﻿4 Oldham, On some Habits of Bats. 



that food taken immediately prior to the bat's retirement 

 in autumn would remain unassimilated in the stomach, 

 or as faecal matter in the intestines, until the resumption 

 of an active existence in spring. The fact that Long- 

 eared Bats taken at Alderley in winter often defecated 

 soon after being roused from slumber appears to be addi- 

 tional evidence of their intermittent activity at that season. 



Two other species, Daubenton's Bat (Myotis daubentoni) 

 and the Whiskered Bat {M. mystacinus), hibernate in the 

 Alderley copper mines, but they are met with less fre- 

 quently than the Long-eared Bat. It is probable that in 

 both the winter sleep is interrupted, but further evidence 

 on the point is desirable. A Daubenton's Bat taken in 

 one of the tunnels on December 15th, 1894, defecated 

 shortly after capture. A Whiskered Bat was certainly 

 not in the place where I found it on March 5th, 1903, on 

 any of my several visits during the preceding winter. An 

 example of this species which had been caught on the 

 wing in a bakehouse at Alderley was brought to me on 

 February 8th, 1901, but there was nothing to show how it 

 had got into the place. Even if it had chosen the roof 

 for its hibernaculum, the warmth of the bakehouse may 

 have roused it into precocious activity, and little impor- 

 tance attaches to the occurrence. 



There is good reason to believe that the winter sleep 

 of the Lesser Horseshoe Bat {Rhinolophus liipposiderus) is 

 not continuous. Professor J. R. Kinahan (2), who made 

 some interesting observations on this species in certain 

 caves in County Clare more than forty years ago, states 

 that on April 1st he found two individuals which were 

 certainly not in the same place on March 22nd. Caves 

 which are occupied by this bat in winter arc, in some cases 

 at any rate, vacated during the summer months. Kinahan 

 says that the Clare caves were untenanted in August, and 



