116 



cate a Cockchafer whilst on the wing with perfect ease ; and the 

 other species having a slight and feeble body, with very slender 

 wing-bones supporting a membrane of equal delicacy, suited only for 

 flight in sheltered spots, and with a muzzle and teeth of such small 

 size as to be fitted only for taking minute food in such situations. 



The difference between the two is quite sufficient to justify generic 

 separation, and the work is easy so far as these two species are con- 

 cerned ; but unfortunately a whole host of species come in between 

 them, and bring such a series of small modifications as to reduce 

 the distinction to one of degree only; so that in attempting to separate 

 them the results are anything but satisfactory. And it is scarcely 

 necessary to go beyond the European list to meet with an unbroken 

 series from the one to the other. Under these circumstances, any 

 character which could be found sufficiently marked to show a differ- 

 ence apart from that of degree, however small it might be, would 

 be valuable as a means of classification. 



In default of any single character which might be considered suf- 

 ficient for this purpose, a certain combination of characters, not in 

 themselves sufficiently distinctive taken separately, might neverthe- 

 less, if taken collectively, answer the desired end ; and further, the 

 decision would be strengthened if we were to find that these cha- 

 racters were so precisely uniform in degree, as to afford no specific 

 differences beyond those of the size of the animal and the quality and 

 colour of the fur. 



Such is literally the case with the group which I have now to 

 consider. Although inhabiting widely separated localities — Europe, 

 Asia, Africa and Australia, — its several members scarcely exhibit any 

 greater differences than those above noted, viz. colour and size. 



The genus Miniopteris was first proposed by Prince C. L. Bona- 

 parte in his fine work on the Fauna of Italy, for a species which was 

 there described as Miniopteris Ursinii, being regarded as new. It has 

 however been subsequently shown by MM. Keyserling and Blasius, 

 that this species is identical with the one described a long time pre- 

 viously by Natterer, in Kuhl's ' Memoir on the Bats of Germany,' 

 under the name of Vespertilio Schreibersii. The specific name 

 given by Natterer is the one now generally admitted, whilst the ge- 

 neric one given by Prince C. L. Bonaparte is refused or adopted 

 according to the opinion respecting the generic distinctions. 



In the following monograph the generic peculiarities will first be 

 pointed out ; and this will be followed by a detailed description of 

 the earliest-described and best-known species — the European one, — 

 after which the points of dissimilarity in the other species will be 

 adverted to*. 



* I am aware that some zoologists regard the Asiatic and African representa- 

 tives of the genus as referable to the European one, an opinion in which I par- 

 tially concur. The African one, Vespertilio dasythrix of Temminck, is I believe 

 identical with Miniopteris Schreibersii ; but the Asiatic ones occurring in the 

 islands of the Indian Archipelago and in Australia, I believe to be perfectly 

 distinct species. 



