MAMMALS 



before. Another one was taken from behind 

 the shutter of a cottage window in the village 

 of Weston-on-Avon, which shutter was daily 

 opened and shut. On the wing the barba- 

 stelle is readily distinguished from every other 

 British bat by its dark colour, broad wings, 

 and by its slow, irregular and owl-like flight, 

 which is sometimes quite close to the ob- 

 server, perhaps only three or four feet from 

 his face. But as it comes abroad quite late 

 in the evening, it can only be observed for a 

 very short time. No particular situation is 

 chosen for its nocturnal flight, which may be 

 among buildings or in the open fields ; but 

 wherever it may be, when once seen it is 

 speedily lost sight of. 



4. Great or White's Bat (Noctule). Pipis- 



trellus noctula, Schreber. 

 Bell — Scotophilus noctula. 

 This, the largest bat inhabiting Worcester- 

 shire, is pretty generally distributed, and may 

 be recognized on the wing by its high, 

 straight and rapid flight, which is fre- 

 quently over some stream. It was the 

 high and vigorous flight of this species 

 which induced Gilbert White, in the His- 

 tory of Selborne, to designate it Vespertilio 

 altivolans, the high-flying bat. It retires to 

 rest during the day, and to hibernate through 

 the winter to holes in trees, but very rarely if 

 ever to buildings. The hole made by the 

 green woodpecker in an aged elm has been 

 found to be literally filled by these bats. 



5. The Hairy-armed Bat. Pipistrellus leisleri, 



Kuhl. 



Bell — Scotophilus leisleri. 

 Not very inferior in size to the last species, 

 the hairy-armed bat is rare in all parts of 

 England, not many instances of its occur- 

 rence having been recorded. One was shot 

 while on the wing in the vicinity of the 

 ancient manor house at Cleeve Prior early 

 in the summer of 1853, when two were ob- 

 served. Afterwards one was shot (by a party 

 of rook-shooters ; probably therefore about 

 the middle of May) the other took flight 

 and did not return. Since that time others 

 have been seen, but only very occasionally, 

 whole summers passing without one being 

 observed. It may be easily recognized by 

 its exceedingly erratic and zig-zag flight, 

 which may be high or low, in the open 

 fields or in sheltered places. Instead of 

 pursuing a pretty regular beat, as does the 

 noctule, the present bat is here and there, 

 and almost as soon as you see it, it is gone, 

 and does not reappear. Of the diurnal re- 

 treat of this species I can say nothing. 



6. Pipistrelle. Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Sichreher. 



Bell — Scotophilus pipistrellus. 

 This bat is common and distributed all 

 over the county, and may be found repos- 

 ing singly during the day in all sorts of 

 places — holes in trees, crannies in old walls 

 or buildings — and the author remembers once 

 taking one out of a mortise-hole in a gate- 

 post. It is equally general in its choice of 

 feeding ground, being observable either singly 

 or in pairs in some sheltered corner between 

 buildings or amongst the stems of trees, al- 

 most always low down, and taking the same 

 short beats, backward and forward. When 

 Shakespeare spoke of the cloistered flight of 

 the bat, he probably referred to this bat as it 

 describes that of the pipistrelle with great 

 accuracy, and this bat is common in the Avon 

 valley and round Stratford. 



7. Natterer's Bat. Myotis nattereri, Kuhl. 



Bell — Vespertilio nattereri. 

 This is of somewhat greater size than the 

 little bat which is most commonly observed, 

 and is lighter in colour than any other Wor- 

 cestershire species, excepting the lesser horse- 

 shoe bat before mentioned. In its place of 

 retreat it is strictly gregarious, crowding 

 together in masses of sometimes hundreds. 

 Yet it is not of frequent occurrence, and of 

 its habits during the hours of the night very 

 little is known, but there is reason to believe 

 that it feeds in companies. There was formerly 

 quite a colony of Natterer's bats in the roof of 

 Arrow Church near Alcester, between the 

 ceiling and the tiles, which was visited on more 

 than one occasion many years since by the 

 late Sir W. H. Flower and the present writer. 

 Some of the bats captured there on one 

 occasion were taken home by the author 

 and turned loose in a room, and the win- 

 dow opened to allow them to depart. At 

 first one or two passed through the win- 

 dow, but would not leave without their 

 companions, returning into the room again, 

 and this was repeated until all became 

 aware of the open window, when they de- 

 parted in a body. They proved when taken 

 in hand to be very gentle creatures, evincing 

 no disposition to bite, and their gregarious or 

 sociable nature was well shown by their re- 

 fusal to escape except in company. 



8. Daubenton's Bat. Myotis dauhentoni, 



Leisler. 



Bel 1 — Vespertilio daubentonii. 

 This might almost be designated an aqua- 

 tic bat, so much does it aflFect streams and 



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