DAUBENTON'S BAT 



insect prey. Naught disturbs the eerie stillness save the 

 rustle of a four-footed hunter among the bracken, the 

 weird hoot of a Tawny Owl, the unexpected cackle of a 

 disturbed Blackbird, or the bark of a Fox in a distant 

 coppice, evidences, nevertheless, of the sounds that may 

 be heard by the ardent nature-lover who delights in 

 wandering abroad under the golden-dance of the starlit 

 sky. 



Daubenton's Bat. — Because of its fondness for the 

 vicinity of water, this species is also known as the Water 

 Bat. It is somewhat local in distribution, and although 

 occurring in England, Scotland and Ireland, it appears 

 not to favour the principality of Wales. It belongs to 

 the genus Vespertilio, the members of which are character- 

 ised by the number and position of the teeth, and also 

 by the long, rounded ears. 



One authentic observer states the interesting fact 

 that, whilst some of these Bats inhabit woods, caves, and 

 under the roofs of houses, those which tenant the two 

 first-named abodes are specially adapted in-so-far as the 

 structure of the foot is concerned. That is, the cave- 

 dwellers have larger feet than the woodlanders, and these 

 feet are almost free of membranes ; but in the case of 

 those individuals which prefer a wooded fastness, the much 

 smaller feet are enclosed in the wing-membrane. This 

 adaptation, according to the nature of the environment, 

 is intensely interesting, and provides ample material for 

 close study. Indeed, it is important to note that wild 



creatures, like their human prototypes, appear to vary 



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