1917.] 



Lang and Chapin, Field Notes on African Chiroptera. 



541 



lies the famous bat-cave of the region. Fairy tales have made it the lair of 

 a weird leopard that leaves no 

 traces of his victims. The ever- 

 recurrent rumors of plaintive 

 voices heard from within the 

 cave keep most of the natives at 

 a respectful distance. All these 

 people consider bats choice mor- 

 sels, yet they would never dare 

 disturb the sanctuary granted 

 by their own superstitions to 

 thousands of bats. 



No wonder that our native 

 guides, so enthusiastic at first to 

 show us the hills, suddenly lost 

 heart on hearing that the lan- 

 terns they carried would enable 

 us to go inside that very cave. 

 In spite of their hesitation we in- 

 duced them to show us the hill 

 of our queries, and Dr. Bequaert 

 shared our elation when they 

 finally pointed it out just across 

 a gully. 



It looked imposing, and was 

 one of the larger hills belonging 

 to a regular chain. Fairly flat- 

 topped like all the others, with 

 stunted bushes and gnarled trees 

 reaching above the half-dry 

 grass, it rose rather steeply 



some 400 feet above the valley. We noticed high up on its flanks the more 

 barren patches of limestone that marked the fissures through which the 

 bats and perhaps a few owls found access to the cave. The great entrance 

 however at the foot of the hill was completely masked by a conspicuous 

 patch of dark-green vegetation that thrives well in the moist alluvial soil 

 deposited there by annual floods. 



At this season, in July, the cave was nearly dry and its opening was a 

 jagged tunnel some 15 feet in height and of equal width. A shallow stream- 

 let ran along its whole length, some 700 yards, and proved by its slow prog- 

 ress that the descent was slight. A precipitous shelf marked the end of 



Fig. 24. Miniopterus inflatus Thomas. Left wing 

 from below, showing the tip folded. Male, No. 49330. 



