68 TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 



Finally I wish to cair attention 

 to the two original illustrations, 

 photographs from nature of our 

 greatest of insect destroyers, the 

 bat; one representing our common 

 town bat; and the other, a rar-^ 

 very large species of the cave or 

 mountain bat; the first photo 

 represehtiner a bat found among a 

 wagonload full of bat manure at 

 one of the old Mitchell's lake boat 

 houses, now long ago abandoned. 

 Bats by the millions iii former 

 years and even now congregate at 

 the old lagooia, on account of tht-. 

 immense insect life there in the 

 summer and fall, now conspicuous- 

 ly diminished since Dr. Campbell 



mera. I encountered this speci- 

 men many years ago during an 

 outing and hunting trip in the 

 canyons and mountainous regions 

 of San Geronimo some 27 miles 

 north of San Antonio. Perhaps it 

 had been chased up from its 

 haunts by some animal, as we met 

 same at noontime, about 2 o'clock 

 at a time these nocturnal animals 

 usually are hidden in deep dark 

 eaves or large rock crevices or ia 

 the interior of hollow cliffs, etc. 

 The large bat was flying high up 

 over our heads in an erratic way, 

 and during one of its turns, I man- 

 ao'ed to bring it down Vi^ith a well 

 aimed shot, and we we're astound- 



A Common Bat in Hanging Position 



erected his high sanitary bathouse 

 and tower on the west side of thfe 

 lake. I prepared this bat photo 

 in its natural size, the bat hanging 

 to a board dov/nward, with folded 

 wings. 



The most interesting of these 

 two photos however, is the second 

 one, showing the head and mouth 

 parts of the cave bat at very close 

 focus; prepared with extra near 

 focusing lens adjusted to the ea- 



ed with its large size and dark 

 brown fur-like body, resembling 

 the fur of a ferret or a beaver. 

 Taking it to the ranch close by a 

 relative, Mr. E. Henderson, I pre- 

 pared the view seen herein. 



Dr. Mamoch, of the Helotes, a 

 scientist of the old school and au- 

 thority on Texas reptilia and jun- 

 gle animals in general, once years 

 ago, told me such large bats often 

 congregated around his piotur- 



