152 VESPERTILIONID^— MYOTIS 



polished as to indicate a large colony, and the little animals 

 voiced their protests by a loud outcry, described as chirp- 

 ing, squeaking, and clicking. It was perfectly possible to dis- 

 tinguish the two bats, " both on the wing and when coming 

 out of the hole — Daubenton's coming to its mouth, and thence 

 flying straight out ; whilst the Pipistrelle crept to the edge of 

 the pier, and letting himself fall from thence, flew off. This, 

 added to the latter 's being more wary and active in dodging 

 the net, rendered him more difficult to capture, and to retain 

 when captured, as out of three, supposed to be of this species 

 captured, I was only able to retain one. Daubenton's Bat 

 does not fly as rapidly nor make such quick turns as the 

 Pipistrelle, and when struck into the water, floundered in it 

 so as to enable me to catch him, while the Pipistrelle, under 

 similar circumstances, just touched it and was off". The cry 

 of the Pipistrelle is much shriller than that of the other. 

 There was also an unmistakably fetid odour from the Pipi- 

 strelle, which I did not remark from Daubenton's Bat. . . . 

 On confinement, their manners are very different ; the 

 Pipistrelle being impatient, squealing, and biting like a little 

 fury, and running up and down the sides of the net; while 

 Daubenton's Bat was gentle, submitting to be handled, merely 

 gaping with its mouth, and uttering a soft, low chirp; . . ."^ 



One of the most picturesque summer breeding colonies 

 of bats in the British Isles is that described by Mr 

 Grieve,^ as discovered by him at Glen Dochart, Perthshire. 

 Here the spurs of Creag Liuragam descend at several points 

 in precipitous rocks into the waters of Lochs Ure and Dochart, 

 and in these perpendicular and fissured faces are the chosen 

 homes of Daubenton's Bat. So numerous are they that their 

 presence was in one case detected by the "strange wail" of 

 their voices, which, rising and falling intermittently, attracted 

 attention from the opposite side of the loch, about three 

 hundred yards away. 



As is the case with so many other species, the Water 

 Bat often changes its domicile for the winter, at which season 



' In the quotation, Daubenton's has throughout been substituted for Natterer's 

 Bat, for which species Kinahan mistook it (see p. 145, under " Distribution"). 

 ^ Ann. Scott. Nat. Hist., 1894, 193-195. 



