72 



consult others in skin before this point can be determined with ac- 

 curacy. 



Although in its external appearance S. darwini bears consider- 

 able resemblance to S. kuhlii, it differs, besides having a somewhat 

 differently shaped ear and broader tragus, in the form and arrange- 

 ment of the fore teeth. In S. kuhlii the upper incisors are rather 

 long and slender ; the inner ones are deeply forked at their apices, 

 and longer than the outer ones, which are slender and pointed, some- 

 what like small canines ; and there is a visible interval between the 

 points of the inner and outer ones. In S. darwini, on the contrary, 

 they are short and obtuse, of nearly equal length, the inner ones 

 faintly cleft at their points, and the outer ones so closely packed to 

 them as to leave no space even between their points. Again in S. 

 kuhlii there is a space between the canine and the " carnassier " or 

 sectorial tooth, in which is placed a small and conical premolar, 

 within the line of the teeth, but distinctly visible from the outside ; 

 whereas in S. darwini the canine and the "carnassier 19 are conti- 

 guous, and there is a very small anomalous premolar placed in the 

 inner angle formed at their bases, visible only from inside. 



These differences in the dentition are alone sufficient to distinguish 

 the species from S. kuhlii. From S. marginatus, S. ursula, and 

 S. nathusii it may be also recognized by the form of the upper in- 

 cisors ; and these are the only European species with which it could 

 be confounded. 



Length of the head and body 2 1 



of the tail 1 5 



of the head 0 8 



— of the ears. . 0 A.\ 



of the tragus 0 2 



Breadth of the tragus 0 1^ 



Length of the fore- arm 1 5 



of the longest finger . 2 6 



of the fourth finger . 1 8 



of the thumb 0 2 



of the tibia 0 6-J- 



of the foot and claws 0 3 



of the os calcis , 0 5 



Expanse of wings 9 9 



Hah. Palma, Canary Isles. 



Ohs. The Madeiran species being European ones, and one of them 

 African also (i. e. 8, marginatus), renders it not unlikely that the 

 species inhabiting the Canaries may also occur in Africa, and perhaps 

 in Europe. With a view to the chance of this, I have compared 

 this species with what now remains of the types of Vespertilio ari- 

 stippe, V. leucippe, A. alcythoe, V. vispistrellus, and V. savii, but 

 find nothing which leads me to regard it as referable to any of 

 them ; and I have therefore given such a detailed description as will 

 be amply sufficient to distinguish it from all recorded European 

 species. 



