MAMMALIA 81 



Order 3. BATS (Chiroptera) 



Bats or " flittermice " differ from all other mammals in the 

 possession of efficient flying-organs, differing entirely in struc- 

 ture, however, from the wings of a bird. A tough membrane 

 extends between the body, limbs, and commonly the tail as well 

 (fig. 51). The thumb is free, or partly so, and is provided with 

 a strong curved claw, but the fingers are exceedingly long and 

 slender, their use being to keep the membrane extended, thus 



Fig. 51. The Long-eared Bat (Plecotus auritus) 



acting pretty much like the ribs of an umbrella. Bats, though 

 nocturnal, have very small eyes, whence the expression " blind 

 as a bat ", but this is compensated by their long sensitive ears, 

 and in many cases there are also curious leaf-like outgrowths 

 on the nose. All our native bats, like the majority of forms 

 included in the order, live on insects, and in accordance with 

 this habit have numerous sharply -pointed teeth. A pair of 

 mammary glands are present, situated on the breast. Although 

 the general appearance of a bat's body enables us to understand 

 why it should have received the old English name of flitter- 

 mouse, these animals are in reality much more closely allied to 

 hedgehogs and moles. 



The order is divided into the two sections of Fruit-eating 

 Bats and Insect-eating Bats. 



The comparatively small section of Fruit -eating Bats only 



VOL. I. 



