The Zoologist — July, 1874. 4071 



The Hairy-armed Bat (Scotophilus Leisleri) in Ireland. 

 By Richard M. Barrtngton, Esq. 



The following communication contains the particulars of an 

 interesting discovery in connexion with the Natural History of 

 Ireland. The hairy-armed bat {Scotophilus Leisleri) has been 

 detected in tolerable plenty near Tandragee, County Armagh. T 

 append some remarks on the account given of this bat in the new 

 edition of Mr. Bell's work on 'British Quadrupeds.' 



On the 28th of June, 1868, when wandering through the lofty 

 beech grove belonging to the Duke of Manchester at Tandragee, 

 which grove is situated in what is locally termed the " lower 

 demesne," my attention was attracted by a chirruping, clicking 

 sound which apparently proceeded from a hole about twelve feet 

 up the trunk of a large tree. After some trouble I managed to 

 get up to this hole, and as I did so the noise greatly increased. 

 Within I saw a moving brown mass, and I thought I could dis- 

 tinguish bats. Cautiously putting my hand in among the chir- 

 rups and clicks, I made a grasp. They were bats, without 

 mistake, for I pulled out eight or nine, but, as they struggled so 

 violently, all escaped but three or four. The bats in the hole were 

 now so much alarmed that they commenced flying out into the 

 sunshine, and continued doing so for several minutes, tumbling 

 and scrambling over one another in a ludicrous manner, so eager 

 were they to reach the entrance. Probably eighty or a hundred 

 bats thus flew out; some appeared to have young ones adhering to 

 their teats, but I will not speak positively on this point. I only 

 captured six in all. On leaving the tree many bats still remained 

 far up in the hollow trunk, beyond the reach of my arm. I 

 presume they considered themselves quite safe, as they did not 

 venture to come down. 



At the time I knew little or nothing about our native Cheiroptera, 

 and as my prisoners could not be induced to eat I let them out, 

 never imagining they were anything uncommon ; for indeed they 

 seemed common enough among the beech trees. 



In the beginning of the present year (1874), being obliged to 

 work up the bats, for a lecture on Irish Mammalia, I very soon 

 began to suspect that the species I saw in such numbers in 1868 

 was not a common one. My curiosity was aroused, and in February 

 last I wrote to my brother-in-law, Mr. T. II. White, J. P., who 



