FREE-TAILED GROUP. 



293 



Harting, that in December 1888 he visited a cave in an island near Menos. " This 

 cave is in a soft shale formation, and the top of the opening is about seven feet from 

 the water at full tide. The bats were then in an active state, and the majority 

 appeared to be flying homewards. There were few fish near the surface of the 

 water, and comparatively little local fishing appeared to be going on. An 

 occasional ' swish ' now and again far out proved that the bats were trvino- to 

 secure their prey. Five homeward-bound specimens were secured in the cave, 

 about twelve yards from the mouth. The stomach of one specimen opened within 

 half an hour contained much fish in a finely-divided and partially digested state. 

 On the morning of the 31st I visited tlie cave from which the specimens were 

 procured at 3 A.M., and found that the bats had apparently forgotten tlie previous 

 disturbance. They came flying in in dozens, and two specimens were secured. 

 Both contained considerable quantities of fish. I have opened several other 

 specimens of these bats, and in the majority of cases fish-scales wei-e found ; but 

 the stomachs of two were perfectly empty. Tiiis might be attributed to the 

 absence of the desired fish in the locality." 



The Long-Tailed Bat. 



Genus lihinopoma. 



The la.st, and at the same time not the least, noteworthy member of the present 

 subfamily, is the long-tailed bat {Rldnopoma microphyllum), whicli is found from 





LONG-TAILED BAT (nat. size). 



