Fes., 1912. MamMatrs or IL1inors anp Wisconsin— Cory. 447 
so, they hitch themselves along clumsily and with evident effort. 
They vary greatly in size, from an animal smaller than a House Mouse 
to the great (for this family) Pleropus edulis, a species inhabiting Java 
and the Philippines and having a body the size of a small cat and a 
wing expansion of nearly five feet. Many species are supplied with 
odoriferous glands which are chiefly developed in the male. The 
food varies in different species; some are largely insectivorous; others 
frugivorous; and several exotic forms are sanguinivorous, but con- 
trary to popular belief the last are all comparatively small. The 
so-called Vampire Bats belonging to the genus Vampyrus, which for 
many years were accused of sucking the blood of animals, are now 
known to confine themselves almost entirely to fruit. 
Skeleton of a Bat. 
a, Pollex; b, metacarpals; c, phalanges; d, radius; e, ulna; f, antebrachial membrane; g, humerus; 
h, scapula; i, clavicle; j, femur; k, tibia (fibula rudimentary and not shown); 1, calcar; m, interfemoral 
membrane; n, tragus. 
Bats possess a wonderfully developed tactile sense enabling them 
to avoid objects in their flight, which is not perfectly understood. 
It is supposed to be located in the highly sensitive network of nerves 
of the wing membrane,* as well as in the ear conchs, in the vibrissz of 
the muzzle and in some species the cutaneous expansions surrounding 
the nostrils. Exceedingly slight changes in temperature or density of 
*The wing membrane is furnished above and below with exceedingly fine and 
widely scattered hair, which, according to Schébl, aid in transmitting the exalted 
sense of touch, while other nerve fibres give appreciation of temperature. 
