THE WING-POUCHED BATS. 



41 



It inhabits Egypt. Specimens are to be found in the Paris and 

 British Museums. 



2. TAPHOZOUS SENEGALENSIS— SENEGAL WING-POUCHED 



BAT. 



Syn. Taphozous Senegalensis Geoff. Descript. de l'Egypte Hist. Nat. II. 



]27— Fisch. Syn. Mam. 120. 

 Taphien Lerot- Volant. — Desm. Mam. No. 195. 

 Lerot- Volant. — Daubenton, Mem. de l'Acad. des Sciences de Paris, 

 1759, 386. 

 Icon. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



The Hair brown above, greyish-brown beneath. 

 The Operculum roundish. 

 Inhabits Senegal. 



It was Adanson who first noticed the existence of this species ; he 

 transmitted a specimen to Paris, where it fell under the review of the 

 accurate Daubenton. Its muzzle is broad and prolonged ; its ears are of 

 moderate size, and have a very short operculum, which is very broad and 

 rounded; the extremity of the tail is free in the membrane ; the head and 

 upper part of the body are of a brown colour ; the inferior parts are of 

 a lighter brown, with a greyish tint. 



3. TAPHOZOUS MAURITIANUS.— MAURITIUS WING- 

 POUCHED BAT. 



Syn. Taphozous Mauritianus. — Geoffr. Descript. de l'Egypte Hist Nat. 



II. 127.— Less. Mam. No. 190. 

 Le Taphien de l'Isle de France Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 120 Desm. 



Mam. No. 196. 

 Icon. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



The Hair chestnut-coloured above, and reddish beneath. 



The Operculum with a sinewy edge. 



The Tail shorter than the thigh. 



Inhabits the Isle of France. 



This Bat was discovered in the Isle of France by Colonel Mathieu of the 

 Royal Artillery. It is not very unlike the preceding species ; but differs 

 in the proportion of the head, and the form of the operculum ; also, in 

 the tail being shorter, and in the extent of the interfemoral membrane. 

 Its muzzle is more acute, and the tail shorter than the thigh bone. The 

 spur is equal in length to the foot. The operculum is, at its origin, ac- 

 companied with a small lobe, and is terminated by a sinewy edge ; the 

 ears are short and round. Its length, from the muzzle to the origin of the 

 tail, is about three inches and nine lines ; its extreme breadth about ten 

 inches. Its fur is of a chestnut colour on the back, and reddish under- 

 neath. 



4. TAPHOZOUS LEPTURUS.— SLENDER-TAILED WING- 

 POUCHED BAT. 



Syn. Taphozous lepturus. — Geoffr. in Descript. de l'Egypte, II. 126. — Cuv. 

 Reg. Anim. I. 120. 

 Vespertilio lepturus. — Sclireb. I. 173 Linn. Gmel. 1. 50 — Slender- 

 tailed Bat of Pennant and Shaw. 

 Icon. Schreb. Saiigth. LVII. 



specific characters. 

 The Hair grey above, and paler beneath. 

 The Tragus very short and obtuse. 

 The Alar Membrane folded near the tail. 



This Slender-tailed Bat is about one inch and a half long ; its muzzle 

 is broad, and supplied with very fine bristles ; the nostrils are tubular and 

 approximate; the ears are large, obtuse, and rounded, with a very short 

 and obtuse operculum ; the four incisors are lobed, and the canines are 

 long. The alar membrane is folded towards the tail, in such a way as to 

 form a kind of pouch ; the tail is prolonged beyond the interfemoral mem- 

 brane. It is stated to be an inhabitant of Surinam ; but this is doubtful. 

 M. Geoffroy is inclined to think it has been procured from India. 



5. TAPHOZOUS LONGIMANUS.— LONG-ARMED WING. 

 POUCHED BAT. 



Syn. et Icon. Taphozous longimanus Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 120. — Fisch. 



Syn. Mam. 121 Hardw. Linn. Trans. XIV. 525, pi. 17. 



specific characters. 

 The Hair snuff-brown above, paler beneath. Membranes black. 

 The Ears ovate, rugous. The Tragus broader above than beneath. 



VOL. II. 



The Arms and Fingers remarkably long. 

 Inhabits Calcutta. 



