320 MR. o. THOMAS ON BATS [Mar. 15 



rarities. The only British-killed specimen previously known to exist 

 was in the collection of Mr. J. Whitaker, of Rainworth Lodge, Notts., 

 and bad been obtained at Filey, Yorkshire, in 1862. So-called 

 specimens had generally proved to be females or young of the Long- 

 tailed Duck or of the American Wood Duck. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On the Bats collected by Mr. C. M. Woodford in the 

 Solomon Islands. By Oldfield Thomas. 



[Received February 11, 1887.] 

 (Plates XXV. & XXVL) 



The Mammalian collection made by Mr. C. M. "Woodford in the 

 Solomon Islands, and recently acquired by the Natural History 

 Museum, consists almost wholly of Bats ; and as nothing has been 

 hitherto recorded about the Chiropterous fauna of these islands, his 

 collection is naturally of great interest and importance. 



The localities at which Mr. Woodford collected were Alu, in the 

 comparatively large Shortland Island, and Faiiro Island, close to 

 Shortland, all the specimens therefore coming from the extreme 

 western part of the archipelago. 



The collection consists of 23 specimens belonging to 10 species, 

 of which two are new, one of these representing also a new genus. 

 As might have been expected, the greater proportion of the species, 

 and all of those presenting any special interest, belong to the fruit- 

 eating section of the order. One Solomon-Island Bat only was not 

 obtained by Mr. Woodford, namely Pteropus rai/neri, Gray, which 

 comes from the other extremity of the archipelago. This I have 

 included in the following list in order to make it a complete catalogue 

 of the known species of the group. 



1. Pteropus grandis, sp. n.' (Plate XXV.) 



a, b. Ad. sk,. S and a separate skull. Alu, Shortland Island, 

 4/86. 

 Size large, about equal to Pt. gouldi. Ears decidedly longer than 

 the muzzle, acutely pointed. Origins of wings about an inch apart 

 n\ the back. Interfemoral membrane very narrow in the centre, 

 concealed by the fur. Fur rather coarse, hispid over the shoulder- 

 glands, rather woolly on the legs. Fore limbs and membranes 

 nearly naked above, a few scattered black hairs on the proximal 

 half of the forearm. Fur on back adpressed, rather more than an 

 inch in breadth at its narrowest part. Rump and hind limbs nearly 

 to the ankles thickly clothed with woolly hairs. Below, the 

 humerus, proximal half of forearm, and the membranes between the 

 humerus and femora are covered with hair, and a thin baud of fur 



1 Preliminary diagnosis published, Ann. & Mag. N. H. (5) sis. p. 147, Feb. 



1887. 



