Quadrupeds. 4013 



out of their nests, — the former flying nearly straight out, while the latter crept to the 

 edge of the stones, and letting himself fall from thence, flew off. When flying, V. 

 Nattereri did not make such rapid turns as the pipistrelle, nor did it appear so wary : 

 I also remarked that when V. Nattereri was struck into the water, he floundered there 

 for awhile so as to allow me to catch him, whilst the pipistrelle just touched the water 

 and was off. The cry of the pipistrelle is much shriller than that of the other species, 

 and there is an unmistakably offensive smell arising from it, which I did not perceive 

 from V. Nattereri. The next evening was rainy and stormy, and only one bat came 

 out, but a strange one was seen on the river: all was quiet at the hole when we left at 

 about half-past 10. The 27th was a wet day, but cleared up towards evening : only 

 seventeen bats came out. We found that they had grown very wary, and would not 

 come out unless all was quiet; and every time the gunwale of the boat touched the 

 pier of the bridge, there was heard a cry of alarm, very different from their ordinary 

 chirp. They had also learned how to dodge the net, and took a good look out before 

 they ventured to emerge, in several cases runniug back into the hole as soon as they 

 perceived the net. Whilst the bats were in my possession, T remarked that the tem- 

 pers of the two were very different, — V. Nattereri being gentle, and more quicky re- 

 conciled to confinement, allowing me to handle it without any attempt to bite, whilst 

 the pipistrelle was both more restless and impatient, and, when handled, it squeaked 

 and bit furiously ; he also squealed whilst running over the side of the net, which I 

 did not notice Natterer's bat doing. Both bats, when climbing, used the exserted 

 portion of the tail as an additional hand. I should say, that of the bats which I saw 

 coming out of the hole, the proportions of the two species were as follow : — 



June 23. Vespertilio Nattereri, 27. Vespertilio Pipistrellus, 14. 



„ 24. ... ... 20. ... ... 9. 



„ 25. ... ... 1. 



„ 27. ... ... 11. ... ... 6. 



So that it would appear that V. Nattereri is the commoner of the two. Description 

 and dimensions: — Dentition : — Incisors, I ; Canines, f ; False molars, £ ; Molars, |. 

 Dimensions in inches and twelfths of an inch: — Head and body, male, 2; female, 2.1 : 

 tail, male, 1.4; female, 1.3: humerus, 1 : ears .7: tragus, .3 : breadth of ears across 

 the under surface, .4 : spread of wings, male, 9.10£ ; female, 10. Tragus narrow- 

 lanceolate, with a lobe at the base: ears naked half way down. Back, head, shoulders 

 and face dark reddish gray, base of hairs bluish gray : along the angle of the jaws 

 dark reddish gray: belly whitish gray, roots of hairs nearly black, lightest in the cen- 

 tre : around the anus white : interfemoral light dusky, lines very numerous, covered 

 with scattered hairs, and fringed with a margin of stiffish hairs. Claws large and 

 clumsy, ciliated with strong white hairs. Whiskers long and stiff; a slight moustache 

 of dark, nearly black, velvety hairs on the upper lip. All the specimens, with the ex- 

 ception of two, were females : the male specimen in my possession is smaller than any 

 of the females, it is also darker on the under surface, especially along the wings ; one 

 of the females had a full-grown foetus in her uterus. This is the second record of the 

 occurrence of this bat in Ireland, one specimen having been captured by G. Maryan, 

 Esq., in 1844, near Enniskerry, Wicklow, and by him presented to the Dublin Natural 

 History Society, in whose collection it now is, (see Report of the Society, 1844, p. 18). 

 — John Robert Kinahan ; Dublin, July, 1853. 



