REPTILES 4II 
during the cold season. As bats confine their activities to the night, it is 
difficult to observe them, and consequently there are many interesting 
questions that remain unsolved. For example, it has been proved that 
some of our bats migrate as birds do, going south 
for the winter and returning in the spring. There 
are no warm caverns in Minnesota and the Da- 
kotas where they are known to pass the winter. 
What becomes of them then? Do they all go 
south, or do some of them find places where they 
can hibernate without freezing? 
Study of Bats. — Bats are very cunning little 
creatures and can easily be kept in a cage for 
observation. They will soon learn to take flies 
or bits of raw meat when presented on a hatpin 
or toothpick or the end of a pencil. The com- 
monest species in our northern states 
is probably the Little Brown Bat. Its 
body is less than two inches long, and 
is dark olive above and lighter below. 
REPTILES 
Lvg NMOUG ATLITT 
This large class of animals in- 
cludes alligators, crocodiles, lizards, 
turtles, and snakes. All reptiles are cold blooded, 
have a backbone, and breathe air by means of 
lungs; and their body is usually covered with 
scales or bony plates. As the temperature of the 
blood is low and the action of the heart very 
slow, some of them are able to remain under 
water many minutes without coming to the sur- 
face to breathe. The great majority of reptiles 
reproduce by laying eggs, but in some cases the 
young are brought forth alive. Reptiles are 
largest and most abundant in the tropics. In the 
northern states we have only a few species of turtles and snakes, and 
most of those are of small size. 
Turtles. — Turtles are reptiles that have most of their skeleton on 
the outside of the body, forming a bony box or shell in which the soft 
