SMALL-HEADED FLYCATCHER. 27 1 



Another favourite prey of most of our owls is the bat, one 

 species of which is represented at fig. 4, as it hung during the 

 day in the woods where I found it. This also appears to be a 

 nondescript. The length of this bat, from the nose to the tip 

 of the tail, is four inches ; the tail itself is as long as the body, 

 but generally curls up inwards ; the general colour is a bright 

 iron gray, the fur being of a reddish cream at bottom, then 

 strongly tinged with lake, and minutely tipt with white ; the 

 ears are scarcely half an inch long, with two slight valves ; the 

 nostrils are somewhat tubular ; fore teeth, in the upper jaw 

 none, in the lower four, not reckoning the tusks ; the eyes are 

 very small black points ; the chin, upper part of the breast, 

 and head, are of a pale reddish cream colour ; the wings have 

 a single hook or claw each, and are so constructed that the 

 animal may hang either with its head or tail downward. I 

 have several times found two hanging fast locked together be- 

 hind a leaf, the hook of one fixed in the mouth of the other ; 

 the hind feet are furnished with five toes, sharp-clawed ; the 

 membrane of the wings is dusky, shafts, light brown ; extent, 

 twelve inches. In a cave, not far from Carlisle, in Pennsyl- 

 vania, I found a number of these bats in the depth of winter, 

 in very severe weather : they were lying on the projecting 

 shelves of the rocks, and when the brand of fire was held near 

 them, wrinkled up their mouths, showing their teeth ; when 

 held in the hand for a short time ; they became active, and, 

 after being carried into a stove room, flew about as lively as 

 ever. 



SMALL-HEADED FLYCATCHER. (Muscicapa minuta.) 



PLATE L.— Fig. 5. 



SYLVICOLA ? MINUTA— Jaedine. 

 Sylvia minuta, Bonap. Synop. p. 86. 



This very rare species is the only one I have met with, and is 

 reduced to half its size, to correspond with the rest of the 



