WHISKERED BAT 



WHISKERED BAT. 



Myotis mystacinus, Leisler. 

 Plate 6. 



The Whiskered Bat, scarcely larger than the Pipistrelle, measures 

 in expanse of wings 8^ inches. The short and rather stumpy face 

 and muzzle, nearly black in the colour of the naked parts, are 

 bushy with the numerous fine hairs which conceal the eyes, while 

 the hairy fringe on the upper lip accounts for the name of this 

 species. 



The dusky black ears are rounded at the tips and notched on 

 their outer margin. The tragus, measuring fully half the length of the 

 ear, ends in a blunt point. The wings arise from the base of the outer 

 toes, while the tail projects slightly beyond the membrane. The teeth 

 are thirty-eight in number. 



The colour of the hair tips on the upper parts of the body is a 

 pale brown, on the under parts dull grey, the bases of the hairs above 

 and below a dusky black. I am indebted to Mr. T. A. Coward for the 

 specimen figured in the plate, which was taken while hibernating early 

 in February. This Bat was extremely dark in colour and a typical ex- 

 ample of the species in its winter coat. 



The Whiskered Bat is widely distributed over the Continent of Europe, 

 from as far north as Scandinavia and Russia southwards to France and 

 Spain. In Asia, it reaches China, Sikkim and Nepaul, and also occurs in 



North Africa. 



In the British Islands the Whiskered Bat was formerly considered rare, 

 but this belief was no doubt owing to the lack of observation and the 



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