THE NASEBEERY BAT. 267 



terranean habitations of several of these reptiles ; a 

 circumstance which afforded subject of wondering 

 comment to the vulgar, who suppose that they are 

 truly monsters, with a head at each extremity. The 

 depth of the burrow, which would be interesting 

 to know, my friend has not mentioned. 



THE NASEBERRY BAT. 



It was at the Vineyard, near Black River, the 

 residence of Sandford Forrest, Esq., that I first saw 

 this little quaint Bat. I was spending a few days 

 with him in the latter part of December, when it 

 was struck down by one of the children in the house 

 after sunset. The sultriness of a tropical climate 

 obliges the inhabitants to dispense with the closeness 

 of windows, at least to a great degree, and to sub- 

 stitute for them the large Venetian blinds called 

 jalousies. One inconvenience arising from this ar- 

 rangement is, that no sooner are candles brought, 

 than insects of all orders, particularly minute moths, 

 Pijralid<^, Tinece, &c., swarm around the lights, and 

 spread themselves over the table. The entomologist 

 regrets the annoyance less than others, as he thereby 

 occasionally obtains specimens of great beauty and 

 rarity. Those industrious insect-collectors, the Bats, 

 resort thither also on such occasions, to pursue the 

 same game, and perhaps, too, impelled by the pro- 

 pensity which they have to enter narrow orifices. 

 Hence we frequently see these sombre visitants, 

 flitting on swift but silent wing around the room, 

 usually retiring after taking two or three turns. 



