344 EMBALLOlfUEID^, 



membrane and appearing upon its upper sui'face, or else produced 

 far beyond its posterior margin. 



Tlie number of teeth varies. Tlie muzzle is usually obliquely 

 truucated, and projects more or less beyond the lower lip. 



This family, A\-hich is generally distributed throughout the 

 tropical and subtropical regions of the world, is represented in 

 India, Ceylon, and Burma by the following four genera, classed 

 in tA\-o subfamilies : — 



I. Tail emergiuf>- from the upper surface of the 



interfemoval membrane, legs long, fibula? 



very slender ; upper incisors weak EmballonurincB. 



A. Tail shorter than interfemoral membrane ; 



index finger formed by metacarpal alone. 

 a. Incisors -^> upper incisors persistent . . Emballonura. 



h. Incisors -^^ upper incisors deciduous . . Taphozous. 



B. Tail very slender, much longer than short 



interfemoral membrane ; index finger 

 with a metacarpal bone and two pha- 

 langes Rhinopoma. 



II. Tail thicker than the thigh and produced 



far beyond the interfemoral membrane, 

 which it leaves at posterior margin ; legs 

 short and stout ; upper iucisors strong .... Molossina;. 

 A. Upper lip much wrinkled vertically .... Nyctinomus. 



Subfamily EMBALLONURINiE. 



Geuus EMBALLONURA, Temm. (1838). 



Ears arising separately from the sides of the forehead; the 

 outer margin of the ear-couch terminating below the eye and 

 behind the angle of the mouth ; tragus longer than broad. Fore- 

 head fiat, not concave. Apertures of the nostrils circular or elliptical, 

 close together at the extremity of the conical muzzle. Tail per- 

 forating the large interfemoral membrane about its centre and the 

 tip appearing free on the upper surface ; the posterior free 

 margin of the membrane supported by long calcanea. 



Dentition : i. '■^, c. j^, pm. — , m. \0^. Upper incisors in 

 pairs, separated from the canines and from each other. 



This genus is entirely oceanic, ranging from Madagascar to the 

 islands of Polynesia ; no species has yet been found on the 

 continent of Asia or in Australia, but one has been met with in 

 the Mergui Archipelago. 



