Whitaker : The Flight of Bats. 383 



Sometimes, especiall)^ in autumn, the Long--eared Bat will 

 descend near to the ground and pay a surreptitious visit to 

 some flower bed, up and down which it will thread its way for 

 a time, reapeatedly hovering- in front of the flowers to pick off 

 some unlucky insect. I shall not forget the first occasion when 

 I saw one thus engaged on a flower border in Barnsley Park. 

 I could see a large, light-coloured form hover for an instant in 

 front of some flower, and as it was during the month of 

 September, I concluded it was a Convolvulus Hawk Moth 

 {S. Convolviili)^ and stalked it for some time before I discovered 

 my mistake. I have heard of cats catching them when they 

 were flying in this manner. 



I believe this bat flies all night. I have had a bat flying 

 about me at one o'clock in the morning which I think was this 

 species, but one cannot of course be sure when it is quite dark. 



Strange to say, although Natterer's Bat {Myotis nattereri) is 

 not uncommon here, and occurs all over the district, I have 

 never yet been able to identify it when flying at dusk, with 

 certainty, though I frequently find them in the daytime in their 

 hiding-places. The flight is not very rapid and rather straight, 

 and it is stated to fly at an elevation of from six to thirty feet, 

 to be partial to the vicinity of water, and to make its appear- 

 ance early in the evening. 



I am not very familiar with the Horseshoe Bats in a natural 

 state, but have often released captive specimens indoors. If 

 the Noctule be described as the strongest flying bat, the Greater 

 Horseshoe {Rhinolophiis fernan-equimun) must undoubtedly 

 have the credit for being the most graceful. Owing to its broad 

 wings, it appears actually larger than the Noctule when on the 

 wing, and the beauty of its slow flight is greatly enhanced by 

 the long skimming sails it frequently takes on expanded and 

 motionless wings. 



Then its congener, the Lesser Horseshoe [Rhinolophns 

 hipposiderus)y is undoubtedly possessed of greater aerial agility 

 than any other British species. I have netted six of the seven 

 species of bats occurring in Barnsley district, in fair contest in 

 the open air, but I have tried in vain for over half-an-hour to 

 net two Lesser Horseshoe Bats which I had released in a small 

 room, and under such circumstances I venture to say that 

 anyone would be astonished at the extraordinary agility dis- 

 played by these little creatures. 



When referring to the altitude or duration of a bat's flight, 

 1 have been careful to qualify my remarks by the use of such 



1906 November i. 



