286 BATS. 



In haljits it is a .sociable species, being found in largo nunibei-s in its 

 favourite places of repose, which are generally buildings, esjiccially church-towers. 

 Thus, in the year 1848, an enormous colony was discovered in the roof and tower of 

 the church of the A'illagc of Arrow, near Mcester. Its range extends from Ireland 

 to the Ural Mountains, and from the south of Sweden to the Alps. 



Another closely-allied Bi-itish species is Bechstein's bat ( V. bechstfini), whicli is 

 limited to Europe, and is of rather larger size than the last : the length of the head 

 and body being 2 inches instead of llio inch. It is distinguished by the hinder 

 margin of the membrane between the legs being naked instead of fringed, and 

 also by the shorter tail, of which the length is less than half that of the head and 

 body. The colour is reddish-grej^ above, and greyish-white below. It is very 

 rare in England, but has been taken in the New Forest. 



We must not leave this group of the genus Vespertilio without referring to an 

 African species remarkable for its gorgeous coloration. This is Welwitsch's bat 

 {V. wehvitschi), from Angola, on the West Coast. In this bat (which is closelj- 

 allied to the last species), while the head and body are reddish above and straw- 

 coloured beneath, the naked wing-membranes are variegated with orange and 

 black, the dark portions being of a triangular shape, and occupj-ing the spaces 

 between the second and third, and third and fourth fingere, and also the space 

 included between the fourth finger, and a line drawn between the wri.st and the 

 ankle ; the remaining portions being orange. Then, again, the membrane between 

 the legs is margined behind by a black band, and dotted over with small 

 black sfjots; similar dots also occurring upon the orange -coloured portions of 

 the wings between the arms and legs. Hodgson's bat {V. formosus) of India 

 and China, which is moi-e nearly related to the under-mentioned whiskered bat, 

 has an almost identical coloration, the onlj' difference being that the membrane 

 between the legs is wholly orange, and the black spots are wanting from the 

 wings. 



While on the subject of brilliantlj'-coloured bats, we may mention two othei' 

 species belonging to difi'erent genei-a. One of these is the Indian painted bat 

 (Cerivoida 2)icta), belonging to a genus (Cerivoida) closely allied to Vespertilio, but 

 distinguished by having the upper incisor teeth parallel instead of divergent. In 

 this bat the fur on the upper-parts is of a deep orange or ferniginous red, and that 

 beneath paler. The wing-membranes are black, with orange spots and lines of 

 orange along the fingers and on the margins, while the membrane between the legs 

 is wholly orange. So brilliant indeed is the sjiecies, that it is said to have the 

 apjjearance of a gorgeous butterfly rather than a bat. 



Our second example of contrasting coloration is tlie white-winged liat 

 {Xiieiicejiis alhofiisciiv), from the River Gambia, on tlie West Coast of Africa. The 

 genus Nycticejus, which has been incidentalh- mentioned on p. 280, is closely 

 related to Vesperugo. In colour the body of the white-winged bat is dark amber- 

 brown both above and below ; and the naked skin of all the portions exposed when 

 the creature is at rest is likewise of a nearly similar hue. On the other hand, 

 those poi'tions of the wing-membranes lying external to a line drawn from the 

 elbow to the knee are pure white on both sides, thus contrasting very markedlj' 

 with the dark tint of the body and limbs. All tlie other known membei's of 



