TYPICAL GROUP. 285 



This bat is chiefly characterised, so far as habits are concerned, by its partiality 

 for the neighbourhood of water, and from this peculiarity it is frequently over- 

 looked, even in districts where it is abundant. So close, indeed, does it fly to 

 the surface over which it skims, writes Professor Bell, that it is " difficult to dis- 

 tinguish between the creature itself and its reflection. The flight, quivering and 

 slow, is performed by very slight but rapid strokes of the wings. It may, indeed, 

 be said to vibrate rather than fly over the surface of the water. It could not well 

 fly in any other manner so near the surface without often striking it, and this it 

 seldom, or perhaps never, does, although it often pauses to dip its nose into the 

 water, whether to drink or to pick up some food we have been unable to ascertain. 

 The Daubenton's bat is, we suspect, rather an abundant species in the middle parts 

 of England ; at least it is plentiful in some parts of Warwickshire. We have some- 

 times seen these bats so thick on the Avon, near to Stratford, that at certain spots 

 there could not Have been fewer than one to every square yard, and this abundance 

 has extended over a very considerable space. It resorts indiscriminately to build- 

 ings or trees during the day, though we think the preference is given to the 

 former." The last observation is in harmony with the opinion of Dr. Dobson 

 already quoted, in which it is stated that the species with large feet choose build- 

 ings for resting-places in preference to trees. 



This bat is found in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and appears to extend 

 over the great part of Europe, having been recorded from Finland to Sicily. It 

 also extends into Asia, where it probably ranges over most of the temperate regions 

 to the northward of the Himalaya, while on the eastward of the Bay of Bengal it 

 extends southwards into the Tenasserim provinces. It is sometimes termed the 

 water-bat. 



The rough-legged bat (V. dasycneme) is another species belonging to the 

 same group of the genus, which has been recorded from the southern counties 

 of England. In it the wing-membrane extends only to the ankle ; and the species 

 is readily distinguished from the rest by the form of the tragus of the ear, which 

 approaches that of the serotine, and also by the thinness of the hair on the face. 

 It is widely distributed on the Continent, but has only of late years been recognised 

 as British. 



The reddish-grey, or Natterer's bat ( V. nattereri), is also a British species of 

 very local occurrence, and belongs to the second or typical group of the genus 

 Vespertilio. This group is characterised by the smaller size of the foot, by the 

 wing-membrane generally extending down the leg as far as the base of the toes, 

 and also by the obtuse angle in the middle of the free hinder margin of the 

 membrane between the legs. Moreover, the tail is either wholly contained within 

 the margin of that membrane, or has only its extreme tip projecting beyond; 

 while the spur arising from the ankle to support this membrane is shorter, reach- 

 ing only to half, instead of three-quarters of the distance between the ankle and 

 tail. The colour of its fur is lighter than that of any other British species. This 

 bat is characterised by the relatively small size of its head ; and its fur is of a 

 reddish-grey colour above, and whitish beneath. Owing to the smallness of the head, 

 the total length of the head and body is somewhat less than in Daubenton's bat, 

 but the span of the expanded wings is 2 inches more, and thus reaches 11 inches. 



