BRITISH MAMMALS 



as the only county in which it may be said to be common, giving 

 Yalding as a locality where it is numerous, the other places mentioned 

 being Folkestone, Maidstone, Canterbury, Riverschurch, Charlton, Walder- 

 share, Dartford, and Wingham. 



It has rarely occurred north of the Thames, two or three having been 

 recorded from Essex; and in The Zoologist (1892, p. 403) Mr. Coburn 

 mentions a specimen from the neighbourhood of Birmingham. 



The Serotine was first described by Daubenton in 1759. Its manner 

 of flight, as described by various observers, appears to differ according 

 to the kind of prey in season, or the state of weather prevailing at the 

 time, as it seems averse to cold and damp. At times it flutters through 

 open spaces sheltered by trees, feeding on cockchafers and other insects, 

 and at others flies high aloft, frequently swooping obliquely downwards in 

 a sudden dive in an effort to secure some insect at a lower level than 

 itself. 



The same characteristic dive may also often be noticed in the 

 Noctule. 



The late Major Barrett-Hamilton, describing their flight as witnessed 

 at Yalding, says {A History of British Mammals^ part iii. p. 136): 



" They now flew higher, often at thirty or forty feet, but not, I think, 

 exceeding the height of tall elms or of gunshot, and often descending 

 near to the ground. Their flight was not unlike that of the Pipistrelle, 

 but their beat was wider and their pace relatively less rapid. They could 

 not be described as weak fliers, nor was their pace slow, but they clearly 

 lacked the dash and finish of the Noctule, one or two of which were 

 present for comparison." He also states (p. 137), " Despite its name, 

 the Serotine is an early flier, perhaps the earliest of all British Bats." 



This species evidently does not fly throughout the whole night, but 

 for how long does not seem to be known precisely. It is sociable in its 



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