330 TESPEBTILIONIDiE. 



Dr. Allen remarks that lie was obliged to describe these spe- 

 cies without having had an opportunity of examining the types 

 of the species described by European zoologists from the same 

 region. It is therefore very probable that most, if not all of the 

 above are synonymic terms ; but I find it quite impossible to say 

 from the descriptions of what species they are synonyms, or 

 whether some or all should be recognised as new. In most of the 

 descriptions the leading characters are derived from the colours of 

 the fur, which appear to be scarcely less variable in this genus 

 than in other genera of Chiroptera, and therefore cannot be depended 

 upon in distinguishing species. 



13. EERIVOTJLA. 



Kerivoula, Gray, Ann. ^ Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. x. p. 258 (1842) ; 

 Tomes, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 322 ; Dohson, Mmwgr. Asiat. Chiropt. 

 p. 145 (1876). 



Muzzle narrow, elongated ; skuU very concave between the nasal 

 bones and the vertex, so that the crown of the head appears con- 

 siderably vaulted ; glandular prominences between the eyes and 

 nostrils very small, indistinct, the upper surface of the muzzle 

 sloping down evenly, laterally and in front, to the margin of the lip ; 

 aperture of nostril completely circular, opening sublateraUy close to 

 the margin of the upper Up ; mouth wide, upper and lower lips pro- 

 jecting slightly, the upper Up and the angle of the mouth thickly 

 fringed with long hairs : ears funnel-shaped owing to the great con- 

 vexity of their outer margins, diaphanous, studded with glandular 

 papillse from which minute hairs arise ; the outer margin termina- 

 ting very abruptly by a deep lobe not separated from the outer side 

 of the ear, and not carried forwards to the angle of the mouth ; 

 tragus extremely long and narrow and very acutely pointed, straight 

 or slightly curved outwards : integumentary system largely deve- 

 loped ; anterior margin of the deep antebrachial membrane free 

 throughout ; wings from the base of the toes ; calcaneum long and 

 strong, curved hackwards, no postoalcaneal lobe ; posterior margin 

 of the interfemoral membrane more or less fringed with hairs ; 

 tail as long as or longer than the head and body, wholly contained 

 within the interfemoral membrane. 



Dentition. Inc. ^-=?, c. \^, pm. ^~, m. ^. 



Upper incisors parallel, not divergent as in Vespertilio ; the outer 

 incisor always shorter than the inner one, sometimes minute ; second 

 upper premolar sUghtly smaller than the third, never minute as in 

 Vespertilio ; second lower premolar equal to or sUghtly larger than 

 the first, and nearly or qidte equal to the third. 



This genus includes some of the most delicately formed and most 

 truly insectivorous, tropical, forest-haunting Bats. They are distin- 



