NOTES ON THE HABITS OF SOME CEYLON BATS. 451 
fairly straight, about 30 feet to 40 feet up. Though rapid in flight its pace 
cannot be compared with that of either the Taphozous or Saccolaimus which far 
excel it, flying as they do with almost Swift-like flight. On the wing, in the 
early evening, it may easily be recognised and identified by its tail which 
is proportionally longer than in any other bats. 
EMBALLONURIDA. 
Taphozous melanopogon.—The Black-bearded Sheath-tailed Bat. 
Singhalese—Podi Voula. Tamil—Sinna Vava. 
This bat has only recently been found in Ceylon. In August 1920 a large colony 
was discovered in some rocks near a Singhalese village (about half a mile from 
the sea) in Kalutara on the West Coast. The Colony was composed of males, 
females and young of all ages, numbering some forty or fifty altogether. They 
were living in the fissures and crevices of a large piled mass of rocks and bould- 
ers, partly overgrown with brush-wood, such as is common all over the Western 
low country. When first found, although the morning was well advanced and 
the sun blazing down, the bats were quite lively, many of them continually 
flying up and down and in and out of the caves and overhanging rocks, uttering 
their shrill squeaking cry the while. On alighting after a short fly round, they 
would clutch the rock wall with the hind feet and hooks on the wings, hanging 
head downwards, and would run swiftly backwards up the rock into a 
fissure a yard or more away. 
For a bat they are wonderfully agile when in this prone position ; the way 
they run into and hide in the crevices and fissures of the rock reminds one greatly 
of the small crabs which swarm on the rocks by the seashore, which they much 
resemble in some of their movements. On being disturbed many flew away 
among the Cocoanut palms, uttering a shrill cry, very like that of the Saccolaimus,. 
though perhaps not quite so highly pitched, while others hid deep down in holes 
and fissures of the rock. 
The two sexes were there in about equal numbers. In September many of 
the females had young clinging to them, while other young ones almost full-grown 
were hiding in the crevices. Some females examined had one young apiece, 
the young being naked and blind when born. The flight of this species is very 
rapid, like that of the Saccolaimus and its habits on the wing are probably almost 
the same as those of that species. When returning to its quarters it circles 
round high overhead, suddenly dropping with a rush of wings and swooping 
down alights on the rock in the head downwards position with its partially 
extended wings resting against the wall. Then looking round it either runs 
backwards into a crevice or takes flight again and has another try. Of the males 
examined, all but one had the black beard from which the species takes its name. 
This one individual, however, had no sign of any darkening of the throat, though 
there is no reason to suppose it was not breeding like the rest. The haunts of 
this species very soon become foul, and have a curious unpleasant musty smell 
rather different to that of the Rhinolophide, due presumably to the accumulated. 
droppings. 
Taphozous longimanus.—The Long-armed Sheath-tailed Bat. 
Singhalese—Podi Voula. Tamil—Vava. 
A rather uncommon species which, so far, seems to have been recorded only 
from the Kalutara district. By day it hides, singly or in pairs, in the 
crowns of Cocoanut palms, usually choosing a tall tree with a few dead leaves 
hanging down against the trunk. It either creeps in behind the leaf stem 
or more rarely hangs on to the trunk behind one of the dead leaves. The 
Singhalese often disturb them when they are ascending the trees to pluck the 
cocoanuts and can usually point out the trees to which they are partial. 
It comes out fairly early in the evening, following close upon the Saccolaimus, 
which it must resemble in flight ; but from which it can be distinguished, if 
