1865.] MR. W. OSBURN ON THE BATS OF JAMAICA. 85 
about two inches long, but clung with great tenacity. From a 
portion of umbilical cord still attached to one mother, I conclude 
one had only been born quite recently. I then took them and put 
them among the twigs of Cordia. They climbed about it, heads 
downwards, ‘with the greatest ease. The length of the legs and toes, 
their muscularity, and the absence of any interfemoral or tail were 
all obvious advantages where this habit was constant, especially the 
power it gave them of turning as on a pivot, but without moving the 
feet. They twisted, within certain limits, like a body suspended by 
a string. They would thus follow a berry I moved ; but they would 
not pluck any of the berries for themselves, seeming only anxious to 
get into a dark place. ‘This I attribute to the unnatural hour of 
feeding. On placing them in the box, I found, after a short time, 
both mothers had crossed the legs in the attitude before mentioned, 
to avoid pressing the young against the side. I put them out of 
doors on a tree at some distance from the house. One attempted to 
return, doubtless to escape the light. It lit on a plastered wall, 
and, notwithstanding the incumbrance of the suckling, ran up the 
wall backwards by the legs with great rapidity (raising the body 
with the wrists so as not to rub the young) till it gained the shelter 
of the eaves, whence I hope it made a complete escape; for I left 
Harmony Hall that afternoon. 
*« From these observations I would infer that we have an expla- 
nation of the much greater muscularity of the frugivorous Bats, and 
their far less buoyancy, than the insectivorous; and further, of the 
use of the wrists in this Bat. 
“The details on. Macrotus waterhousii (No. 8), collected at 
Mount Pleasant, St. Ann’s, in which we have a Bat entering houses 
for the purpose of hitching itself up in verandah or room to eat the 
berries from a tree in the garden, its insect prey, and finally the 
collections of fruit—from this and what I have noticed in the caves, 
I come to the following conclusion :—that the supposition that 
these Bats eat fruit on the wing is groundless, for it would mani- 
festly be a difficult feat to use the teeth and to chew whilst flying ; but 
that they hitch themselves up somewhere near the scene of action, 
where they can use their wrists and feed on their prize at ease. 
Their long legs seem well adapted for hitching themselves up among 
their food. The much greater muscularity of the limbs, their 
greater activity in running and using them, their long thumbs, are 
all adapted to climbing and holding fruit—a curious approach to 
the habits of the Quadrumana. 
** When the first cold streaks of dawn warn the curious little ani- 
mals away to their gloomy retreats, each Bat carries off a berry, and 
in the security of the cave finishes his meal at leisure. The outer 
toe has a great tendency to diverge at a considerable angle from the 
next during suspension.’ 
