﻿Manchester Memoirs, Vol. xlix. (1905), No. 9. 7 



exception of its face and a narrow space on the back 

 which is exposed by reason of the convex shape of the 

 forearms. The ears are hardly visible, being partially 

 folded as a Long-eared Bat's are when it is half roused. 

 The Lesser Horseshoe Bat when taken in winter seldom 

 survives for many days, and it is noteworthy that as 

 the animal grows weaker the body is less completely 

 enveloped in the flying-membrane, and in death the 

 dorsal surface is usually exposed. Mr. Newstead's photo- 

 graphs (4) of the bats that we found at Cefn were taken 

 after he reached home, and the exposed surface on the 

 back of the bat is much greater than is the case under 

 natural conditions. In a group of the bats which were 

 hanging, in close proximity though without touching one 

 another, from the roof of the Cefn Cave, I noticed that 

 the distance at which the feet were held apart differed 

 considerably, possibly in relation to their foothold. 



Captive Lesser Horseshoe Bats frequently uttered a 

 cry, tchek, tchek, both when in flight and at rest, which 

 reminded me of the alarm-note of the Greater Spotted 

 Woodpecker, though it was, of course, not so loud. Another 

 cry has been described as a low chatter. 



It is a popular fallacy that bats cannot walk, or at the 

 best can only shuffle along awkwardly, on a flat surface. 

 In reality, all the British species of the family Vesperti- 

 lionidse which I have had under observation can, despite 

 the fact that their knees are directed backwards — a posi- 

 tion unique among mammals — walk with ease, and their 

 pace is often accelerated to a pattering run. If one of 

 these bats is walking on a flat surface, the tail is decurved 

 beneath the belly, but when it ascends a vertical object, 

 such as a curtain or a rough wall, the tail is extended 

 behind, and helps to support the bat, as do the stiffened 

 tail-feathers of a Tree Creeper or Woodpecker. Millais 



