( 391.) 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 

MAMMALIA. 
Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus) in Hertfordshire—On Sept. 
6th I found a Barbastelle at Frithsden Beeches, near Berkhampstead. 
The Bat (a female) was clinging, suspended by its toes, asleep, to the 
trunk of a beech beneath a piece of loose bark. I was able to keep it 
alive and in good health for a few days, and to make some notes on 
its habits and demeanour in captivity. When I took it from its 
resting-place on the tree, and subsequently, it uttered a querulous 
squeak similar to that of many Bats, and during the first day or two 
of its captivity it occasionally uttered another note, when I handled it 
—a curious subdued buzzing, quite unlike anything I have heard in 
other species. It slept sometimes prone upon the floor of the cage in 
which it was confined, sometimes suspended by its toes. Its gait was 
similar in kind to that of other vespertilionid Bats—the typical quad- 
rupedal walk, a foot being first advanced, then the fore limb on the 
same side, next the other foot, and, lastly, the second fore limb—but 
the legs were carried more wide of the body than they are by, for in- 
stance, a Noctule or Long-eared Bat. The flight was slow and 
fluttering, generally performed in the upper part of the room, but 
occasionally close to the floor among the legs of the chairs and table. 
The tail was extended and only slightly decurved. As the legs were 
held wide apart, the interfemoral membrane looked very large when 
viewed from beneath. The Bat showed the usual ability of its kind 
to avoid collision, and never touched an object unless it intended to 
alight upon it. As a rule, it turned in the air before alighting and 
pitched feet uppermost, facing in the direction opposite to that of its 
course, and obviously in the most convenient posture for taking flight 
again. It often attempted to alight on the ceiling, but failed to 
obtain a foothold on the smooth surface. Its action, however, 
suggested that it would have no difficulty in pitching feet uppermost 
on the rough roof of a cave. This mode of alighting is invariable 
with the Horseshoe Bats, and is occasionally adopted by Natterer’s 
Bat. At times, however, though rarely, the Barbastelle would pitch 
head uppermost, or with the head at right angles to the direction of 
