SEROTINE BAT 



great rapidity in search of prey, which, it is believed, 

 mostly consists of gnats. It is probable that its excur- 

 sions are for this reason frequently undertaken in the 

 neighbourhood of water, where the insects in question 

 delight to congregate. 



Serotine Bat. — The third British Bat belonging to 

 the same genus as the two already dealt with, is the 



5»roKne. lE:^aT. 



Serotine (Fig. 2), but it is decidedly local in distribution, 

 and the rarest of the three. It possesses broad, round 

 tips upon the moderate-sized ears, with a fur of chestnut- 

 brown above and yellowish-grey below. This species, 

 however, is subject to colour variation, although the long, 

 silky hair and almost black wing-membranes, are present 

 in all specimens observed. The Serotine needs special 

 mention from the point of view that it is the most widely 



distributed of any known species of Bat, and, moreover, 



19 



