Arrangement of the Chiroptera. 355 



Natural Characters of the Vesper tilionine and Emballonurine 

 Alliances compared. 



(Vespertilionidae, Nycteridae, (Emballonuridae, Phyllo- 



Khinolophidae.) stomidae.) 



1. Tail always contained within 1. Tail rarely contained within 

 the interfemoral membrane, pro- the interfemoral membrane, gene- 

 jecting by the tip only from its rally perforating the membrane and 

 posterior margin, in no case per- appearing upon its upper surface, 

 forating the membrane, generally or produced considerably beyond 

 long, never absent. the truncated membrane, frequently 



short or absent. 



2. First phalanx of the middle 2. First phalanx of the middle 

 finger extended (in repose) in a line finger more or less completely folded 

 with the metacarpal bone. forwards (in repose) upon the supe- 

 rior or inferior surface of the meta- 

 carpal bone*. 



3. Premaxillary bones rudimen- 3. Premaxillary bones well de- 

 tary ; upper incisors small, weak. veloped (except in some genera of 



Emballonurinee) ; incisors generally 

 large. 



4. Hair-scales imbricated, the 4. Hair-scales in a transverse 

 tips of the scales in an oblique series, the tips of the scales in a 

 line, not terminating in acute pro- straight line at right angles to the 

 jectionsf. longitudinal axis of the hair, neai'ly 



always terminating in acute pro- 

 jectionst. 



* This folding of the middle finger (in repose) is, I believe, directly 

 related to the habits of the animals, and not to the comparative length of 

 the finger. The differences in habit between the animals of the two 

 alliances I shall describe in a separate paper to be published hereafter. 



t Not satisfied with my own examination alone, I submitted the slides 

 on which the specimens of hairs (taken in every case from between the 

 shoulders) were mounted to the inspection of Dr. J. D. Macdonald, F.R.S., 

 asking him in each case to which alliance (as defined by me) the hair 

 under examination belonged. Answers in accordance with the generali- 

 zation adopted above were obtained in all cases, except in the genera 

 Miniopterus and Mystacina. These exceptions rather support the genera- 

 lization than otherwise ; for, as I have already remarked, Miniopterus is 

 very closely allied to the Emballonuridas, forming, in fact, the connecting 

 link between that family and the Vespertilionidae. Mystacina has fur of 

 a totally different kind from that of every other species of bat, and the 

 hair-scales are with difficulty distinguished. Chalinolobns and Nycto- 

 philus appear to me to be exceptions to the rule that the hair-scales in 

 the species of the Vespertilionine alliance are not terminated by acute 

 projections. However, further investigation may show that this is more 

 apparent than real ; for in all genera the under-fur shows a general re- 

 semblance in structure, the points of contrast being observed in the longer 

 hairs. 



Dr. J. D. Macdonald has very kindly, at my request, permitted me to 

 publish here the following note on the results of his examination of the 

 specimens of hairs of different genera submitted by me to him for his 

 remarks, which agree in all respects with my previous observations stated 

 above : — 



" In perhaps all cases the hair is flatfish or not quite round, so as to 



25* 



