XIV. 

 MAMMALS OF THE AIR. 



ID ATS are weird, dark, and dingy creatures, and there 

 are none like unto them. Distributed almost the 

 whole world over, they are especially plentiful in India ; yet 

 we have learned but little of their habits. Our knowledge 

 of most species is limited to the fact that they sleep during 

 the day in caverns, temples, outhouses and other secluded 

 spots, from which they emerge with the shades of night to 

 either prey upon insects or rob trees of their fruit, according 

 as they are insectivorous or frugivorous. Batland offers a 

 great field of research for some leisured man, but, alas ! in 

 this stern, work-a-day country where is such an individual 

 to be found ? Bats are unique among mammals in the pos- 

 session of wings. It is one of the pranks of Dame Nature 

 that she should give those emblems of purity to animals 

 whose bodies are covered with vermin, and whose habits 

 are disgusting to a degree. Possibly it is on account of 

 these latter characteristics, possibly on account of the 

 strangely silent manner in which bats, like evil spirits, flit 

 about after nightfall, that they inspire me with an uncon- 

 querable repugnance. There are people who cannot tolerate 

 a black cat in the room with them. This is a time-honoured 

 prejudice, nevertheless the black cat has no terrors for me ; 

 in my case the bat takes the place of the cat. The chief in- 

 door amusement of all bats seems to consist in testing the 

 acuteness of their senses by ascertaining how near they 

 can fly to the head and face of a human being, without 

 actual contact. This is a game, which, if we may believe 

 Fenimore Cooper, Red Indians are fond of playing on 

 their captives with their tomahawks, That kind of thing is 



