io6 



THE BATS. 



bat spends the winter and the day exclusively 

 in buildings, and is one of the worst of fliers. 

 Much better powers of flight are possessed 

 by the water- bat, which mostly pursues 

 midges and gnats immediately above the 



surface of the water, near which it prefers to 

 remain in summer. It flies out early in the 

 morning, and is found beside lakes even at 

 a height of upwards of 3000 feet above sea- 

 level. It spends the day, and rests at intervals 



Fig. 41. — Tlie Noctule (Vcspenigo noctiila). 



during the night, in hollow trees or holes in 

 the wall in the vicinity of water. Its winter- 

 quarters are in hollow trees often pretty far 

 from its hunting-ground. 



The most enduring and expert fliers among 

 the bats of Europe are the members of the 

 genus Vesperugo, a genus with long skull, 

 sharp and narrow wings, only two premolars 

 above and below, but large canines. Dental 



formula 



I • 2 • 3 



= 34 teeth. 



3 ■ I • 2 • 3 

 The ears are always distinct, rounded, 

 shorter than the head, the tragus broad, 

 spoon -shaped, the tail completely inclosed 

 by the flying membrane. To this genus 

 belong the smallest and the largest species 

 of our native bats. The largest, which has 



a span of about 16 inches, is the Noctule {Ves- 

 perugo noctuld), fig. 41. It has a brownish- 

 red body and black wings, short broad ears, 

 comes out very early, mostly before sunset, 

 and hunts high in the air with rapid swallow- 

 like turns in its flight. It has great power 

 of sustaining flight, and is very voracious; 

 smells strongly of musk, and usually the female 

 brings forth two young ones at a birth. The 

 winter-sleep lasts long. In summer, as above 

 stated, the sexes usually live apart, not 

 uniting till autumn. 



Still more powerful and more capable of 

 sustaining flight is the Pipistrelle or Dwarf 

 Bat ( Vesperugo pipistrellus), fig. 42, with 

 small sharp ears, narrow tragus, and body of 

 a reddish colour like that of the roebuck. It 



