2d0 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[Bats. 



by them, four times, while I was sleeping in the 

 cottages in the open country. The wounds which 

 they inflicted, without my feeling them at the time, 

 were circular, or rather elliptical ; their diameter 

 was trifling and their depth so superficial as 

 scarcely to penetrate the cutis." The blood drawn 

 " is merely from the capillary vessels of the skin, 

 and is extracted thence, beyond doubt, by the 

 action of sucking or licking." Nobody " fears these 

 animals or gives himself any trouble about them." 



To the same effect is Mr. Swainson's testimony. 

 " They are constantly in the habit of attacking ani- 

 mals during the night and sucking their blood. Our 

 own horses and mules on many occasions, after 

 having arrived at the end of the day's journey and 

 being turned out to graze, would be brought in by 

 the guides in the morning with their shoulders and 

 haunches covered with blood ; neither is it an un- 

 common thing for these real vampires to enter the 

 habitations of the natives, and fasten on the legs of 

 some incautious sleeper who has not snugly secured 

 his feet beneath the coverlid. Stories, indeed, are 

 told of these incautious sufferers having bled so pro- 

 fusely as to have died ; but we never could ascertain 

 the fact, nor did we ever suffer from the visits of 

 these midnight phlebotomists." 



Mr. Darwin was fortunate enough to capture a 

 bloodsucking bat (Desmodus D'Orbignyi, Water- 

 house) in the act. "The vampire-bat," says Mr. 

 Darwin, in that part of his highly interesting book 

 which relates his adventures when travelling on 

 horseback in the neighbourhood of Rio Janeiro, " is 

 often the cause of much trouble by biting the horses 

 on their withers. The injury is generally not so 

 much owing to the loss of blood as to the inflam- 

 mation which the pressure of the saddle afterwards 

 produces. The whole circumstance has lately been 

 doubted in England : I was, therefore, fortunate in 

 being present when one was actually caught on a 

 horse's back. We were bivouacking late one even- 

 ing near Coquimbo, in Chile, when my servant, 

 noticing that one of the horses was very restive, 

 went to see what was the matter, and fancying he 

 could distinguish something, suddenly put his hand 

 on the beast's withers, and secured the vampire. 

 In the morning the spot where the bite had been 

 inflicted was easily distinguished, from being slightly 

 swollen and bloody. The third day afterwards we 

 rode the horse without any ill effects." 



"It is interesting," says Mr. Waterhouse, "to 

 find that the structure of the animal is in perfect 

 accordance with the habits above detailed by Mr. 

 Darwin. Among other points, the total absence of 

 true molars, and the consequent want of the power 

 of masticating food, is the most remarkable: on the 

 other hand, we find the canines and incisors perfectly 

 fitted for inflicting a wound such as described, while 

 the small size of the interfemoral membrane (giving 

 freedom to the motions of the legs), together with 

 the unusually large size of the thumb and claw, 

 would enable the bat, as I should imagine, to fix 

 itself with sreat security on the body of the horse. 

 ('Zool. of Beagle,' No. 1 of Part II., p. 2.) 



Fig. 1021 represents the skeleton of a species of 

 vampire, as figured by De Blainville. 



1016. — The Trifoliated Megaderma 



{Megaderma trifolium). In the genus Megaderma 

 the nose-leaf is simple and erect; the wings and 

 ■ears are very large ; there is no tail ; incisor teeth 

 wanting. The Megaderma trifolium inhabits Java, 

 where it is called Lovo by the natives : b represents 

 the skull of the Megaderma frons of Western 

 Africa. 



Passing to the second tribe, Rhinolophina, we 

 find the following examples : 



1022. — The Splendid Horseshoe-Bat 



(Rhinolophits nobilis, Horsf.) ; Hipposideros nobilis, 

 Gray. This fine species, a native of Java, is called 

 KebblSk by the Javanese. The nasal apparatus 

 consists of a broad membrane stretching transversely 

 across the nose in form of a shelf; the sides are 

 bounded by several parallel folds, and interiorly it 

 constitutes a semicircular envelope, which has a 

 short, obtusely rounded point in the middle. Colour 

 above, pure brown; beneath, brown, variegated with 

 grey. Fur remarkably long and silky, and supplied 

 with a most delicate down at the base, so as to be 

 throughout very soft to the touch. Body four inches 

 in length. Expansion nineteen inches and a half. 



1023. — The Three-toothed Horseshoe-Bat 



(Rltinoloplius tridens, Geoff.) ; Hipposideros tridens, 

 Gray. This k a small species, found in great numbers 

 in the tombs of .Egypt, where the objects of ancient 

 idolatry are, indeed, given " to the bats," which find 

 in the recesses and chambers of temples and pyra- 

 mids a congenial retreat. 



