32. DESMODxrs. 54/ 



1. Desmodus rufus. 



Desmodua rufus, Wied, Bdtr. zur Naturgesch. Brasil. p. 233 (1826) ; 

 BlainviUe, OsUographie, pi. vii. (skull), pi. xiii. (teeth) ; Wagner, 

 Suppl. Schreh. Saugeth. v. p. 614 (1855) ; Gervais, Exp^d. du Comte 

 de Castelnau, Zoologie, p. 31, pi. viii. fig. 6, and pi. ix. fig. 1 (1855) ; 

 Htixley, P. Z. S. 1865, pp. 386-390 (woodcut of alimentary canal). 



Edostonia cinerea, D'Orbigng, Voy. de VAm6rique M4rid. iv. p. 11, 

 pi. viii. 



Desmodus d'orbignyi, Waterhouse, Voy. of the 'Beagle,^ Mamm. p. 1, 

 pis. i. & XXXV. fig. 1 (skuU) ; Gay, Hist, de Chile, Zoolog. p. 33 



Desmodus murinus, et rufus et d'orbimyi, Warner, op. cit. i. pp. 877- 

 380 (1844). 5 .y , y > /- vi- 



Desmodus fuscus, Lund, Burmeister, Thiers Brasiliem, p. 57 (1854). 



Muzzle very short and conical, the distance from the eye to the 

 end of the nose is much less than the distance between the eyes : 

 nose-leaf short, the centre of its upper margin deeply notched, front 

 margin continuous with the upper lip, nostrils opening by oblique 

 slits in its front and upper surface ; laterally and behind it is 

 bounded by a deep groove, which is divided into three cells by two 

 ridges passing backwards from the base of the leaf above, connecting 

 it with the base of a nodular elevation between the eyes, which is 

 also connected on each side with a glandular elevation placed in front 

 of the eye and showing on its surface the apertures of three small 

 ducts ; lower lip with a central groove in front bounded externally 

 by large triangular naked elevations, as in Vampyrus : both the 

 upper and lower Ups are thin-edged and apparently expansible, at 

 the angles of the mouth folded slightly outwards : ears quite sepa- 

 rate, short, rising but slightly above the crown of the head, which 

 is raised above the face-line ; inner margin strongly convex in lower 

 half, then abruptly straight, rounded off at the tip, beneath which 

 the outer margin is slightly concave, then convex, with a small wart 

 clothed with long hairs opposite the base of the tragus, shortly 

 beyond which it terminates ; tragus longer than broad, trapezoidal, 

 acutely pointed, the inner side much thickened, lower third of the 

 outer margin irregularly and slightly toothed, the front surface 

 clothed with long hairs (Plate XXX. figs. 7, 7 a). 



Thumb very long and strong, much longer than the foot, quite 

 free from the membrane, at the base of the metacarpal bone and to 

 the inner side a small projecting cushion, a similar but smaller 

 cushion is placed under the metacarpo-phalangeal joint ; claw short, 

 but slightly curved. First phalanx of the middle finger scarcely 

 more than one fifth the length of the metacarpal bone, and two 

 thirds the length of the second phalanx ; metacarpal bones of the 

 fourth and fifth fingers progressively slightly shorter than that of 

 the middle finger ; wing-membrane from the ankles or tarsus ; no 

 calcaneum or tail ; interfemoral membrane extending across from 

 the middle of one tibia to the other, about half an inch deep in the 

 centre ; feet moderately large and broad, with feeble claws ; inner 



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