General Hardwicke, whose description and drawings are most accu- 

 rate, informs us that this Bat is common in Calcutta, in dark store-rooms, 

 whence it issues at night, and intrudes into dwelling-houses, attracted by 

 the light of the candles, and the numerous insects which buzz round 

 them. Its head is depressed, broad between the ears, and suddenly ta- 

 pering to the nose ; the nostrils terminal, approximating ; the margins 

 tumid, the upper jaw longest. The ears are obliquely ovate, erect, 

 transversal, plaited internally ; the inward margins hairy inwardly ; the 

 posterior lobe elongated to the chin ; the tragus oblong, broader upwards 

 than below. The interfemoral membrane extends considerably beyond 

 the toes ; is supplied with long spurs, and is truncated. The tail is an 

 inch long, hardly tapering. The body is wholly covered with a very soft 

 hair: in the adult, it is of a snuff-brown colour; the legs and membranes 

 are black; but the full sized young Bats are of a deep black all over, 

 Total length, 5 "; total breadth, 14i". 



6. TAPHOZOUS RUFUS RED WING-POUCHED BAT. 



Syn. Taphozous rufus Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 120 Fisch. Syn. Mam. 122. 



— Harl. Faun. Americ. p. 22. 



Vespertilio rufus Warden, Descrip. of the United States, V. 608. 



Red Bat of Pennsylvania Wilson's Amer. Ornith. VI. 60. 



Icon. Wilson, loc. cit. pi. 50, fig. 4. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



The Hair of a reddish-cream colour. 



The Membranes of a dusky red. 



The Tragus slender, rounded at the extremity, situate internally. 



Inhabits North America. 



The length of this Bat, from the nose to the tail, is four inches, of 

 the tail four, with the breadth across the wings twelve. The general co- 

 lour is a bright iron-grey, the fur being of a reddish-cream colour at bot- 

 tom, then strongly tinged with lake, and minutely tipt with white ; the 

 membranes are dusky, their shafts light-brown ; the ears are scarcely half 

 an inch long, the tragus small ; the nostrils are somewhat tubular ; the 

 wings have a single hook each, and are so constructed that the animal 

 may hang either with its head or tail downwards. I have several times, 

 says Wilson, found two hanging, feet fast locked together, behind a leaf, 

 the hook of one fixed in the mouth of the other. I once, he adds, found a 

 number of them, in the depth of winter, in a cave not far from Carlisle, 

 Pennsylvania ; they were lying on the projecting shelves of rocks, and, 

 when the fire-brand was held near them, they wrinkled their lips, show- 

 ing their teeth ; they soon became active when held in the hand, and, 

 when carried into a stove-room, flew about as lively as ever. 



An incident regarding the habits of this species we must not omit. 

 The female, says Dr Harlan, has been known to manifest the strongest 

 maternal affection : a young lad having taken two young Bats of this spe- 

 cies, was in the act of carrying them to the museum at mid-day ; being 

 watched by the mother, she followed him through the streets, fluttering 

 rouud the thoughtless urchin, in whose grasp was centred all her hopes, 

 and eventually settled in his bosom, preferring captivity to freedom with 

 loss of progeny. 



7. TAPHOZOUS NUDIVENTER— NAKED WING-POUCHED 



BAT. 



Syn. et Icon. Taphozous nudiventris. — Cretzchm. in Rupp. Atl. pi. 27 b.— 

 Gray, Mag. of Zool. and Bot. II. 499. 



specific characters. 



The Hair, above, a greyish-brown ; beneath, whitish. 

 The Membranes and Feet dark brown. 



The Face, lower part of the abdomen, and inside of the extremities, 

 naked, and flesh-coloured. 

 Inhabits Egypt and Nubia. 



This Bat differs from the Taphozous perforatus of Geoffroy, not only 

 in the dimensions of its body, which is larger by one third part, but also 

 in the nakedness of the lower part of the body and extremities, both in 

 the young and adult, — parts which, in T. perforatus, are thickly covered 

 with hair. 



The face is pointed, and naked from the nose to the region round the 

 eyes ; the nostrils small, directed forwards ; the eyes middle-sized, and 

 black. The colour of the upper part of the body is a light brown, 

 speckled with grey, of the lower whitish. On the nail-joint of each toe 

 there is a pencil of stiff and crooked hairs. M. Ruppell procured his spe- 

 cimen from the pyramids of Gizeh. 



