VESPERTILIO. 



wrinkles, fo as to lie in a fmall fpace wlien the animal is at 

 reft, and to be itretched to a very rfide extent for occafional 

 flight. The fpecies of this extraordinary genus ar? nume- 

 rous, and may be divided into the tailed and tailhfs bats. 

 Gmelin, in his edition of the Linnjean Syftcm, enumerates 

 twenty -three fpecies, and diltributes them into feveral divi- 

 lions, according to the number of the fore-teeth in the upper 

 and lower jaw. 



* Bats ivlth four Fore-teeth in both Jaws. 



Vampyrus. Taillefs bat, with the nofe fimple, or 

 without any appendage, and the flying membrane divided 

 between the thighs. This is the ternate bat of Pennant ; 

 and this, or the variety a of Gmelin, the colour of which is 

 chiefly black, is the V . ingens of Clufius, the V. volans of 

 Bontius, the chien volant of Daubenton, and rouffette of 

 Buffon. Gmelin enumerates two other varieties, differing 

 in fize and colour ; one the great bat of Edwards, or rou- 

 gette of Buffon, and the other the lefTer ternate bat ot 

 Pennant. See Vampyre. 



Spectrum. TaiUefs bat, with a funnel-fhaped, (harp- 

 pointed membrane on the nofe. This' is the andira guacu, 

 vefpertilio cornutus of Pifo, the vampyre of Buffon, or 

 fpeftre bat of Pennant. See Vampyre. 



Perspicillatus. a taillefs bat, with a nofe furnifhcd with 

 a plane leaf acuminated. This is found in South America, 

 and is fuppofed by fome to be the javehn bat of Pennant. 



Spasma. .\ taillefs bat, with a doubly heart-fhaped 

 leaf-like membrane on the nofe. This is the glis volans ter- 

 natar.us of Seba, and coi-dated bat of Pennant. The co- 

 lour is reddifh-brown ; the extent of wing about fifteen 

 inches, and length of body nearly four inches : it is a native 

 of Ceylon and the Molucca iflands. 



Hastatus. a taillefs bat, with a trefoil-fhaped upright 

 membrane on the nofe. This is the javehn bat of Pennant, 

 with large pointed ears, a membrane at the nofe in the form 

 of an ancient javelin, with two upright procefTes on each 

 fide, cinereous fur, and of the ffee of the common bat : fy- 

 nonimous, according to Pennant, with the V. pcrfpiciUatus 

 of Linnxus, and inhabiting the warmer parts of America. 



SoRiciNUS. A taillefs bat, with lengthened fnout, fur- 

 nifhed with a heart-fhaped, leaf-like membrane. This is 

 the leaf bat of Pennant, and bat from Jamaica of Edwards ; 

 with fmall rounded ears, a web between the hind-legs ; fur 

 of a moufe -colour, tinged with red, and fize of the common 

 bat. Found in South America. 



Leporinus. Tailed bat, with the upper lip bifid. This 

 is the Peruvian bat of Pennant. It has a head refembling 

 that of a pug-dog ; the ears are large and ftraight, fharp at 

 the ends, and pointing forwards ; tail inclofed in the mem- 

 brane which joins to each hind-log, and fupported by two 

 long cartilaginous ligaments, involved in the membrane ; co- 

 lour of the fur iron-grey ; body of the fize of a middling 

 rat, and extent of wmg two feet five inches. 



* * Fore-teeth in the upper Jaw four, in the lower fix. 



AuRlTUS. Tailed bat, with fimple or inappcndiculated 

 mouth and nofe, and double ears larger than tlie head. 

 This is the long-eared Englifli bat of Edwards, the oreiller 

 of Buffon, and the long-eared bat of Pennant. This very 

 much refembles the next fpecies, but is rather fmaller, and 

 the fur has lefs of the reddifli tinge ; but it is diftinguilhed 

 by the very large fize of the cars, which are more than an 

 inch long, and very confiderably wide ; flightly rounded at 

 the tips, and furnifhcd mternally with a kmd of fecondary 

 auricle or intern.il flap, fo placed as to fcrve by way of a 

 valve or guard to the auditory pafTage. 



