72 Whitaker : Notes on Bats. 



One interesting fact relating to the young Horseshoe Bats 

 is, that at birth, instead of being practically naked as are the 

 young of the Vespertilionidae, they are clothed with a very 

 short, and soft, silky down, especially noticeable on the back, 

 shoulders, and top of the head. Not only was this most 

 conspicuous in the case of the newly-born Greater Horseshoe, 

 but it was even plainly apparent in the embryo of the lesser 

 species. 



The call of the yoimg Greater Horseshoe Bat was fairly loud, 

 and consisted of several chirrups, repeated in quick succession, 

 at intervals. 



I kept two or three of the adult Greater Horseshoe Bats 

 alive for some time, and most interesting pets I found them. 

 Hanging head downwards, often by one leg only, they slept 

 most of the time, suspended from a bar fixed across the top of 

 their cage (a large meat safe). Sometimes they hung separately, 

 but more often they slept all hanging together in a cluster. 

 When this was done, a perfectly regular and almost exactly 

 geometrical group was frequently formed. 



Each of the trio held the perch with one leg only and hung 

 facing inwards, so that the three faces were almost touching. 

 Each had the left wing folded over its own breast, and beneath 

 this tucked its disengaged leg, whilst with the right wing 

 almost fully extended for the purpose, it did its share towards 

 enclosing the whole group, which was by this means effectually 

 screened and shielded from draughts, by the covering of three 

 overlapping and encircling wings. 



When living moths were put.into their cage, the bats would 

 catch them, but only seemed able to do so when the insects 

 we e in motion. An insect which kept quite still seemed 

 perfectly safe ; whilst on the other hand, the more rapid its 

 movement, the more infallibly did one or other of the bats 

 secure it by a sudden dart from its perch, seizing the insect 

 in its mouth, and returning to the perch to eat it. Moths 

 which were actually flying were caught much more easily than 

 those which fluttered on the cage floor or sides. 



These bats took to feeding on meal-worms readily, and like 

 all other bats I have kept, no sooner tasted them than they 

 developed so great a liking for them that I could only get them 

 to take any more natural food with difficulty. They ate on 

 an average five dozen meal-worms each per day. and would 

 take these from my fingers, or forceps, as they hung from their 



Naturalist, 



