BRITISH MAMMALS 



ncss of bricks and mortar," is clearly proved by this 

 remarkable census of its feathered population. Its 

 many parks, gardens, open spaces, and sheets of orna- 

 mental water, not forgetting its famous Thames River, 

 provide capital haunts for wild life, whilst not long ago 

 the site of some old buildings which were pulled down to 

 make room for the new thoroughfares of Ald\wch and 

 Kingsway, provided abundant material lor a botanical 

 survey. Nature, left to herself, decorates and ornaments 

 — ^man too frequently desecrates and destroys. Nature 

 makes haste to hide with greenery and blossom unsightly 

 debris heaps, ruins, house foundations and the rest. 

 We have seen derelict building plots at Cromer, in 

 Norfolk, garlanded with a mass of Scarlet Poppies, and 

 a wayside dumping heap, composed of the flotsam and 

 jetsam of human life, is a favourite treasure-ground for 

 all those who study wild flowers, as even such an un- 

 savoury retreat finds them flourishing away from their 

 more natural homes. 



So-called because of its long ears, the Long-Eared 

 Bat may at once be recognised by these prominent 

 appendages. It belongs to the genus Plecotus, having 

 what are called nose-leaves on the top portion of the 

 nostrils. The ears are united towards the base, and are 

 of delicate structure. The remarkable inner ears, as 

 they may be called, should also be mentioned, as these 

 seem to have escaped the notice of other writers. In 

 colour, this species is brownish-grey on the upper 



parts, with paler below, but the long ears, and, what is 

 26 



