14 



CLASS MAMMALIA. 



ORDER C HEIROPTERA. 



brought to the museum, the young one firmly adhering to its mother's teat. 

 The faithful creature lived two days in the museum, and then died of in- 

 juries received from her captor." 



VESPEETHJO. Of this interesting genus all insect feeders there are in 

 England no less than twelve species. Generally throughout the day they 

 remain hidden in hollow trees, clefts of rocks, caverns, under the eaves of 

 houses, or other outof-the-way places, suspending themselves by their hind 

 claws with their heads downwards, and crowding together one over another 

 so closely as to make it matter of astonishment how they can find room to 

 attach themselves. But as soon as the sun sinks below the horizon, and 

 twilight appears, their busy time arrives, and they are seen darting and 

 swimming around trees, or flitting over streams where gnats and other cre- 

 puscular insects are swarming, and, as it were, inviting their voracity, till 

 morning dawns, when they speedily fly off to their retreats. All the Bats 

 hybemate, but for very different periods ; the Pipistrelle, our most common 

 species, is seen almost to Christmas, and reappears as early as the middle 

 of March. They produce rarely more than one or two at a birth, and carry 

 them in their wing membranes as in cradles. Spallanzani found that though 

 deprived as far as possible of sight, scent, or hearing, they were still capable . 

 of flying about and avoiding every obstacle against which they might be 

 presumed likely to strike when set at liberty in places unknown to them, 

 and that they were able even to pass through passages which were only 

 sufficiently large to admit them. This remarkable phenomenon has been 

 beautifully explained by Cuvier, who observes, that " the membrane uniting 

 the hands and fingers presents to the air a very extensive surface; the 

 nerves distributed to it are numerous and very extensively divided, forming 

 an admirable net-work by their delicacy, and by the number of their anasto- 

 moses. It is probable that in the act of flight, the air struck by the wing, 

 or this so-sensible hand, impresses on it a sensation of heat, cold, mobility, 

 resistance, indicating to the animal the obstacles and facilities which it 

 meets with in its flight. Thus is it that blind men distinguish with the 

 hand, and even with the face, their approach to a wall, to the door of a house, 

 to a street, before touching them, and by the simple sensation of different 

 resistance of the air." (Lecons d'Anatomie Comparee, vol. ii. p. 581, 1st edit.) 



A division of the Bats into two sections, though perhaps of but little 

 importance, may be founded on the different shape of the tragus or earlet, 

 which stands up like a valve before the passage leading to the ear-drum, 

 it being in some species more disposed to a lance-like or even linear shape, 

 whilst in others, with a narrowish base, it spreads upwards into a kidney 

 or heart-shaped process. 



1. Bats with the lancet-shaped earlet. The Mouse-coloured Bat (V. Mu- 

 rinus), three and a half inches in length, extent of the wings fifteen inches. 

 This is one of the largest European, and the largest British Bat, and here 

 of extreme rarity, being only authenticated as caught in the gardens of the 

 British Museum. They live in large companies, frequenting old retired 

 buildings, but do not resort to woods, and avoid the society of other 

 species. 



Bechstein's Bat (V. Bechsteinii), two inches in length, twelve inches in 

 width : it is a native of Europe, but rare in this country, and hitherto only 

 taken in the New Forest, where it lives in small parties of a dozen or 

 thirteen, resorting solely to hollow trees, never approaching dwelling-places, 

 and not intermixing with other species. 



The Reddish-grey Bat (V. Nattereri), length of head and body nearly two 

 inches : a native of England, not infrequently living in hollow trees and 

 caverns in company with V. BarbasteUus and Mystacinus, and also with 

 Plecotus Auritus. It is found also in other parts of Europe. 



The Whiskered Bat (V. Mystacinus), head and body measures nearly 

 two inches : is a native of England and other parts of Europe ; rarely fre- 

 quents houses, and is said to prefer the neighbourhood of water, and is 

 sometimes found in caverns. 



Daubenton's Bat (V. Daubentonii), head and body two inches in length : 

 a native of England, is found also in many parts of Germany and in Den- 

 mark ; flies rapidly near the ground or over stagnant waters. 



The Pygmy Bat (V. Pygmseus), length of head and body not quito an 

 inch and a quarter : is very numerous in the neighlxrarhood of Dartmoor 

 forest, where it was first discovered by Dr. Leach, but is by some persons 

 considered doubtful, and perhaps only the young of another species. 



The Hairy Bat (V. Polythrix), Slender Bat (V. Lsevis), Blackish-Bat 

 (V. Nigricans), White-bellied Bat (V. Leucogaster), Long-nosed Bat (V. 

 Naso), all natives of Brazil ; the Painted Bat (V. Pictus), a native of 

 Ceylon ; and the Great Serotine (V. Maximus), a native of Guinea. 



2. Bats with the battledoor-shaped tragus. The Great Bat (V. Noctula), 

 head and body nearly three inches long. The Great Bat, which, next to 

 the Mouse-coloured species, is the largest English species, is spread pretty 

 generally over Europe. It lives in large companies, nestling in the hollows 

 of trees, in caverns, and under house-roofs. Its flight is very rapid and 

 high ; hence White gave it the specific name of Altimlans. Its active life 

 is shorter than that of any other species, not appearing till the end of April, 

 and retiring in July, according to the observations of the last-quoted zealous 

 naturalist. 



The Common Bat (V. Pipistrellus), length of the head and body rather 

 more than an inch and a half. This species is the most common Bat in 

 England, as determined by Jenyns, but not the Common Bat of Pennant ; 

 and it is generally spread throughout Europe. It is more active than the 

 other species, having been noticed about as late as the middle of December, 

 and reappearing in the middle of March. Jenyns observes its places of 

 retirement are crevices of decayed brick walls, in the cracks of old door- 

 frames, or behind the leaden pipes frequently attached to buildings for 

 carrying off rain. Its flight is quick and flitting, whence one of its vulgar 

 names, flitter Mouse. It frequents the neighbourhood of rivers, flying over 

 them or about the trees on their banks, in search of various kinds of gnate, 

 which Bell considers are probably its chief food. 



" If a Bat be placed," says Mr. Patterson, in his useful little volume, 

 " Zoology for the use of Schools," " If a Bat be placed on the smooth 

 surface of a table, its awkward at- 

 tempts at walking give an idea of 

 helplessness akin to that which was 

 suggested to naturalists when the 

 Sloth was seen upon the ground. 

 Yet compassion in both cases would 

 be alike misplaced. Each animal is 

 gifted with powers of locomotion 

 adapted to its wants. The Bat can 

 climb with ease the rugged and per- 

 pendicular surface of a tree, or can wheel its flight in the air, though 

 burthened with one or two young adhering to its teats." 



The Particoloured Bat (V. Discolor), rare in this country, but found in 

 Germany. The Serotine Bat (V. Serotinus), which measures somewhat 

 more than two inches and a half in length : it is rare in this country, and 

 hitherto observed only in the neighbourhood of London ; but it is spread 

 pretty generally over central Europe. It is common in the woods of 

 France, and not infrequent on the timber stacks in Paris. It is rarely 

 found but in pairs, and sometimes singly. Like the Great Bat, it appears 

 late in spring, and flies throughout the night. 



The Hairy-armed Bat (V. Dasycarpos), length of the head and body two 

 inches and a half. It is found in Germany in large societies in hollow trees, 

 but not intermixed with other species, and is fond of the neighbouring 

 stagnant waters. There is in the British Museum a single specimen said 

 to be British, and the only one presumed to be such. 



There are many other species enumerated in larger works. 



Bat walking. 



