Notes on the Fauna of North Western Spain. 335 



Felis catus. Wild cat. „Gato bravo". 

 Curiously enough there is no specimen in the Museums of Pon- 

 ferrada, Lugo and Santiago. I was left in doubt if the wild cat occurs 

 in the Sierra de Picos or in Galicia. The University Museum of 

 Coimbra possesses several very dark Portuguese specimens, which are 

 supposed to be genuine. 



Felis pardina. Lynx. „Lince". 



This apparently strictly Iberian species does not seem to occur 

 in north western Spain. I have seen stufled specimens from the eastern 

 Alemtejo, and a wild one in the Marismas. 



Fleeotus auritus. Longeared Bat. — Mhinolophus ferrum- 

 equinum. Horse-shoe Bat. — Vespertilio murinus. Mouse 



coloured Bat. 



Specimens of these three species of bats are in the Museum of 

 Santiago, from the town. They are also common at Burbia, in hollow 

 trees, in the houses, and show predilection for the vessels and globes 

 of the pendant lamps of the church. The natives entertain the com- 

 mon belief that the bats collect in these vessels in search of the oil. 



The Spanish vernacular name for bat is „murcielago" or „mur- 

 cißgalo"; the natives of Burbia, who speak a sort of Gallego dialect, 

 call it „moricego", which approaches the Portuguese „murcego" i. e. 

 Mus caecus, blind mouse. An animal with small eyes, which lives in 

 the dark, must needs be blind! 



Sciurus vulgaris. Squirrel. „Ardilla". 



Not uncommon in the chestnut and oak trees of the Vierzo and 

 of Galicia, e. g. Villafranca, Burbia, Santiago. 



The old Spanish and still local Portuguese name of the squirrel 

 is „arda" or „harda"; this circumstance excludes the possibility of 

 deriving „ardilla" from the latin nitedula or nitella. Not a bad ex- 

 planation of „arda" is the Basque ari da === something that always 

 moves. Another name of this animal in Portugal, Old Castile, Aragon 

 and Catalonia is „esquilo" and „esquirol", interesting because of the 

 English name squirrel, whatever may be the true meaning of this 

 word. 



Zool. Jahrb. VII. Abth. f. Syst. 22 



