Quadrupeds. 4 ] 59 



again show itself from the retreat. A gentleman informed me that a 

 few days since he counted seventeen bats proceeding from this 

 crevice. 



September 9. A bat — Pipestrelle — caught in the drawing-room 



at T . It was ready to bite when handled, and to utter stridulous 



sounds. Weight sixty grains. 



September 10. A long-eared bat clasped inside against the wall of 

 T church. Weight fifty-eight grains. 



September 12. At the mansion of T bats abundant : outside, 



in the hall, drawing-room, gallery on the second floor, passages lead- 

 ing to bed-rooms on the third floor : weather fine. They were on 

 flight early in the evening. 



After an absence of three weeks : — 



October 10. A bat flying in the drawing-room at T , and many 



abroad. 



October 13. Bats numerous, flying early : remarked for their dark 

 colour ; and one had its wing slit. 



October 14. Bats in flight. 



October 17. Made an attempt, by introducing a slender rod, 

 to compel the bats to come out from their retreat over the window 



at T . Their resting-place was found to be at the distance 



of about a foot from the orifice ; but when irritated they retreated out 

 of reach, with audible squeaking. 



October 23. One or two bats, flying high. Evening damp and 

 gloomy. 



October 26. A bat of large size. 



November 7. Numerous bats flying in a cove of the cliff, at the 

 entrance of the harbour. 



November 8. Bats in the same place, as early as half-past 4 o'clock. 



In reference to the particular nature of the injury — a fracture and 

 displacement of the vertebrae and ribs, found to exist in several spe- 

 cimens of bats, by which they had been killed — it may be interesting 

 to record that such has also been the case with several specimens of 

 the common shrew (all, in fact, which have been obtained in 

 the course of one summer) that were found dead in the road or 

 in gardens. Little or no mark was found externally, but a fatal 

 injury has invariably been discovered in the spinal column and ribs ; 

 inflicted, no doubt, by an owl, or by some animal that had found the 

 little purblind creatures wandering about in the dark, and destroyed, 

 without choosing to eat them. The water shrew [Sore.v fodiens), is 

 just as frequently found dead as the shrew mouse (Sorex araneus) ; 



