54 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



would pitch on the edge of the bookcases, or on the books 

 themselves. 



When sleeping the Bat did not always hang by its feet, but 

 often rested in a horizontal position on the floor of its cage ; 

 two sides of the cage were provided with perforated zinc, and it 

 is possible that the animal may have felt the draught when 

 hanging ; generally, however, it suspended itself by its feet 

 to the upper part of one of the zinc sides. When it alighted 

 after a flight, it frequently seized hold first with its thumbs, and 

 then did not shuffle round so rapidly as those Bats do which 

 invariably settle in this manner ; a Noctule, Long- eared, or 

 Whiskered Bat clutches the object to which it intends to hang 

 with its thumbs, and with great rapidity twists itself round 

 so as to gain the usual reversed position. The Lesser Horse- 

 shoe performs a more remarkable feat: it flies to within an inch 

 or so of the object, and then reverses itself in the air, catching 

 first with its feet ; in this way it is ready at once to drop from 

 its hold and fly. When my Natterer's Bat wished to settle 

 on certain objects — especially on the tip of one of a pair of 

 Fallow-deer antlers over the door — it sometimes turned in 

 the air after the manner of a Horseshoe. This action was 

 not so clean or certain as in the case of a Horseshoe, and occa- 

 sionally the Bat missed its hold and fell, generally recovering 

 itself before it had fallen many inches. It was somewhat 

 remarkable that it shared the habits of both the Vespertilio?iid(s 

 and the Rhinolophidce (for the Greater Horseshoe reverses in the 

 air) in this respect, but did not perform either action with the 

 same celerity or ease. 



At times it would settle on the edge of a long bookcase, 

 climb to the top, run to the far end, and from there launch forth 

 again into the room. This exercise would be repeated several 

 times. The Bat either remembered or smelt the spot where 

 it had settled before, and for some days would always alight 

 at exactly the same place. Then it would choose some other 

 spot, and that would be favoured for two or three days, until 

 some fresh cornice or book would be chosen. It would at times 

 alight on the floor with its wings extended, and found no 

 difficulty in springing from a perfectly smooth or flat surface. 

 I never succeeded in getting it to take food from my fingers 



