Uncommon Pets 87 
brasiliensis). Of these the first-named species is the most easily cared for, and is no 
more trouble than the frugivorous bats. 
The cage for bats, of whatever species they may be, must be most carefully and 
exactly finished, in order that there may be no projecting points to catch or tear the 
wings, as the tiniest splinter may either tear or scratch the tender membranous texture, 
which closely resembles a very fine quality of sheet-rubber closely ramified with nerves 
and bloodvessels, with the result that an inflammation sets in round the wound, 
suppuration takes place, and eventually eats away the surrounding membrane, giving 
the bat a most miserable and wretched appearance. ‘There is no advantage gained in 
having too small a cage; a convenient size is three feet six inches long by three feet 
in height, and a couple of feet im depth. This will hold from two to six bats 
very comfortably without overcrowding, a thing to be guarded against, as bats are by 
no means amicable in disposition, and often quarrel and bite one another, especially 
if wrangling oyer some coyeted tit-bit. 
If the task of making the cage be given 
over to a practical carpenter, he must be care- 
fully imstructed to plane the interior free from 
all roughness and splinters. ‘The wires must not 
be galvanized wire netting, but the best tinned 
bird-cage wire. The doors should be two in 
number, one at the top of the cage, the other 
at the bottom coming quite flush with the floor, 
so that the imterior can be readily got at for 
cleaning and to facilitate the refilling of the 
food vessels. The perches must be arranged 
differently from those m a bird-cage, as bats do 
not use them to stand upon, but to suspend 
themselves from; therefore the perches must be 
fixed about an inch from the top of the cage, 
three or four inches apart, and extending from 
one side to the other, parallel with the front; 
they do not require to be very thick—no larger 
than an ordinary lead pencil—so that the creature 
can easily get the wing-hooks and feet-claws round 
them. As bats are unable to jump up to these 
perches, some wooden slots must be fixed at the 
back of the cage to enable the animals to climb up by; these can be about an inch 
in width and nailed a couple of inches apart; both these and the perches must be 
carefully smoothed down. The food and water vessels are preferably of china, as 
this material is more readily cleaned than metal and is not lable to rust; and the 
use of proper utensils keeps the food fresh and less likely to be wasted than if 
thrown promiscuously into the cage, when it is lable to be spoilt by the excrement 
or by being trodden upon. Bran is the best covering for the floor. For many years 
the writer used sawdust, but latterly he has given up the use of it and now uses 
bran only. The reason is a simple one. When feeding, the bats often take their 
food up with them and eat it in the roof; but it often happens that, especially if 
another one takes to quarrelling for the possession of the bit, it slips from their grasp 
and falls on the floor, where it gets coated with whatever it happens to fall on. Should 
sawdust be on the floor at the time, some of it gets imto the stomach of the animal 
along with the food, where it acts as an irritant; whereas if a little bran be eaten 
there is no harm done at all, and the bat is none the worse for it. 
COLLARED FRUIT BAT EATING GRAPE. 
