62 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE ISLE OF MAN; 



Mammal Si 



The list of indigenous mammals is very limited, the following 

 being all that I know of: — 



Vespertilio pijnstrellus, Geoff. Common Bat, or Flitterrnouse. 

 The Manks name, Craitnag, i. e., skinny or wrinkled, is expressive 

 of its appearance. From April to October it may constantly be 

 seen at dusk, and in mild weather I have noticed an odd one so 

 late as the beginning of December and so early as the beginning 

 of April. It appears unable to rise from a flat surface, and a 

 tame one, if placed on the floor, would make for the curtains or 

 something up which it could climb; if on the table it would 

 crawl to the edge, and holding on by the hooked claw of 

 the thumb, would shake out the folds of its wings and flutter 

 till it got the support of the air, when it would drop off and 

 fly. This is one of the Cadlagyn or " Sleepers," of which there 

 are supposed to be seven. The Seven Sleepers, " Ny shiaght 

 cadlagyn," are: — Foillycan, butterfly; Shellan, bee; Jialg lheer, 

 lizard ; Craitnag, bat ; Cooag, cuckoo ; Clogh-ny-cleigh, stone- 

 chat, i. c, wheatear ; and Gollan-geayee, swallow. 



Plecotus auritus, Geoff. Long-eared Bat. Not so common 

 as the last. Seen from middle of May to September. 



Erinaceus europceus Linn. Hedgehog. Now common all 

 over the island, but appears to have been introduced about the 

 beginning of this century. The dictionaries give three words as the 

 Manks equivalent for hedgehog : 'Muc-cleigh,' which is simply 

 a literal rendering; ' Gray-noge,' said to imply something causing 

 horror; and 'Arkan-sonneys, a fabulous creature ominous of 

 plenty.' I have, however, never heard any of these applied by a 

 native. The hedgehog hybernates here, as elsewhere ; a young one 

 that I caught on Oct. 7th, 1890, went to sleep, very suddenly, on 

 Christmas Eve, and began to wake on April 19th following. 

 1 heard of another that went to sleep in October of the same 

 year ; it was kept in a coalhouse, mine in a little greenhouse, 

 which would account for the difference. 



Sorex (tremens, Linn. Shrew. Cregeen's dictionary gives 

 Thollog faiyr as the Manks, and the Kev. J. T. Clarke, in the 

 Manx Society's dictionary, Thollag airhey, which is the form I 

 have heard, and means literally "golden louse." In the north 

 of the island it is called also " grass mouse." It is not un- 