Of the third tribe, Vespertilionina, the following 

 are specimens: — 



1024. — Geoffroy's Nycteris 



(Nycteris Geoffroyi). We have already alluded to 

 the sensibility with which the integuments of the 

 bats are endowed ; this, however, is not the only 

 peculiarity to be noticed, for in the genus Nycteris 

 there exists a power of inflation to such a degree, 

 that when the faculty is exerted, the animal looks, 

 according to Geoffroy, like a little balloon fitted 

 with wings, a head, and feet. The subcutaneous 

 tissue is the part inflated, and as the skin adheres 

 to the body at particular points only, the connexion 

 being by means of loose cellular membrane, spaces 

 are left which can be filled with air at the will of 

 the Nycteris, through the cheek-pouches, which are 

 perforated at the bottom so as to communicate with 

 those spaces. When the Nycteris wishes to inflate 

 its skin, it draws in its breath, closes its nostrils, and 

 transmits the air through the perforations of the 

 cheek-pouches, to the subcutaneous spaces, and the 

 air is prevented from returning by the action of a 

 sphincter, which closes those openings, and by 

 valves of considerable size on the neck and back. 



The characters of this genus may be thus summed 

 up : — a deep furrow down the forehead ; nostrils 

 covered by a cartilaginous moveable lid; interfe- 

 moral membrane very large, comprehending the 

 tail, which terminates in a little bifid cartilage : 



4 4 — 4 



incisors, — ; molars, : ears large, united at their 



o 5 — 5 



base. Geoffroy's Nycteris is a native of the Thebaid 

 and Senegal. 



Fig. 1025, three British bats: «, the Common Bat 

 (Vespertilio pipistrellus) ; b, the Great Bat (V. noc- 

 tula) ; c, the Long-eared Bat (Plecotus auiitus). 

 Fig. 1026 represents the head and skull of the Ves- 

 pertilio pipistrellus. Fig. 1027, the head and skull 

 of the Timor Long-eared Bat (Plecotus Timori- 

 ensis) : b, front view of the teeth ; c, profile of the 

 skull ; d, profile of the head. 



Of tribe 4, Noctilionina, the following are ex- 

 amples : — 



1028. — The Mauritius Taphozous 



(Taphozous Mauritianus). In the genus Taphozous 

 there are no incisor teeth on the upper jaw. Several 

 species are known; the one of which we represent 

 the head is a native of the Mauritius. 



1029. — The Leporine Noctilio 



(Noctilio leporinus). Canines very strong; muzzle 

 short and swollen, and divided and studded with 

 fleshy tubercles or warts; nose simple, and losing 

 itself in the lips; ears small and lateral; interfe- 

 moral membrane very much developed ; tail enve- 



4 

 loped at its base. Dental formula : — incisors, — ; 



and is of large size ; its manners closely resemble 

 those of the kalong. 



canines, 



1—1 



molars, -t — - = 28. 



1—1' — "— » 5 _ 5 



Fig. 1029 : a, profile of head ; b, profile of skull ; 

 c, front view of muzzle ; d, front view of teeth. 



The Noctilio leporinus is of the size of a rat. Fur 

 of a uniform reddish-yellow. This is the Vespertilio 

 leporinus of Gmelin; Noctilio unicolor of Geoffroy. 

 Localities — Brazil, Peru, and Paraguay. 



1030. — The Dusky Molossus 



(Molossus obscurus). Head short, muzzle swollen; 

 ears large ; earlet external : interfemoral mem- 

 brane straight, with a square termination ; tail long, 

 enveloped at its base, and most frequently free at its 



2 

 extremity. Dental formula: — Incisors,-; canines, 



1—1 , 5—5 



- — - ; molars, - — - = 28. 



1 — 1 5 5 



The geographical distri- 



bution of this form is wide : Africa, Asia, and South 

 America possess it; but the species which are 

 numerous occur principally in the two last-men- 

 tioned localities. 



The Molossus obscurus (Molossus fumarius of 

 Spix ; Dysopes obscurus of Temminck) is of the size 

 of the Barbastelle of Europe. Fur composed of 

 hair of two colours, blackish-brown above, and ash- 

 brown below. Whiskers at the border of the lips. 

 Length about three inches three lines. Expansion 

 nine inches. Localities, Brazil and Guiana. 



The fifth tribe, Pteropina, contains the follow- 

 ing:— 



1031. — The Amboyna Pteeopds 

 (Pteropvs Dussurnieri). The Roussettes, Ternate 

 Bats or Flying Foxes as the Pteropi are termed, are, 

 most of them, of large size, with fox-like heads and 



a vast spread of wing ; the molars are - — - or - — -, 



and bluntly tubercular ; the tongue is short ; inter- 

 femoral membrane very little developed. Fig. 1032 

 represents the skull of Kerauden's Roussette. The 

 present species is a native of India and Amboyna, 



1033, 1034, 1035.— The Kalong 

 (Pteropus Javanicus). This species, which mea- 

 sures five feet in the spread of the wings, is a native 

 of Java. The upper part of the neck is smoky-red ; 

 the rest, of the fur dull black. In the lower parls of 

 Java it is very common, and lives in troops, which 

 do not appear to visit the more elevated districts. 

