THE NOCTULE, OR GREAT BAT 



63 



neck" {Midland Naturalist, 1883, 151). Otherwise, individual and 

 geographical variation appears chiefly in size, the larger forms showing 

 a correlated development of the cranial ridges. In a large female from 

 Devon the forearm measures 54, or fully 3 mm. above the average, but 

 it IS still far below that of maximus. 



DIMENSIONS IN MILLIMETRES:— 



* Norgate (Zoologist, 1906, 26) gives the average of many as 14i incljes, and the extremes as varying 



from 14^ to 16 inches. 



The female is, on the average, the larger sex. 



Proportionate lengths: — Foot, without claws, about -64 to -66 of 

 lower leg ; fifth metacarpal about 79 to -So of third ; lower leg about 

 •33 to '34 of forearm, and about -24 of head and body. 



Skull :— Greatest length, 19 ; basal length in middle line, 14 ; palatal 

 length in middle line, 7 ; from posterior border of m^ to anterior border 

 of canine, 7 to 7-5 ; same in lower jaw, 7 to 7-5 ; greatest breadth at 

 zygoma, 12-75; posterior breadth, 12; breadth between orbits, 12-2; 

 breadth at constriction, 5. 



Very few published details of the weights of Noctules are available, 

 but Aplin, who weighed two on 25th July, each of about 26 grammes, 

 and one on 13th October of 35-44 grammes, found a considerable increase 

 of weight in autumn {Zoologist, 1885, 344). The following (in each 

 case converted to grammes) are of interest: — Two males, each 30-12 



