54 



NORTH AMERICANi FAUNA 66 



West Virginia and concluded that the most common insects consumed 

 by the big brown bat in summer are (in order of abundance of re- 

 mains) : Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Plecotera, Ephemirida, 

 Hemiptera, Tricoptera, Neuroptera, Mecotera and Northoptera. No 

 lepidqpterous remains were discovered by Hamilton in the pellets. 



Specimens examined. — Baltimore City: 1. Baltimore County: Ca- 

 tonsville, 1. Montgomery County: Kensington, 1; Plummers Island, 

 2; Silver Spring, 1 ; Takoma Park, 2. Prince Georges County : Laurel, 

 3. District of Columbia: 86. 



Other records and reports. — Arnie Arundel County: Jessup (Silver, 

 1928, p. 149). Baltimore County: Bare Hills (Cohen, 1942, p. 96) ; 

 Patapsco State Park (Hampe, 1939, p. 5). Montgomery County: 

 Washington Grove (Christian, 1956, p. 66). Prince Georges County: 

 Berwyn (Cohen, 1944, p. 65) ; Patuxent Eesearch Center (Gardner, 

 1950&, p. 112) . Washington County: Round Top Mountain, near Han- 

 cock (banding record). 



RED BAT 

 Lasiurus borealis borealis (Miiller) 



Vespertilio borealis Miiller, Des E-itters Carl von Linne . . . voll- 

 standiges Natursystem nach der zwolften lateinischen Ausgabe. . . . 

 Suppl. (Mammalia) , p. 20, 1776. 



Type locality. — New York 



General distribution. — Eastern North America, from southern New Brunswick, 

 Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, south to Florida and 

 Texas. 



Distribution in Maryland. — Abundant in all sections of the State. 



Distinguishing characteristics. — Teeth 1/3, 1/1, 2/2, 3/3, = 32; size 

 medium; color bright rufous or fulvous, hairs plumbeous at base and 

 whitish at tips, producing a slight frosted effect; ears broad and blunt, 

 rounded at tip, reaching about halfway from the angle of the mouth 

 to the nostril when laid forward; tail moderately long; interfemoral 

 membrane thickly furred on upper surface. 



This bat is easily distinguished from all other bats in Maryland by 

 its bright rufous coloration and the furred interfemoral membrane. 

 Males generally are darker and more reddish than females. 



Measurements. — An adult male from Doubs, Frederick County, and 

 an adult female from 3 miles NW of Annapolis, Anne Arundel 

 County, measure respectively: Total length 109, 113; tail 49, 50; hind 

 foot 10, 7 ; greatest length of skull 13.0, 12.6 ; zygomatic breadth 9.5, 

 9.5 ; interorbital breadth 4.4, 4.2 ; length of maxillary toothrow 4.5, 4.4. 



Habitat and habits. — This bat shows a preference for deciduous 

 woodlands, orchards, and city parks with trees and tall shrubs. It 

 generally chooses the branch of a shady tree in which to roost, some- 



