CHIROPTERA 45 



wing— both young and old — none the worse for their captivity. 

 Other species appear to be no less voracious ; thus Dobson ^ 

 mentions a fruit-bat which consumed food of twice its own 

 weight in three hours. 



The behaviour of bats when in captivity is in many ways of 

 much interest, their actions being much influenced by their 

 habits while in a state of nature. A bat rarely thinks of look- 

 ing for a mealworm, even if it be struggling close under it on a 

 table, thus suggesting the inference that an insect missed is an 

 insect lost ; but it will eat one if it accidentally touches its 

 mouth or head. When first offered moths or mealworms in 

 captivity, the various species behave very differently. Some, 

 such as the Noctule, Leisler's, or the Pipistrelle, have no hesi- 

 tation in feeding, but others, evidently not expecting to eat 

 while resting, seem at first incapable of grasping the situation 

 and appreciating the meaning of the objects offered to them.^ 

 The Whiskered Bat is at such times a particularly shy feeder, 

 and appears to gain no information whatever from the sight or 

 smell of a mealworm, although Mr Oldham found that the attach- 

 ment of a pair of moth's wings to the worm has driven the lesson 

 home. Even the Pipistrelle, which readily accustoms itself to 

 captivity, has been known to insist on the unnecessary incon- 

 venience of pouching a small insect eaten while resting on a flat 

 surface. 



There is nothing to guide us as to the possible age attained 

 by bats, except the statement quoted above that a captive 

 Pipistrelle lived in the possession of Mrs Hall for two years. 

 From the known facts of their breeding habits it may, however, 

 be argued that in Britain bats must, if the numbers of their 

 species are to be kept up, reach a minimum of at least four 

 years. The production and rearing of three young ones by a 

 pair of bats (the first born when the parents are two or even 

 three years old) occupies, if the number at a birth be but one, a 

 period of about three years, and it is very doubtful if such a 

 number would be sufficient to compensate for the admittedly 

 large death-rate existing amongst wild animals. Where two at 

 a birth is the rule, the period in question should be sufficient to 



^ Catalogue of Chiroptera, 83. 



2 The Long-eared is particularly easy to keep in captivity, since it readily searches 

 for and seizes its food. 



