82 Whitaker: Notes on the Breeding Habits of Bats. 
congratulate myself that I should safely rear the young ones, to 
lose them both. The one which was most advanced died first, 
on the 21st of August, at the age of thirty-three days, and the 
other lingered on without developing until Sept. 2nd, when it 
also died. 
At the time of death the former of these immature bats was 
carefully examined and measured, and its size, compared with 
that of an average adult, was as follows : — 
Adult. Young. 
Head and body...... 1.55 Aged’ 4 weeks; 1.28 
Tah), ss), eaoeeat eek? I.11 e .62 
Wing expanse ...... 8.50 S 3.64 
Har (length) <..:..... 42 A 28 
Tracusi(enethy) 2.0 “19 Pi 
el Ie] oe aa Se Ge A -50 35 -35 
OLGA «teen ceases eit 45 65 
The above comparative measurements should convey a good 
idea of the relative sizes of the two; but it will be noticed that 
I give the age of young, at four weeks. The specimen my 
measurements were taken from was, it is true, nearly five weeks 
old; but seeing that during the last week of its life it had not 
developed, much allowance should be made, and probably a 
young one in good health would easily attain the development 
indicated in four week’s time. 
Many of the most interesting points still remain unsolved, 
and require careful observations in the future. During the 
thirty-three days through which the most interesting of these 
two young Pipistrelles was in my keeping it subsisted entirely 
on its mother’s milk, and took no solid food. It became strong 
enough to crawl quite briskly about, but showed no sign of 
any inclination towards flight, save that during the last week 
or ten days I observed it frequently open and stretch its wings, 
and once or twice beat them in the air in a ‘ flipperlike ’ manner, 
but only one at a time. When young birds begin to do this, 
it is a sure indication that they will soon make more serious 
attempts at flight, and doubtless the analogy holds goods with 
regard to bats. 
I several times allowed my adult Pipistrelles to fly in the 
same room, with the young ones attached, when the proceeding 
was always the same. The mother would crawl up my jacket 
sleeve with the young one under her wing, and then, even when 
realising that she was at liberty to go, would hesitate for some 
time, turning her head about from side to side. After this she 
Naturalist, 
