THE LONG EARED BAT. 37 
and in every case have been awarded for the troubie by the curious little 
traits of temper and disposition which have been exhibited. ; ’ 
One of my Bat favourites was captured under rather peculiar cir- 
cumstances. ‘ 
It had entered a grocer’s shop, and to the consternation of the grocer 
and his assistant had got among the sugar loaves which were piled on an upper 
shelf. So terrible a foe as the Bat (nearly two inches long) put to rout their 
united forces, and beyond poking at 
it with a broom as it cowered 
behind the sugar, no attempts were 
made to dislodge it. At this junc- 
ture my aid was invoked ; and I 
accordingly drew the Bat from its 
hiding-place. It did its best to 
bite, but its tiny teeth could do no 
damage even to a sensitive skin. 
The Bat was then placed in an 
empty mouse-cage, and soon be- 
came sufficiently familiar to eat and 
drink under observation. It would 
never eat flies, although many of 
these insects were offered, anu 
seemed to prefer small bits of raw Se et 
beef to any other food. It was a LONG-EARED BAT. —(Pleistus Communis.) 
troublesome animal to feed, for it 
would not touch the meat unless it were freshly cut and quite moist ; forcing 
me to prepare morsels fit for its dainty maw six or seven times daily. 
It spent the day at the top or on the side of its cage, being suspended by 
its hinder claws, and would occasionally descend from its eminence in order 
to feed or to drink. While eating, it was accustomed to lower itself from the 
cage roof, and to crawlalong the floor until it reached the piece of meat. The 
wings were then thrown forward so as 
to envelop the food, and under the shelter 
of its wings the Bat would drop its head 
over the meat and then consume it. On 
account of the sharp surface of its teeth, 
it could not eat its food quietly, but was 
forced to make a series of pecking bites, 
something like the action of a cat in similar 
circumstances. 
It would drink in several ways, some- 
times crawling up to the water vessel and 2 
putting its head into the water, but usually HEAD “OB LONG-EARED: BAT: 
lowering itself down the side of the cage 
until its nose dipped in the liquid. When it had thus satisfied its thirst, it 
would re-ascend to the roof, fold its wings about itself, and betake itself to 
slumber once more. 
I kept the little animal some time, but it did not appear to thrive, having, 
in all probability, been hurt by the broom-handle which had been used so 
freely against it, and at last was found dead in its cage from no apparent 
cause. Although dead, it still hung suspended, and the only circumstance 
that appeared strange in its attitude was, that the wings drooped downwards 
instead of being wrapped tightly round the body. 
In the attitude of repose, this Bat presents a most singular figure. The 
wings are wrapped around and held firmly to the body ; the immense ecais 
