1880.] ON BATS FROM THE GOTTINGEN MUSEUM. 461 



that it is strictly terrestrial and digitigrade ; while the powerful 

 muscles of the loins indicate that, when going at speed, it probably 

 moves by a succession of leaps. Mr. Krefft supports these sugges- 

 tions from actual observations. Tiie stomach of the Cambridsie 

 specimen was unfortunately empty; but the food of the animal is no 

 doubt similar to that of its allies, which are stated to feed exclusively 

 on insects and ants. 



2. On some new or rave Species of Chiroptera in the Collection 

 of the Gottingen Museum. By G. E. Dobson, M.A.j 

 M.B., &c. 



[Eeceived May 31, 1880.] 



(Plate XLVI.) 



To the kindness of Prof. Ehlers I owe the opportunity of examining 

 the specimens of Chiroptera in the collection of the Gottingen Mu- 

 seum, among which I find some representing new or rare species. 

 Of these by far the must remarkable is a specimen of a new species 

 of Megaderma from Australia, for which, as it is more than double 

 the size of any hitherto described species of that genus, I propose 

 the name of 



Megaderma gigas, n. sp, (Plate XLVI.) 



In general structure externally agreeing very closely with M. 

 spasma, but the relative proportions of parts are somewhat different. 

 Thus the posterior lobe of the tragus, though similarly shaped, is 

 proportionally shorter, while the anterior lobe is much broader at 

 the base, more convex forwards, and obtuse at the tip ; the nose- 

 leaf also, though almost identical in shape, is not much larger than 

 that of that species. 



While in M. spasma the extremity of the second finger does not 

 extend as far as the middle of the first phalanx of the third finger, 

 in this species, as in M.frons, it extends beyond it. Tail rudimentary ; 

 two short vertebrae only project beyond the extremities of the ischiatic 

 hones, and are quite concealed between the two layers of integument 

 forming the base of the large interfemoral membrane. 



The single specimen, an adult male, is very peculiarly coloured, some- 

 what like the specimen of i)/. hjra in the writer's collection previously 

 described\ As in it, the general colour of the fur, ears, nose-leaf, and 

 membranes is white, the base of the fur, upon the upper surface onlv, 

 being pale slate-blue, the colour so characteristic oi' the genus : un- 

 like the other known species, the extremity of the carpus, the thumb, 

 and the membrane between the thumb and the second finger are 

 clothed with short hairs, in the type specimen of a white colour. 



The teeth scarcely differ in general form from those of M. sjjusma ; 

 but, as in the Ethiopian species of this genus, there is no minute 

 ' Catal. Chiropt. Brit. Mus. p. 1.57. 



