REMARKS ON BRITISH BATS. 163 



terniinatiiig abruptly opposite the base of the inner margin. 

 The tragus terminates in an obtuse rounded point; the inner 

 margin is slightly concave, the outer convex. 



" Thumb armed with a very large claw. Wings from the 

 distal extremity of the tibia ; the point of origin of the wing- 

 membrane is very sharply defined. The calcaneum extends 

 rather more than half way between the ankle and the tail. 



" Fur above dark at the base, the hairs with light brown 

 extremities ; beneath black at the base, the extremities white. 



" Both the first and second upper premolars are drawn 

 inwards, owing to the proximity of the third large premolar to 

 the canine ; the second premolar is extremely small, and more 

 internal than the first. The lower incisors are not crowded ; the 

 second lower premolar is about half the size of the first premolar ; 

 the third premolar is less than the canine in vertical extent. 



" Length : head and body, 2'4 in. ; tail, 2 in. ; head, 075 in. ; 

 ear, 0*6 in.; tragus, 0'3 XO'UOin.; forearm, TS in. ; thumb, 0"35; 

 second finger, 3'lin.; fourth finger, 2"4 in. ; tibia, 0*8 in. ; cal- 

 caneum, 0'65 in.; foot and claws, 0"4 in." 



Adopting Dr. Dobson's nomenclature, but taking the species 

 in the order named by Bell, for greater convenience of reference, 

 it may be observed that the fifteen species of bats now regarded 

 as British belong to two very distinct families, VespertilionidcB and 

 RhinolophicUe, and are referable to five genera, namely, Vesperugo 

 (five species), Vespe^-tilio (six species), Plecotus (one species), 

 Synotus (one species), and Rhinolophus (two species). Of these 

 the first four genera belong to the family 



VESPEETILIONID^. 



The members of this family are easily distinguishable by 

 their simple nostrils terminating the conical moderately elongated 

 muzzle, by the long tail wholly contained within the interfemoral 

 membrane, and by the upper incisors which are separated by a 

 wide space and placed near the canines. Their eyes are minute ; 

 and the inner margins of the ears arise from the sides of the 

 head, not from the forehead. 



Genus I. Vesperugo, Keyserling & Blasius, Wiegni. Archiv. 

 1839, p. 312. 



Muzzle generally very broad and obtuse, the glandular pro- 



