226 Mr. 0. Thomas on a new Bat. 



of the problematical spines under discussion pertaining to the 

 same group is thus rendered more worthy of consideration. 

 In any case the name Cwlorhynchus is obviously inappro- 

 priate, as well remarked by Williamson ; but it has yet to be 

 determined whether the dentition of the same fish has not 

 already become known under some other suitable generic 

 title. 



XXVIII. — Description of a new Bat of the Genus Nyctophilus. 

 By Oldfield Thomas. 



Among the mammals obtained by Mr. H. 0. Forbes at 

 Sogere, South-east New Guinea, and acquired by the Natural- 

 History Museum, there occur two specimens of a bat belonging 

 to the widely-spread genus Nyctophilus^ but apparently not 

 referable to N. timorensiSf the only previously recognized 

 species of the genus. I propose to call it 



Nyctophilus microtis, sp. n. 



General characters as in N. timorensis, but the ears very 

 much smaller, when laid forward not reaching beyond the 

 tip of the muzzle ; their connecting band across the forehead 

 nearly or quite obsolete in the centre. Upper third of outer 

 margin of ears straight instead of convex, the tip of the ear 

 being therefore narrower and more pointed than in N. timor- 

 ensis. Otherwise the shape of the ears, of the tragus, and of 

 the nose-leaf are all much as in that species, as also are the 

 colour and distribution of the fur, the insertion of the wing- 

 membranes, the development of the postcalcaneal lobe, and 

 the characters of the interfemoral membrane. 



Measurements of the type, an adult male in alcohol : — 

 Head and body 49 millim. ; tail 42 ; ear, length above crown 

 12, breadth 11; tragus, length of internal edge 5"2 ; fore- 

 arm 37'8 ; lower leg 17*3 ; hind foot 7*7 ; calcaneum 14. 



The second specimen has a forearm 39 millim. in length. 



The species is therefore rather smaller than N. timorensis, 

 which has a forearm varying in length from about 41 to 48 

 millim. Owing to its small and unconnected ears N. microtis 

 is quite without that look of resemblance to the European 

 long- eared bat so characteristic of N. timorensis — a species 

 which, as Dr. Dobson has remarked, " evidently takes the 

 place of Plecotus auritus in the Australian region." 



