BATS. 37 



and settling on the parapet, so late as the 20th of 

 November. 



At present, I know only two species of bats, 

 the common vespertilio murinus and the vesper- 

 tilio auribus. 1 



I was much entertained last summer with a tame 

 bat, which would take flies out of a person's hand. 

 If you gave it any thing to eat, it brought its 

 wings round before the mouth, hovering and 

 hiding its head in the manner of birds of prey 

 when they feed. The adroitness it showed in 

 shearing off the wings of the flies, which were 

 always rejected, was worthy of observation, and 

 pleased me much. Insects seemed to be most 

 acceptable, though it did not refuse raw flesh 

 when offered; so that the notion, that bats go 

 down chimneys and gnaw men's bacon, seems no 

 improbable story. While I amused myself with 

 this wonderful quadruped, I saw it several times 

 confute the vulgar opinion, that bats, when down 

 on a flat surface, cannot get on the wing again, 

 by rising with great ease from the floor. It ran, 

 I observed, with more despatch than I was aware 

 of ; but in a most ridiculous and grotesque manner. 



Bats drink on the wing, like swallows, by sip- 

 ping the surface as they play over pools and 

 streams. They love to frequent waters, not only for 

 the sake of drinking, but on account of the insects, 

 which are found over them in the greatest plenty. 

 As I was going some years ago, pretty late, in a 

 boat from Richmond to Sunbury, on a warm sum- 

 mer's evening, I think I saw myriads of bats be- 



1 Dr. Fleming, in his description of British animals, 1828, 

 enumerates seven species included in the general rhinolophus, 

 or those having membranes upon the nose ; vespertilio, com- 

 prising our common bat ; and plecotus, those with large ears. 

 W. J. 



