THE BARBASTKLLE. 87 



inner anlges unite immediately behind the muzzle. The 

 tragus is more than half the length of the ear, of an 

 irregular lanceolate or semicordate form, with a pro- 

 tuberance near the outer angle of its base ; the terminal 

 third is linear, and the apex rounded. The eyes are 

 very small, placed close to the base of the auricle (not 

 within it, as generally described), and almost concealed 

 by the hair on the cheek. The wings are rather broad, 

 the interfemoral membrane full, and furnished with 

 about twelve transverse lines. The end of the tail is 

 free from the membrane for the length of nearly one 

 line. 



The fur is long, soft and bicoloured. In general 

 colour it is darker than that of any other British species, 

 or indeed than that of any other European species. All 

 the upper parts are brownish black, the points of the 

 hairs being brownish white ; towards and on the hinder 

 parts of the back the hairs are tinged with brown. The 

 under parts are similar in colour to the back, but the 

 pale tips of the hairs are longer, and less distinct ; on 

 the pubal region the hairs are shorter, and wholly of a 

 whitish-brown colour, as are also the fine hairs which 

 grow on the membranes on each side of the body. The 

 face and all of the cutaneous system dusky black. 



The young, when nearly full grown, differ only in 

 colour from the adult in having less of the whitish 

 colour on the under parts. 



We possess a remarkable and beautiful variety, taken 

 at Alcester in Warwickshire, which has the fur of the 

 under parts, from root to tip, strongly tinged with pur- 

 plish red, or rose colour, which was very conspicuous 

 when the animal was fresh, but faded considerably after 

 it was preserved. We have seen a perfectly white speci- 

 men of this species, and another in which the head and 



