76 VESPERTILIONID^— NYCTALUS 



There is also some question as to a supposed preponderance 

 of females in this genus, a matter upon which it is 

 impossible to write definitely. Large numbers of females of 

 the Noctule are certainly found not infrequently in their hiding- 

 places ; but on the other hand we have the contradictory 

 experience of Mr Whitaker as related above, and that gentle- 

 man states that he and a friend had previously handled over 

 twenty-seven Noctules taken at different times and places, 

 without encountering a single female. In Ireland, again, Mr 

 Moffat points out that the males of Leisler's Bat are more 

 frequently shot than the females, so that here once more the 

 available evidence agrees so little that more study is clearly 

 necessary. In this connection Mr Coward's remark, as quoted 

 by Mr Millais, that in captivity the males are more active than 

 the females, is important, and may throw light on the relative 

 numbers in which the two sexes are encountered in nature. 



Despite its offensive smell, the Great Bat is an object of 

 considerable beauty. Dr Henry Laver, indeed, contrasting 

 its rich brown fur, smoother and finer than velvet, with its 

 dusky wings, pronounces it to be the most beautiful of its order. 

 Although on the wing for so short a time, it is generally sleek 

 and plump, especially in autumn,^ when it accumulates much 

 fat both internally and as a thick layer under the skin, leading, 

 according to Mr Aplin, to a noticeable increase of weight as 

 compared with that of early summer. 



AH writers agree that," at least when new to captivity, the 

 Noctule, especially the male, displays much irritability, rest- 

 lessly biting the bars of its prison, its fellow-captives, and its 

 capturer, but confinement does not seem to interfere with its 

 health, since it may easily be kept alive for a period of some 

 weeks. 



The first published account of this species when in 

 captivity, was that of George Daniell, who ascertained 

 many interesting particulars concerning its lactation and 

 parturition, and embodied them in a very pleasing essay." 



> Gilbert White ; W. Borrer, Zoologist, 1874, 4125 ; Aplin, Zoologist, 1885, 344; 

 Dowker, Zoologist, 1891, 305. 



^ F. R. Rodd, Zoologist, 1891, 347 ; Oldham, etc. 

 ^ Proc. Zool. Soc. (London), 1834, 129-132. 



