On an Australian Bat. 39 



great rapidity, trying to shun the light ; and if laid hold of 

 behind, and detained from reaching a shaded nook, turning 

 round the head and biting at the detaining object with an 

 angry hissing and whistling noise. It refused food and water, 

 and when an insect or a small bit of meat was forced into its 

 mouth, it was, as quick as possible, rejected. The moment the 

 bat found itself in shade or under shelter, it fell asleep. The 

 temperature of the inner portion of the mouth was 52^° Fah., 

 while the surrounding air was 52°. The body showed 140 

 regular pulsations during the space of a minute; but whether 

 these arose from the action of the lungs or the heart, I was 

 unable to ascertain. 



The extraordinarily small size of this specimen of vesper- 

 tilio induced me to weigh and to measure it. The following 

 was the result: — While alive (on the 18th June) the bat 

 weighed two pennyweights and seventeen grains ; eight days 

 later (on the 26th June) while still alive, the weight was only 

 two pennyweights and eight grains ; there being a loss of nine 

 grains, or about one grain in every twenty-four hours. It died 

 on the last -mentioned clay, and the post mortem examination 

 gave many indications that, although the organs and tissues 

 were in full and good condition, the proximate cause of death 

 was probably starvation and unseasonable disturbance of the 

 animal's natural state of hibernation. The specimen was a 

 male one. The body had the following proportions: — whole 

 length, from tip of nose to root of tail, not quite one inch 

 and half; length of tail, one inch; extreme span of wings, 

 six and three-quarter inches. The colour of the body, dark 

 brown on the back, grey on the under side, and lighter grey 

 under the chin ; feet black ; membrane of the wings and tail, 

 purplish-brown in color, and not covered with hair, with the 

 exception of a few near the root of the tail. Dentition as 

 follows : — 



2. 2. 1. 1. j. 1. 1. 3. 3. t 14 _ „„ 



Incisors : upper, the first, two lobed; the second, simple and 

 smaller; the lower, three lobed and very small. Canine: 

 upper, strong, a little curved ; lower, like the upper, but only 

 half the size of it. False molars : above, longer than the 

 true molars, sharp-pointed ; below, the first, two lobed and 

 smaller than the true ones, the second, sharp-pointed and 

 larger. True molars : above, first and second nearly equal, 

 with three sharp tubercles externally and a low sharp ridge 

 internally, the third with only two and half tubercles, but 



