298 FRUIT-BATS 



we came across a flight of lovely little sun-birds, with bright 

 metallic plumage, which glittered in the sunshine. 



Birds are not the only flying creatures to be seen in this 

 western region ; although I was not so fortunate as to see them, 

 Mr Grainge, in travelling down this river in the preceding year 

 speaks of seeing great numbers of fruit-bats (Pier opus edwardsii). 

 Their flight is slow, and broken at each moment by strokes of the 

 wings ; and those he saw flew so straight and steadily that he 

 took them at first, in the doubtful evening light, for benighted 

 crows. He also remarks that they were always flying in a 

 direct line from the setting sun. One that he shot measured 

 more than four feet across the wings. M. Pollen says that they 

 may be seen sometimes in broad daylight, flying from one 

 forest to another, when one might take them for crows. He 

 also remarks : "I have observed these animals fly like swallows 

 over a lake, just skimming the surface of the water with their 

 wings. They choose isolated places, especially the little 

 wooded islands at some distance from the coast." 



Madagascar is the home of one or two other species of fruit-bat, 

 two species of the horseshoe-bats (Rhinolo-phidw), seven species 

 of the Vespertilionidce or true bats, and three species of the 

 Emballonurido? or thick-legged bats ; no doubt there are still 

 many species undescribed, and until much more minute investi- 

 gation is made of the fauna of the island, the crepuscular and 

 nocturnal habits of these animals will always make it difficult 

 to learn much about their peculiarities. 



The morning's voyage brought us in several places along low 

 sections of stratified sandstone rock, looking like ruined walls, 

 some courses being deeply honeycombed by the action of the 

 water, while others, of harder material, were smooth, like newly 

 laid masonry. It was clear that we had left behind us, in the 

 upper highland, the crystalline rocks, the granites and gneisses 

 and the like, and were in a region of Secondary strata, like the 

 oolites of our own country. Subsequent examination by many 

 observers has confirmed this fact, and shown that an extensive 

 series of Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks occupies a great portion 

 of the western low land, from north to south of the island. 

 These plains must have formerly been a portion of a wider 

 Mozambique Channel than now exists to separate Madagascar 

 from Africa. 



