73 



3. VeSPERTILIO CALIGINOSUS, U. S. 



This is one of the smallest species of the genus, being rather less 

 than the V. mystacinus of Europe, which in general appearance it 

 very much resemblgs. Vespertilio parvulus, Temm., is the only 

 species of this restricted group which I have yet seen, that is smaller 

 than the present one. 



There are a few Asiatic species of Bats which possess the characters 

 of the group of which V. mystacinus is typical, but which have the 

 tragus much shorter and less acute, and not so much bent outwards. 

 Vesp, trilatitius, Temm. (not Horsfield), and V. tenuis of the same 

 zoologist, may be mentioned as examples; and the species I am about 

 to describe will constitute a third. 



The top of the head is rather elevated, about as much so as in V. 

 mystacinus ; and the muzzle is pointed as in that species, but is con- 

 siderably shorter. The ears are rather small, and have narrow but 

 rounded tips, are notched at their outer margin near the base, below 

 which is a distinct rounded lobe, which is almost hidden in the long 

 fur of the neck. The tragus is rather short, not quite half the 

 length of the ear ; its inner margin is straight ; its outer one curves 

 evenly from the base to the tip, in such a manner that it is of pretty 

 uniform breadth for about half its length, from which it narrows to 

 a subacute tip. The tragus of V. mystacinus is precisely of this 

 form for two-thirds of its length, — the outer margin being convex, 

 the acute tip being produced, or as it were added, and taking an 

 outward curvature in the dried specimens, but straight when fresh 

 or preserved in spirit. Near the base is a well-defined notch divi- 

 ding off an angular lobular portion, quite at the base. No such 

 notch appears in the tragus of either V. mystacinus or V. tenuis. 



The wings are proportioned much as in V. tenuis, excepting that 

 the thumb is much smaller, whilst the bones of the vfings, although 

 this species is considerably less, are quite as stout as in that species. 

 The feet are small, with toes which are rather more than half their 

 entire length. Wing-membranes extending exactly to the base of 

 the outer toe, which is much shorter than the others. 



All the membranes are more strongly marked with lines than 

 those of V. tenuis, and especially the interfemoral, on which may be 

 counted as many as fifteen or sixteen transverse dotted lines, each dot 

 bearing on the under side of the membrane one or more fine, short, 

 bristle-like hairs. In V. tenuis about a dozen such lines may be 

 observed. 



Nearly the whole of the face is covered with thick soft hair, want- 

 ing only on the end of the snout, the front of the under lip, and im- 

 mediately around the eye. On the glands of the upper lip it takes 

 the form of two distinct tufts, projecting laterally, having the ap- 

 pearance of whiskers. In front of each eye is a siiigle long hair, 

 and a few other similar but shorter ones project from the upper 

 lip and the chin. The fur of both surfaces of the body extends on 

 to the interfemoral membrane very slightly ; but the wing-mem- 

 branes are free from hair. 



