850 MU. T. A. CO\\'AUD ON THE [NoV. 27, 



Lesser Horseshoe Bats in caves in Co. Clave in March and April, 

 where Mr. Foot had previously taken them in March, but in the 

 August following Mr. Foot's visit he failed to find aiiy in the 

 Ballyallia cave. The Rev. H. A. Macpherson (3), having advertised 

 for bats, received from Mr. Mitchell some Greater Horseshoes 

 (7»Vi. ferrum-eqidn/um), which he had taken from a Devonshire 

 cavern. Mr. Mitchell took these bats in August, and remarked, 

 Avhen he forwarded them to Macpherson : — " The bats seem to 

 prefer the mouth of the caves to the interioi- parts, foi', although 

 I went in a great distance, I failed to see a single bat beyond a 

 certain limit, i. e. where the daylight failed absolutely." ...... 



" Eai'ly in spring I could go down and pick oft" as mariy as I 



could cai-ry away whereas now, as soon as I entered the 



cave, they began to fly fi'om one pai-t of the cave to the other." 

 Although Mr. Mitchell attributed this shyness to the bats having 

 been disturbed by the lights and noise of visitors, it seems 

 probable that the summer haunts of the bats were nearer the 

 enti-ance than their wintei' retreats, for the Lesser Horseshoes 

 at Cefn and elsewhere are found at a gi'eat distance from the 

 entrance in winter. On September 24th, 1903, some were taken 

 in a cave at Tal-j'-bont, Carnarvonshii'e (4), but it is impossible to 

 say if the bats had i-etired to this cave for the winter, or had 

 occupied the place during the summer months. 



In 1903 I visited the Tremeirchion cave on July 29th, arid on 

 August 15th, in the company of Mr. Robert Newstead, the caves 

 at Cefn ; we failed to find a single bat in either fa.vourite winter 

 resort. On November 18th we found that large numbei'S of 

 Lesser Horseshoes were in the caves, but they were even then 

 undoubtedly not in deep sleep ; two were actually flying in the 

 passages when we first noticed them, and three othei's took flight 

 before we could touch them. In one pai-ticulai' water- worn hole, 

 which contained no cracks in which bats could lurk unseen, and 

 which was empty in August, eleven bats were hanging. The 

 temperature of the caves on that day, several yai-ds from the 

 entrance, was 46° F., and the activity of the bats may be explained 

 by this ; for Dr. N. H. Alcock and "Mi-. C. B. Mofiat (5) conclude 

 that in the case of the Long-eared Bat [Plecotus auritus), '' hibern- 

 ation ... is repeatedly inteiTupted, arid, apparently, this is 

 liable to occur whenever the thermometer rises above 46° F." On 

 December 2nd, 1905, we found the bats less active, but three 

 were sleeping so lightly that they were i"oused either by the light 

 or heat of a candle, or the noise made in attempting to focus a. 

 camera in order to obtain a photograph. Two woke up and flew 

 without being touched, and the thii'd was on the point of flying 

 when we captui-ed it. 



On other visits in December, March, and April, I have found 

 the bats plentiful but apparently in deeper sleep ; it Avas possible 

 to pick them fi'om the walls and hold them in the hand for some 

 time before they became restless. In April 1897, Mr. JSTewstead 

 f oinid that " the bats were hibernating, but awoke on the slightest 



