WINTER HOLES 55 



Caesar," and it loses nothing in repetition; for 

 each time the little animal thus draws its winding 

 sheet about its body, one is forced to smile as he 

 thinks of the absurd resemblance. 



But all this and much more you will see for 

 yourself, if you are so fortunate as to discover the 

 hiding-place of the hibernating bat. 



Our little brown bat is a most excellent mother, 

 and when in summer she starts out on her noc- 

 turnal hunts she takes her tiny baby bat with 

 her. The weird little creature wraps his long 

 fingers about his mother's neck and off they go. 

 When two young are born, the father bat is said 

 sometimes to assume entire control of one. 



After we come to know more of the admirable 

 family traits of the fledermaus—its musical 

 German name— we shall willingly defend it from 

 the calumny which for thousands of years has been 

 heaped upon it. 



Hibernation is a strange phenomenon, and one 

 which is but little understood. If we break into 

 the death-like trance for too long a time, or if we 

 do not supply the right kind of food, our captive 

 butterflies and bats will perish. So let us soon 

 freeze them up again and place them back in the 

 care of old Nature. Thus the pleasure is ours of 

 having made them yield up their secrets, without 

 any harm to them. Let us fancy that in the spring 

 they may remember us only as a strange dream 

 which has come to them during their long sleep. 



