ORDER CARNASSIER. 137 



not give an explanation of them completely satisfactory, at 

 least, it cannot be denied that reciprocal and necessary re- 

 lations must exist between all these parts. 



The distinctive characters of the nycteres are confined to 

 the differences which we have now detailed. The other 

 teeth of these bats, canine and molar, resemble those of 

 the vespertiliones. The same is true of the abdominal 

 viscera. The teguments only, present a greater extent of 

 surface. The ears are longer than the head, without the 

 auricula, which borders the meatus auditorius, being aug- 

 mented in a similar proportion. This extent of the tegu- 

 mentary system is peculiarly conspicuous between the legs, 

 where the interfemoral, or as we may, in this case, term it, 

 the caudal membrane, surpasses, in both its dimensions, 

 the length of the animal. The compass of the wings, how- 

 ever, and the peculiar size of each of those organs of 

 volitation, present nothing very anomalous or extraor- 

 dinary. The osselets of the fingers are in the smallest num- 

 ber ever found among the bats. One, (the metacarpian,) 

 constitutes the index, and the others are formed of three 

 pieces, that is to say, of the metacarpian, and the two pha- 

 langes. 



The last vertebra of the tail is bifurcated, a singular 

 kind of separation, found in all the nycteres, and not exist- 

 ing in any other division of the bats. 



There was but one species of nyctere known, and de- 

 scribed, in the time of Daubenton, his " campagnol volant ," 

 (the vespertilio Mspidus of Linnaeus,) and bearded bat of 

 Pennant. The nyctere Theba'is, differs from this, as also 

 does another species, brought from Java, by M. Leschenault 

 de la Tour. 



The dimensions of these bats are not the same. The 

 nyctere of Daubenton, is as thirty-eight in length, from 

 the head to the origin of the tail ; the nyctere Theba'is, as 

 fifty-four ; that of Java, as sixty-seven. 



