THE CHESTNUT MASTIFF-BAT. 161 



rather large size; the M. rufus of Geoff., as I 

 believe. 



Several other specimens I obtained in the same 

 way, on the same and other evenings; but the 

 residue evidently became increasingly suspicious, and 

 loath to leave the hole while I was watching. Wish- 

 ing to examine one alive more carefully, I allowed it 

 to remain in the bag of the gauze-net all night, 

 simply giving the net a twist over the rod. In the 

 morning, however, to my great chagrin, I found the 

 Bat almost entirely devoured by Rats, which are here 

 Yexy bold and voracious. However, I had other op- 

 portunities of studying the habits of the species in 

 captivity. 



When handled, its impatience of confinement is 

 manifested by a continuous screeching, not very loud, 

 but excessively harsh and shrill. The ears are com- 

 monly so pendent as completely to cover the eyes ; 

 but they are occasionally contracted, so as to expose 

 the eyes, especially if the face be touched. The 

 mouth also is then opened widely and threateningly, 

 and a sufficiently grim armature of teeth developed. 

 The volar membranes are narrow in proportion to 

 their length. There is a gland on the throat with an 

 orifice capable of admitting a small straw ; it emits a 

 very rank odour. This orifice is manifest in the 

 female no less than in the male, but I could not de- 

 tect any odour from it in the former, even though 

 irritated by the insertion of the head of a pin. The 

 duct does not penetrate farther than the gland itself. 



A female which I kept a few days was very sullen. 

 I offered her cockroaches, a noctiia, and a longicorn 



