2l6 



VESPERTILIONID^— BARBASTELLA 



The nearly full-grown young are said to differ from the adults in 

 having the underside darker. 



The skull (Fig. 8, No. 5, p. loi) and teeth (Fig. 22) are typical of 

 the genus. 



No material exists on which to base a 

 study of the variation of this species. 

 Millais mentions a golden-brown form, and 

 Tomes two immature examples, one of 

 which was perfectly white ; the other (now 

 in the British Museum) had the body pure 

 white, but the head, part of the neck, and 

 lower dorsal region normal ; in both, the 

 wings were almost white. A third, taken 

 at Alcester, Warwick, had the fur of the 

 under parts, from root to tip, strongly 

 tinged with purplish red or rose colour, 

 which was very conspicuous when the animal 

 was fresh, but faded considerably after pre- 

 servation. There is much variation in the 

 extent of the frosting of the hairs, some 

 specimens being very dark ; Lord Lilford 

 mentions a dark brown male taken on 

 22nd March, and a very grey female 

 taken on 4th September [Zoologist, 1894, 

 187 and 395). 



As regards size, the forearm in eight 

 British specimens measured by me aver- 

 ages 1-5 mm. less than in thirteen from the continent of Europe, but 

 the difference is too minute and the series too small to afford basis for 

 a definite conclusion. 



Proportionate lengths : — Foot, without claws, about -30 of lower leg ; 

 fifth metacarpal, about -93 of third ; lower leg, about -49 of forearm, and 

 about -38 of head and body. 



Skull -.—Greatest length, 15; basal length in middle line, io-6; 

 palatal length in middle line, 5 ; from posterior border of m^ to anterior 

 border of canine, 5 ; greatest breadth at zygoma, 77 ; posterior breadth, 

 7-5 ; breadth between orbits, 5 ; breadth at constriction, 3-5. 



The weight is given by Fleming as 100 grains = 6-5 grammes. 

 Distinguishing characters :— The Barbastelle cannot be mistaken for 

 any other European bat. Apart from its dark colour, in no others 

 —except the Long-eared, the immense ears of which are very different- 

 are the internal margins of the ears joined together. The latter char- 

 acter is evident even in the unfledged young. 



Fig. 22. — Front View of In- 

 cisors AND Canines of Barba- 

 stella barhastellus (enlarged and 

 diagrammatic). 



