190 The American Naturalist. [February, 
hind feet with their heads downward. They hibernate in myriads in 
the winter, attached to the sides and roof by their hind feet. The 
surface of the stone being porous affords great attachment to their 
claws, while the peculiar construction of their feet makes the grasp of 
their claws stronger the more and the longer the weight is attached 
to them. They collect in clusters, so that they are in contact with 
one another, and the animal heat thus retained assists in their com- 
fort. The cave temperature ranges from 58° in the fall down to 52° 
or 53° in the spring, and the cave ‘breathes ’’ semi-annually at the 
autumnal and vernal equinoxes, having a discharge of warm air in the 
fall, and an inflow of cool air during the winter. In the cooler 
weather the bats are not satisfied with a single layer, but are attached 
like swarms of bees, hanging down. The highest temperature in the 
highest part of the cave is 66° in the winter. This cave is floored in 
two stories. Passing on one goes through numerous halls, corridors, 
arches, and domes, which are occupied to a greater or less extent by 
these Chiroptera. For reasons known to themselves alone some of 
the rooms are favored spots, while others are rarely occupied by them. 
The southern route in the cave was discovered in 1850, and was un- 
visited up to that time by quadrupeds like raccoons and opossums, be- 
cause the opening was too small for them to pass through. The cur- 
rent of air passing in was very slight, and the temperature uniform. 
This made it a favorite place for these furry flyers. The second hall, 
‘í Bats’ Lodge,’ as it is named, is a spacious room in which the bats 
delight to assemble for council purposes, it would appear, as well as 
sleep. I saw the ceiling largely covered with clusters of them crowded 
closely together. Disturbed by our entrance, the room was filled with 
their slight, plaintive, whining, whispering voices and the disagreeable 
odor of their bodies, My first visit was in the early autumn. The 
results noted were taken in December, when the outer world was cold 
enough to close the Ohio river with ice, and the thermometer at the 
mouth of the cave was from six to twelve degrees below zero. The bats 
were evidently hibernating, and, although somewhat torpid, yet, when 
disturbed, in falling they dropped a distance of six or eight feet, their 
bodies rarely fell to the ground. Recovering the use of their wings, 
they would fly back to one of the clusters. There are two kinds of 
bats in Indiana—the red bat and the common black bat. The red bat 
is the Southern type, and is rare, only occasional specimens having 
been taken.—Joun CoLLETT, in Indianapolis Journal. 
