REDDISH-GKEY BAT. 55 



Yarrell from Colchester and from Norwich ; we have 

 taken them at Selborne ; and received three living ones, 

 by the kindness of Dr. Waring, from Chiselhurst in Kent, 

 where they were taken during their hibernation, in com- 

 pany with Barbastellus, Vespertilio mystacinus, and Plecotus 

 auritus. They were found in a large chalk cavern, at the 

 bottom of a shaft seventy feet in depth. These speci- 

 mens continued alive for a short time, feeding on bits of 

 raw meat, and exliibiting great familiarity of disposition, 

 not only by their friendliness towards their companions, 

 but by their readiness in taking food from the hand, and 

 in allowing themselves to be interfered with without 

 evincing fear or anger. One of them was one morning 

 found dead, and partially eaten by his companions ; and 

 the remaining two died shortly afterwards. They were 

 active in their habits, running about the cage and climb- 

 ing with great agility ; their attitude when running on 

 a plane surface was more horizontal than that of the 

 Long-eared Bat, though perhaps less so than the Pipis- 

 trelle, which runs along almost on its belly. 



The discovery, in 184-8, of a colony of these Bats in 

 the church of the village of Arrow, situated on a small 

 stream of that name near to Alcester, confirms in a very 

 interesting manner the familiar and social habits of the 

 species. Between the ceiling of the church and the 

 tiled roof was a dark retreat, accessible by a low arch 

 from a floor in the tower. Here the Bats were seen 

 adhering, by all their extremities, to the under surface ol 

 the row of tiles which forms the crest or ridge of the 

 roof (partly supported, however, by the upper tier of 

 roof-tiles on which the ridge-tiles rested), and others 

 clinging to them, until a mass was made up three or four 

 inches thick, six or seven wide, and about four feet in 

 leno-th. It would be wrong to call this their place of 



