 returned quickly and attached itself to the spot it had previously occupied. It 

 comes out for the capture of its prey about sunset, and its hunting-grounds are 

 gardens, orchards, cleared spaces in woods, or avenues of trees ; somewhere near 

 trees always. It is sometimes found flying on a level with the tops of the trees, 

 but more commonly nearer the ground ; a very characteristic movement it has is a 

 slow but steady sweep round a leafy tree, or clump of trees, in search of insects 

 which frequent the lower branches. While it was intently occupied in this circular 

 flight I have been nearly touched on the face by this bat, as I walked across the 

 grounds attached to my house in Nipal. And in passing so close to one it could 

 be distinctly heard crunching the hard-bodied insects it had caught between its 

 strong teeth. Sometimes these bats come out of their day retreat before the insects 

 they are in search of are to be found in plenty. On the 25th August, about 6 P.M., 

 I noticed an example flying close to a tree.. It circled twice round the tree while I 

 was watching it, keeping about three feet above the ground. Apparently finding 

 that none of the insects it wanted were about, it suspended itself to a small hori- 

 zontal branch of the tree, just three and a half feet above the ground, and so 

 remained for some time. It was probably waiting for a more propitious hour. 



