52 THE LOG OF THE SUN 



by his toes, with his head downward. The inverted 

 position of these strange little beings always 

 brings to mind some of the experiences of Gulliver, 

 and indeed the life of a bat is more wonderful 

 than any fairy tale. 



Probably the knowledge of bats which most of 

 us possess is chiefly derived from the imagina- 

 tions of artists and poets, who, unlike the Chinese, 

 do not look upon these creatures with much 

 favour, generally symbolising them in connection 

 with passages and pictures which relate to the 

 infernal regions. All of which is entirely unjust. 

 Their nocturnal habits and our consequent igno- 

 rance of their characteristics are the only causes 

 which can account for their being associated with 

 the realm of Satan. In some places bats are called 

 flittermice, but they are more nearly related to 

 moles, shrews, and other insect-eaters than they 

 are to mice. If we look at the skeleton of an ani- 

 mal which walks or hops we will notice that its 

 hind limbs are much the stronger, and that the 

 girdle w T hich connects these with the backbone is 

 composed of strong and heavy bones. In bats a 

 reverse condition is found; the breast girdle, or 

 bones corresponding to our collar bones and 

 shoulder blades, are greatly developed. This, as 

 in birds, is, of course, an adaptation to give sur- 

 face for the attachment of the great propelling 

 muscles of the wings. 



Although the hand of a bat is so strangely' 



