THOMPSON: THE LONG-EARED BAT IN CAPTIVITY. 19 
bluebottles, and house-flies. It was extremely fond of bluebottle 
flies, and manifested much activity in catching them. When caught, 
the insect was retained under the wings until killed, when the head 
resumed its ordinary position and the fly was eaten. When first 
caught, the prey struggled to escape, when it required the combined 
action of the wings and mouth to retain it, which was done by 
keeping it as much as possible under the body and wings. As 
night drew on, the bat became more and more active, watching 
with ears erect its opportunity for catching the insects put into 
the cage, and when a moth or fly came within reach, it was 
floor of the cage and literally pounce upon its prey, and even fly 
from one end of its prison to the other in pursuit. When once 
within its grasp escape was out of the question, and moderate sized 
moths, like the Yellow Underwing and Cabbage Moth, were equally 
helpless. The wings of moths were universally rejected, and, 
generally, those of flies. 
So far I have only described the habits of the bat as observed when 
confined in the cage. In order to watch the animal under more natural 
circumstances, it was on the fourth evening allowed to fly round a 
small room. Then the flight was observed to be light, buoyant, and 
performed by quick strokes or vibrations of the flying membrane. 
The ears are held erect and the body nearly horizontal. The 
concave structure of the wings materially aids the animal in its flight, 
and the dexterity with which this specimen averted repeated attempts 
at recapture was surprising. When hovering over an object (as in 
examining parts of a room) the body assumes a nearly vertical 
position. When wishing to rest after a continued flight, it seeks a 
suitable place, and, by a quick turning movement, fastens upon it 
with its feet, hanging head downwards. From this position it can 
readily drop into flight again—a wonderful provision of nature for an 
animal so strangely constructed as the bat. Not that it cannot rise 
from a plane surface, as was formerly popularly supposed. On the 
contrary, when placed on the table, this bat would readily fly off with 
a light spring like a bird. It soon learnt to appreciate this period of 
exercise, and, when the door of the cage was opened, would speedily 
climb out and fly about the room. But its tameness was even to 
exceed this. The bluebottles which crawled up the window attracted 
the creature’s attention, and, hovering over the flies, it would pick 
them off the glass. After catching its prey the bat invariably flew to 
a resting-place, and there devoured the insect at leisure. Small 
house-flies were eaten on the wing. The ‘buzz’ of a bluebottle’s 
wings was sufficient to attract the bat’s attention, and when they hid 
Jan. 1892. 
