BATS OP THE UNITED STATES 



G5 



In midsummer, sharp eyes sometimes find 

 this bat hanging close in amongst the leaves of 

 a chestnut tree, its delicate fur as red as the 

 brightest iron-rust. Touch it ever so gently 

 and whisk! it is off as swiftly as a swallow, to 

 seek another and a better hiding-place. 



From sunset until it grows quite dark, it is 

 very busy, and constantly on the wing. The 



THE RED BAT. 



Red Bat is a swift flyer, and much more of an 

 aerial gymnast than any bird I know. In its 

 flight it can turn abruptly with marvellous pre- 

 cision, and to me it is a constant source of won- 

 der that it can fly so rapidly, turn and double 

 so quickly, and dart in all possible directions 

 without striking something. Almost any bird 

 attempting to fly over the course of a Red Bat, 

 and at the same speed, would probably come 

 to grief in a very short time. 



The only mistake that Red Bats are prone 

 to make is in flying into houses through open 

 windows, and instantly forgetting the location of 

 the means of escape. Once in a room, the bat 

 flies slowly, and frequently is so bewildered by 

 the sudden change from semi-darkness to light 

 that it strikes a wall, and falls to the floor. Al- 

 though many persons are nervous about bats, I 

 have noticed that whenever one flies in, some 



kind-hearted and sensible person generally cries 

 out, "Don't kill it!" 



While crossing the Atlantic quite recently, 

 a British Long-Eared Bat was found on board 

 the steamer, thirty miles from the nearest land, 

 clinging to the rail, wet and weary. At that 

 time there was no breeze from the land. 



When taken into the library, its wet fur soon 

 dried, and it began to fly to and fro. In a short 

 time the room was well filled with passengers, 

 who watched the exhibition with great interest. 

 When caught and held for close examination, 

 it did not squeak shrilly and protest as the red 

 bat usually does. After having served as a 

 useful object lesson for a large number of young 

 people, our strange visitor was brought safely to 

 New York harbor, and liberated. 



The Gray Bat J is one of the largest and 

 handsomest species inhabiting the northeastern 

 United States and Canada. It is also found 

 throughout the middle West from Ohio to Cali- 

 fornia, and from Manitoba to New Mexico. This 

 is a species well worth looking for. It has small 

 ears, a head-and-body length of 3 inches, tail 2 

 inches, and it is readily distinguished by its dark 

 brown hair tipped with silvery white. 



The Big- Eared Bat a of the south Atlantic 

 states has ears of incredible height and width 

 for a creature so small. In comparison with 

 the size of the wearer, these ears are the largest 

 worn by any American mammal. They are 

 one-half as long as the entire head and body, 

 being 1\ inches in height and nearly 1 inch 

 wide, while the head and body measure only 

 2-j inches. 



THE FAMILY OF FALSE VAMPIRES. 



Megadermatidae. 



This Family is absent from America, but is 

 mentioned here to fill what otherwise would be 

 a gap. The members of one genus, Megaderina, 

 are noted for their carnivorous habits. The 

 most noteworthy species is well worthy of men- 

 tion. 



The "False" Vampire Bat, of India and 

 beyond, bears a name which is quite mislead- 

 ing; for in its habits, this creature is far from 

 being a "false" Vampire. It devours frogs, 

 small fishes, bats smaller than itself, and even 



1 At-a-la'pha cin'e-re-a. 



2 Co-ry-norhi'nus ma-cro'tis. 



