THE BATS 



799 



that " pouching " is only possible in the 

 case of "arboreal" Bats who can steady 

 themselves by clinging to bark or foliage 

 during the operation. 



I am equally doubtful as to the possi- 



A PAIR OF NOCTULES. 



The one on the right is in the normal head-downwards 

 sleeping position. The one on the left is commencing 

 to bestir himself, the first step being a slow movement 

 of the head from side to side, and a groping for foot- 

 hold with the thumbs, preliminary to launching into 

 the air. 



bility of a Bat using the interfemoral 

 membrane as a rudder. A Bat's hind- 

 legs are kept stiff in flight, the movement 

 of the wings being from the shoulder- 

 joints, and in most British species the 

 tail is recurved towards the belly. It 

 is conceivable that the pouch so formed 

 may serve as a brake when the Bat dives ; 

 and that a moth or beetle missed by 

 the Bat's teeth may on occasion get 

 caught up in it. I am inclined, how- 

 ever, to doubt the likelihood of a Bat 

 flying for any distance with his nose 

 jammed against his tail, as would 

 necessarily be the case if the tail 

 membrane were used as a feeding 

 trough. 



In any movement but flight Bats 

 appear to singular disadvantage. 

 Their progress is impeded by the 

 spread-eagling of their legs, by the 

 disproportionate length of their arms, 

 and by the continuity of the mem- 

 brane between their legs, arms, tail 

 and trunk. In scrambling they ad- 

 vance in order : (i) the fore-limb 

 until the thumb-claw is engaged, 

 (2) the hind-limb on the same side of 

 the body, (3) the opposite hind-limb. 



(4) the opposite lore-limb, and so da capo. 

 The ]iace to which they attain by this 

 awkward lopsided shuffle is remarkable, 

 while the ease with which many Bats can 

 soar from the flat is astounding. If by 

 any mischance a Bat finds himself in 

 water, he "rows" himsell clear with liis 

 wings. 



One would ha\-e supposed that Bats 

 \\ ould often be taken bv owls. This, how- 

 ever, seems to be an infrequent accident, 

 and it is possible that owls have learnt 

 by experience that the nutriment con- 

 tained in a Bat is disappointingly small. 

 1 have often picked up moribund Bats 

 who showed clear signs in the shape of 

 broken wing-bones, slit ears, and so forth, 

 of having received rough treatment. 

 One can seldom do much for them. 

 I endeavoured on one occasion to set the 

 broken radius of a Serotine, putting it 

 in miniature splints and securing these 

 bv silk passed through the wing membrane. 

 Although at the commencement of the 

 treatment the animal appeared to be in 

 excellent condition, he refused food and 

 died five days after I had picked him up 

 I was unable to satisfy myself that the 

 broken bones had in any way tended to 

 unite. During the actual setting of the 

 fractured bone the poor brute's screams 

 were piteous in tone and of an entirely 

 different quality from that needle voice 

 of Bats which is strident to the hearing 

 of some human beings and imperceptible 



Th 



TIIK LONG-EARED BAT. 



e wonderful ears are semi-transparent, and when viewed 

 against the light form a beautiful object, often of a delicate 

 pink colour. 