 Numerous individuals, says Dr. Horsfield, select a 

 large tree for their resort, and, suspending them- 

 selves by the claws of their hind-limbs to the naked 

 branches, often in companies of several hundreds, 

 afford to a stranger a very singular spectacle. A 

 species of Ficus, resembling the Ficus religiosa of 

 India, which is often found near the villages of the 

 natives, affords them a very favourite retreat, and 

 the extended branches of one of these are some- 

 times covered with them. They pass the greater 

 portion of the day in sleep, hanging motionless; 

 ranged in succession with the head downwards, the 

 membrane contracted about the body and olten in 

 close contact, they have little resemblance to living 

 beings, and by a person not accustomed to their 

 economy are readily mistaken for a part of the tree, 

 or for a fruit of uncommon size suspended from its 

 branches. In general these societies preserve a 

 perfect silence during the day ; but if they are dis- 

 turbed, or if a contention arises among them, they 

 emit sharp piercing shrieks, and their awkward at- 

 tempts to extricate themselves when oppressed by 

 the light of the sun exhibit a ludicrous spectacle. 

 In consequence of the sharpness of their claws, their 

 attachment is so strong that they cannot readily 

 leave their hold without the assistance of the ex- 

 panded membrane: and if suddenly killed in the 

 natural attitude during the day, they continue sus- 

 pended after death. It is necessary, therefore, to 

 oblige them to take wing by alarming them, if it be 

 desired to obtain them during the day. Soon after 

 sunset they gradually quit their hold, and pursue 

 their nocturnal flight in quest of food. They direct 

 their course, by an unerring instinct, to the forests, 

 villages, and plantations, occasioning incalculable 

 mischief, attacking and devouring indiscriminately 

 every kind of fruit, from the abundant and useful 

 cocoa-nut which surrounds the dwelling of the 

 meanest peasantry, to the rare and most delicate 

 productions which are cultivated with care by 

 princes and chiefs of distinction. By the latter, as 

 well as by the European colonists, various methods 

 are employed to protect the orchards and gardens. 

 Delicate fruits, such as mangoes, jambus, lansas, &c, 

 as they approach to maturity, are ingeniously se- 

 cured by means of a loose net or basket, skilfully 

 constructed of split bamboo. Without, this precau- 

 tion, little valuable fruit would escape the ravages 

 of the kalong. There are few situations in the lower 

 parts of Java in which this nighl-wanderer is not 

 constantly observed : as soon as the light of the sun 

 has retired, one animal is seen to follow the other at 

 a small but irregular distance, and this succession 

 continues uninterrupted till darkness obstructs the 

 view. The flight of the kalong is slow and steady, 

 pursued in a straight line, and capable of long con- 

 tinuance. The chace of the kalong forms occa- 

 sionally an amusement of the colonists and inha- 

 bitants during the moonlight nights, which in the 

 latitude of Java are uncommonly serene. He is 

 watched in his descent to the fruit-trees, and a dis- 

 charge of small shot readily brings him to the 

 ground. By this means I frequently obtained four 

 or five individuals in the course of an hour. 



1036.— Pallas's Molucca Bat 



(Harpyia Pallasii). The genus Harpyia of Illiger 

 (not of Cuvier) differs in having the wings arising 

 from the centre of the back; the lips thick, and the 

 head broad and short ; index finger clawed. The 

 Harpyia Pallasii (Cephalotes Pallasii, Geoffroy) is a 

 native of the Moluccas. It measures two feet in the 

 expansion of the wings. The dental formula is 



T . 2 . 1—1 



thus : — Incisors, - ; canines, — — - : 



molars, 



4—4 

 5— o' 



Of the habits of this species we have no details. 

 It may surprise some to learn that fourteen dis- 

 tinct species, referable respectively to the genera 

 Rhinolophus, Barbastellus, Precotus, Vespertilio, 

 and Scotophilia, are indigenous in our island. 

 Of these, however, several are extremely rare 

 and restricted to certain localities; but some, as 

 the Pipistrelle (Vespertilio Pipistrellus, Geoffr. ; 

 Scotophilia communis, Gray), the long-eared bat 

 (Plecotus auritus), are everywhere abundant. Nor 

 is the Great Bat (Vespertilio Noctula, Schreb. ; 

 Scotophilus Noctula, Gray) of unl'requent occur- 

 rence. 



For an account of the habits and manners of our 

 British bats, we may here refer to the ' Penny 

 Magazine' for January, 1S43, where the reader will 

 find some interesting details. 



