WILD CREATURES OF GARDEN AND HEDGEROW 



a piece of skin or membrane, that is situated 

 inside the ear, and looks just Uke a second one, 

 remaining on view. This false ear or * tragus ' is 

 so like a proper ear that the bat looks as if it 

 had a second pair. It is only while the owner 

 is asleep that the real ears are tucked away ; as 

 soon as it wakes up they are drawn out, uncurl, 

 and come forward. They are most wonderfully 

 sensitive delicate organs, contracting and with- 

 drawing, then being extended again, something 

 after the manner of a snail's ' feelers.' For 

 instance, if you put your finger near one of these 

 bats it will, though the hand has not touched 

 it and it could not have seen the approaching 

 finger, draw back at once the ear on that side. 

 As the long-eared bat is fond of hunting round 

 trees, and in and out between the branches, its 

 extraordinarily sensitive ears must be a great 

 help to it, enabling it to dodge between the 

 twigs and know where the moths and flies are. 

 It undoubtedly depends chiefly on its ears 

 when hunting, though it has a pair of sharp 

 keen little eyes with which it can see well. 

 How the old saying ' blind as a bat ' came into 

 being I cannot think, for all bats can see well. 

 Certainly their eyes are not very big, but they 

 are there all right, and are thoroughly useful 

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