MuRiNUS. Tailed bat, with fimple nofe, and ears 

 fmalkr than the head. This is the chauve-fonris of Buffon, 

 the fhort-eared Englifh bat of Edwards,, and the common 

 bat of Pennant. It is about two inches and a half from the 

 nofe to the tip of the tail, and the extent of the wings, fully 

 expanded, is about nine inches : it is of a moufe-coloiir, 

 tinged with reddifh ; the wings and ears black, the latter 

 bemg fmall and rounded. 



This and the former bats are the two moft common 

 fpecies in this country ; and they are thofe which are fecn 

 fluttering about in the evenings of fummer and autumn ; 

 often uttering a fharp, f^ridulous note or fcream during 

 their flight, and purfuing the various infefts on which they 

 feed, particularly moths. They are fometimes taken by 

 throwing up the heads of burdock whitened with flour, 

 being thus caught by the hooked prickles and brought to 

 the ground. The bat is, like the moufe, capable of being 

 tamed to a certain degree. Infefts are its favourite food", 

 though it will not rejeft raw flefh when offered ; fo that the 

 notion that bats go down chimneys and gnaw men's bacon is 

 not improbable. The vulgar opinion, that bats, when on a flat 

 furface, cannot get on the wing again, is erroneous. Bats are 

 commonly fuppofed to produce two at a birth, which they 

 fuckle for a confiderable time. When recently born, they ad- 

 iicre fo tenacioufly to the breafl of the parent, as not to be re- 

 moved without great difficulty : they lodge in great numbers 

 in the cavities of old buildings, under the projeftions of walls, 

 in the hollows of trees, in rocky places, &c. &c. In thefe 

 receffes they lie torpid during winter, till the warmth of the 

 vernal atmofphere invites them abroad to make their evening 

 excurfions. When taken torpid, and brought into a warm 

 fituation, they awake from their (lumber, and again expand 

 their wings. During their (late of torpidity, the circulation 

 of the blood is not perceivable in the fmaller veflels, but 

 when awakened by warmth, it becomes vifible by the micro- 

 fcope. Bats arc faid to drink on the wing by fipping 

 the furface, like fwallows, as they play over pools and 

 dreams. They are fond of frequenting waters, not only for 

 the fake of drinking, but on account of the infedls that 

 hover over them. The general appearance of the bat, 

 together with its nofturnal flight, excites the idea of fome- 

 thing that is hideous and difmal ; and therefore the ancients 

 confecrated it to Proferpinc, and conceived it as one of her 

 dufliy regions ; and hence painters, in their reprefentations of 

 fiends and demons, ufually exhibit them with the leathern 

 wings of the bat. It is alfo no lefs evident, that the larger 

 bats of India and Africa might, by a httle poetical ex- 

 aggeration, ferve very well in a general defcription of the 

 fabulons Harpies. Spallanzani, having found that bats 

 would fly in the darkclt chamber with piecifioii, and with- 

 out touching the walls, difcovered alfo the fame cxaftnefs in 

 their motions, when their eyes were clofely covered ; and he 

 even dcflroyed the eyes and covered their fockets with lea- 

 ther ; and in this fiate they were equally accurate in all 

 their movements. Similar experiments were tried by feveral 

 other naturalifls with the fame refult. In order to account 

 for thefe plienomena, profeffor Jurin of Geneva makes a 

 variety of pertinent obfcrvations. Neither the touch, nor 

 ear, nor fmell, nor tafle, is fufficient in his opinion to fupply 

 the want of fight ; hut from fome anatomical invelligations 

 of thefe animals, he concluded tiiat a very large proportion 

 of nerves is expanded on tiic upper jaw, tlio muzzle, and the 

 organ of hearing ; and tliefe appeared to him, in a gre.il 

 degree, to account for the extraordinary faculty above- 

 mentioned. Mr. Carlifle's obfcrvations on this fubjeft lead 

 us to conclude that th- fenfc of liearing in the bat is ex- 

 tremely d'.licntc, and ihkt this is one of the principal cjufcs 

 Q 2 of 



