0I1IROPTEUA— VESPEPTILIONID^E— VESPERTJLIO SUBDLATUS. 1)7 



or not so; lower canines with small basal cusp posteriorly; first two upper premolars 

 small, especially tbe second one, the last one larger, compressed, and bicuspid, the large 

 outer cusp longer tban any point of the true molars; lower premolars .small, especially 

 tbe two front ones. Skull thin and papery, crestless, with inflated cranial, and nar- 

 row, prolonged rostral part, giving a small face, high forehead, rather pointed muzzle, 

 and foxy or terrier-like physiognomy. Face moderately whiskered. Ears rather large, 

 oval in general contour, but with variously modified details of slightly sinuous border, 

 and blunt tip. Tragus about half as high as auricle, upright, or nearly so, lanceolate, 

 with nearly straight anterior, and moderately divergent posterior, border, at base of 

 which last is a small nick and lobe, variously shaped. Extreme tip of tail more or less 

 obviously exserted. Interfemoral membrane naked ou dorsal surface, except a tii 

 angular patch of fur at its base, continuous with covering of the back. Wing-mem- 

 branes naked, very delicate, thin, almost diaphanous, usually rather brown than 

 blackish. Eur dark plumbeous at base, at tip a varying shade of brown, from quite 

 dark to yellowish-brown, usually palest on the belly. General build delicate; size 

 small. Total length, about 3 inches, often less; expanse up to 10, ofteuer 8-9; tail 

 about 1J; fore-arm about equal to tail ; longest finger, 2-2 i ; ear usually g, but from 



\ to I- 



II AB. — North America at large. 



It is impossible for ns to believe that more than a single species of bat 

 is included in the above extensive synonymy. Of this, the first sentence of 

 tbe above paragraph is diagnostic ; the rest, fairly descriptive. We will state, 

 before proceeding further, that we are antoptically familiar with little more 

 than tbe ordinary forms of V. subulatus, but that our experience witli these 

 is ample, and it tallies precisely with what we have learned in a protracted 

 critical study of various other families of our mammals. For this reason, 

 if for no other, we must not be considered presumptuous in so summarily 

 criticising adversely tbe labors of one who has made the bats a speciality. 

 But, furthermore, it is notorious that one looking afresh at the general bear- 

 ings of a subject may discern what another more practiced, yet, so to speak, 

 pre-occupied, eye, has failed to discover. Almost throughout his mono- 

 graph, Dr. Allen has given diagnoses and descriptions perfectly tangible 

 and satisfactory, but, in this case of the 38-toothed bats, we cannot find, 

 on sifting out his accounts, anything to rest upon. He is perfectly right, 

 we think, in rejecting the nominal species of earlier writers. From what 

 little can be made of them, they seem mostly referable to V. subulatus ; 

 tbe remainder of those not identifiable oscillating between this species 

 and V. georgianus, which might be superficially described in almost 

 identical terms. But, after this, has he not fallen into precisely tbe same 

 7 z 



