SMALLER MAMMALS OF NORTH AMERICA 



491 



telligence, and developed a friendly feeling for 

 its captor. 



THE HOARY BAT (Nycteris cinereus) 



{For illustration, see page 464) 



The hoary bat is a close relative of the red 

 bat described above, but is larger, about five 

 inches long, and, as its name implies, is of a 

 different color. It is widely distributed over a 

 large part of North America, where it is known 

 to breed from Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and the 

 southern shore of Great Slave Lake south prac- 

 tically throughout the United States. It is one 

 of our larger species and is remarkable for its 

 power and skill on the wing. The wings are 

 long and narrow and carry their owner through 

 the air in a bewildering series of swoops, curves, 

 and zigzag turns remarkable even' in a group 

 of animals so notable for their powers of flight. 



With the approach of cold weather the hoary 

 bat migrates from the northern parts of its 

 range to the milder southern districts. It is a 

 late migrant, not leaving its northern home 

 until the last of September or October and re- 

 turning in May. Some individuals appear to 

 remain in the North all winter, as one has been 

 taken in Connecticut in December. In its south- 

 ern flight it wanders as far as Jalisco, near the 

 southern end of the Mexican table-land, to 

 Lower California, and to the Bermuda Islands. 

 To reach the Bermudas it is evident the bat 

 must make a continuous flight from the nearest 

 point on our shores of at least 580 miles — a 

 good tribute to its wing power. 



Like the red bat, it lives in the open, hanging 

 from twigs and leaves in the tops of trees or 

 bushes in the broad light of day rather than in 

 the dark, stifling crevices where so many of its 

 kind pass their lives. It appears to hang up 

 indifferently on any convenient tree or bush, 

 including conifers, aspens, or willows. During 

 the day it has a curious lack of alertness, and 

 as it is not rarely attached to low branches or 

 bushes within a few feet of the ground it may 

 be readily approached and taken in the hand. 

 I once captured a fine specimen the middle of 

 May, in southern California, hanging on a bush 

 about four feet from the ground. It appeared 

 to be sound asleep until taken by the skin on 

 the back of the neck, when it became very much 

 alive and, struggling in a fury, uttered grating 

 shrieks of rage, baring its sharp, white teeth 

 and trying desperately to bite. 



Its food is made up entirely of insects, which 

 it appears to hunt higher up than most bats, 

 sweeping over the tops of the forest and in and 

 out about the trees. It appears to be of even 

 more solitary habits than the red bat and is 

 nowhere so common. Another reason for our 

 lack of information concerning it is found in 

 its strictly nocturnal habits, for it rarely ap- 

 pears until shortly before the approaching 

 night hides it from view. 



The hoary bat shares with the red species 

 the distinction of bearing from two to four 

 young each year. The young are born in June 



and are carried attached to the underside of 

 the mother's body until they become too heavy 

 a burden. They hang to the teats with the 

 greatest tenacity and apparently rely mainly on 

 this hold to prevent being dropped as they are 

 carried on the wild aerial hunting excursions. 

 With the unusual fecundity indicated by the 

 number of young, it is difficult to account for 

 the scarcity of these bats unless their habit of 

 hanging in the open, exposed to the elements 

 and to other dangers, may cause a heavy mor- 

 tality among them. 



THE MEXICAN BAT (Nyctinomus 

 mexicanus and its subspecies) 



{For illustration, see page 465) 



Reference has been made in several preced- 

 ing sketches of this series to the mammals of 

 tropical origin which have invaded our south- 

 ern border. The Mexican bat is a notable 

 member of this class. It differs in many curi- 

 ous ways from the bats with which it associates 

 in temperate regions. It is smaller than any of 

 the other three bats treated here and is strongly 

 characterized by a flattening of the head and 

 body which enables it to creep into a surpris- 

 ingly narrow crevice in the rocks or elsewhere. 

 The ears are broad and flaring and extend for- 

 ward over the eyes like the visor of a cap, and 

 the end of the tail is not confined within the 

 membrane extending between the hind legs, but 

 projects from it. Another pronounced char- 

 acteristic of this bat and one highly disagree- 

 able is the rank musky odor which it gives out. 

 This pollutes the air about its harboring places, 

 rendering it a most unwelcome guest. 



Whoever has visited the Southern and South- 

 western States or Mexico must have noted 

 the offensive odor in many places about the 

 verandas of houses and especially about old 

 churches and other public buildings. This is 

 the sign of occupancy placed on the premises 

 by the Mexican bats, which, to the number of 

 a few dozens or actually by thousands, as con- 

 ditions permit, may lie snugly hidden in cracks 

 and dark openings of all kinds about the roof 

 and walls. No other bat in Mexico or the 

 United States is provided with so strong an 

 odor. 



The Mexican bat is extremely abundant, prob- 

 ably exceeding in numbers any other species 

 within its territory. It ranges throughout the 

 tropical and lower temperate parts of Guate- 

 mala, Mexico, and across our border, through- 

 out most of Texas, and east as far as Florida 

 and South Carolina ; in the West it also abounds 

 both in town and country in the warmer parts 

 of New Mexico, Arizona, and California. 



Closely allied relatives of the Mexican bat 

 abound throughout the warmer parts of Central 

 and South America to beyond Brazil. The 

 genus to which this species belongs is repre- 

 sented in the warmer parts of both hemispheres. 

 It extends north in the Old World to southern 

 Europe and also is found in the Philippines. 



The abundance of the Mexican bat in some 

 favorable places is almost incredible. At Tuc- 



