188 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



to be assumed that the genus reached the Antilles from Africa or a 

 southern land mass by any such direct connection, for present evidence 

 is quite as good that it came by way of the Central American land 

 tongues to these islands. 



As for the bat genus Nycticeius, it is possible that it was formerly 

 more widespread in America, and is now persisting in Cuba and the 

 southeastern United States only. Its occurrence in Cuba alone of 

 the Antilles may indicate a former connection with Florida; the same 

 perhaps by which the ground sloth, Megalonyx, apparently a North 

 American genus, reached the island. Possible, too, Nycticeius, as 

 well as Mormopterus and Solenodon reached Cuba through the Yuca- 

 tan bridge, at a time when Jamaica had already become separated, 

 thus accounting for their apparent absence on the latter island. 



The genus Lasiurus occurs in Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas 

 (New Providence). The Cuban species is brightly colored, like the 

 Mexican race, from which it is probably derived; but the relation- 

 ships of the Bahama red bat are not satisfactorily determined. Fur- 

 ther investigation may show that this genus is found in the other 

 Greater Antilles. 



Bats of the family Molossidae occur throughout the West Indies. 

 The species Nyctinomus brasiliensis of the mainland is represented 

 by slightly characterized races in the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, 

 and the Windward Islands, respectively. On both Cuba and Jamaica 

 occurs A T . macrotis, a species of the ' Nyctinomops ' group, which has 

 not been elsewhere found in the West Indies. This distribution 

 seems to be exactly matched by that of the genus Eumops. Thus, 

 on Cuba is found a bat apparently indistinguishable from the E. 

 glaucinus of the adjacent mainland, while on Jamaica its place is 

 taken by the closely related species, E. orthotis. Doubtless the land 

 tongues connecting Cuba and Jamaica with Yucatan and Honduras 

 respectively, allowed these bats to reach their present homes. 



The case of Mormopterus, known in America from Cuba and Peru, 

 has been already discussed. It may eventually be found in Jamaica. 



The genus Molossus is represented by three species. The first 

 seems to be a slightly smaller race of the continental M. obscurus, 

 and probably occurs throughout the West Indies, except apparently 

 the Bahamas. A small species occurs in Cuba whose relationships 

 are still uncertain, while in the southern Lesser Antilles is found the 

 South American species, M. crassicaudatus. 



Summary. — The foregoing survey of the known mammalian fauna 

 of the W r est Indies shows but three Antillean genera that are common 





