TYriCAI. GROUP. 287 



the genus have tlie body and wings more or loss uniformly coloured ; but, as 



observed by Mr. (). Tboinas, tlu^ descrilx^r of this singular species, many of the 



smaller Imts of the (ianil)ia, Ijelonging to several distinct genera, have dark bodies 



with white wings. That there is some good reason for this peculiar style of 



coloration among the Gambian bats is evident, although no explanation ha.s 



hitherto been offered. With regard to the coloration of Hodgson's bat, it has been 



shown by the late ilr. >S winhoe that in the I.sland of Formosa this species is in the 



habit of hanging suspended on the finiit of the longan tree {Xephelium). " Now 



this tree," writes Mr. Swinhoe, "is an evergreen, and all the j-ear through some 



poi-tion of its foliage is undergoing decay, the particular leaves being, in such a 



stage, partially orange and black. This bat can, therefore, at all seasons suspend 



itself from its branches, and elude its enemies by its resemblance to the leaf of the 



tree. It was in August when a specimen was brought to me. It had at that 



season found the fruit ripe and reddish-yellow, and had tried to escape observation 



in the semblance of iis own tints to those of the fi-uit." A similar explanation 



will doubtless hold good with regard to the Indian painted bat, which feeds on 



plantains, which, when ripe, are of a bright yellow or orange colour, speckled with 



black, and thus almost exactly similar to the bat. 



With the whiskered bat (1'. ■myMocinufi) wi^ i-esume, and at the same time 



conclude, our survey of the British representatives of the genus. This bat, while 



agreeing in the relative size of the feet, and other leading characters, with Natterer's, 



belongs to a subgroup distinguished by the ti-agus being straight and more or less 



blunted at the tip, instead of being acutely jiointed and inclining outwards. This 



bat is of small size, the length of the head and body being only li inches, and the 



spread of the outstretched wings 8A inches. I'he fur on the upper part of the body 



is dark chestnut, temliug to black, and dusky beneath. It takes its name from the 



fringe of long fine hair on the upper lip. It is a solitaiy species, although on some 



occasions a considei-able immber may be seen together on account of the abundance 



of food in particular localities. In its mode of flight and general habits it is 



very similar to the pipistrelle ; hiding during the day in situations as various as 



are those favoured by difl'erent iudi\iduals of that species. Its range includes the 



greater part of Europe, while in Asia it has been found in Syria, the Himalaj'a, 



and North Chiua. It may be mentioned that no less than twelve species of the 



genus Ve.^pertilio are peculiar to the New World, and tliat the whole of them are 



characterised by the small size of their feet. 



This bat ( Mi it iopterus schreibcrsl), which rantres from Germany 



Sohrelbers- Bat. ^ / . ^, . , • , , " . ,, . "^ 



to Japan and Austraua, and is the sole representative of its genus, 



diflei'S from all the preceding forms by the great elevation of the crown of the 



head above the face. The same feature is found in the South American and West 



Indian tall-crowned bats (Natalus), of which a head is shown in the figure. Both 



these bats are distinguished by the presence of a gap in the middle line between 



the fu-st pair of iiacisor teeth, and by a second gap between the second incisor and 



the tusk. The American tall-crowned bats, while agreeing with Vespertilio in the 



number of their teeth, are further distinguished by the .small size of the tragus of the 



ear. On the other hand, Schreibers' bat has but thirty-six teeth, owing to the 



absence of the first pair of premolars. 



» 



