﻿84 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA. 



lu certain respects 31. thysanodes resembles J/, evotis. The color is 

 very much the same, while the ears in tliese two species reach their 

 maximnm development among the species of this genus found in North 

 America. The free border of the inter femoral membrane in M. evotis 

 shows a slight tendency to the ciliation so conspicuous in M. thysanodes. 

 Myotis evotis is, however, a smaller animal and has ears proportionally 

 longer than in Al. thysanodes, while the free border of the interfemoral 

 membrane is never distinctly ciliate. 



That this species is the same as the South American Myotis albescens 

 is exceedingly unlikely. Dobson, who has seen the type of the latter, 

 gives for it the following characters, which do not in the least apply to 

 the present species: ''Ears shorter than the head; laid forward, the 

 tips do not reach to the end of the muzzle; calcaneum feeble, termina- 

 tion indistinct 5 above dark brown." Moreover, Mr. Oldfield Thomas, 

 who has compared specimens of Myotis thysanodes with, the albescens in 

 the British Museum, writes me that the two do not in the least resem- 

 ble each other, and that M. albescens is allied rather to M. velifer. For 

 further discussion of the question, see under the latter species. 



In Dr. Harrison Allen's recent monogra^A (p. 93) a specimen of this 

 species in my collection, taken at Dulzura, [misspelled Dalyura], Oal., 

 is recorded as a variety of 'V. albescens velifer.^ A specimen from Old 

 Fort Tejon, Calilbrnia, in the Biological Survey collection, is labeled by 

 Dr. Allen ' F. subulatus,'^ while fifteen others of the same species from the 

 same locality are marked ' Y. alhesceiisf One of the latter (ISTo. 29827), 

 however, is recorded as ' Y. albescens evotis'' (p. 90). 



Dr. T. S. Palmer has kindly furnished me with the following account 

 of the colony from which the type of Myotis thysanodes was taken: 



lu July, 1891, while one of the parties of the Death Yalley Expedition was collect- 

 ing at Old Fort Tejon, California, several species of hats were observed. The most 

 abundant was a small Vespertilio \=Mijotis^, which could be seen at dusk flying about , 

 the oak trees near the old barracks in great nnmberS; and passing in and out of theMi 

 ruined buildings. A long two-story adobe building, with the roof still intact, seemedB 

 to be the center of attraction, and about sundown bats could be seen streaming forthB 

 from a window in one of the gables. On the morning of July 5 an examination was« 

 made of the attic of this building, and the bats were found clinging to the ridgepole 1 

 and the rafters, literally by thousands. Individuals of all ages, from recently born * 

 young to adults^ were hanging together in bunches as big as a bushel basket. Others '; 

 found concealment in cracks and crevices, but very few were flying about. Evideutly -{ 

 the colony had occupied the attic for several years, but it was too dark to see whether , 

 more than one species was present. 



A sack was carried along under the ridgepole and specimens swept into it from sev- 

 eral of the larger bunches. In this way more than a hundred bats were collected in. 

 a few minutes. As soon as they were disturbed they uttered a peculiar squeaking^ 

 note and flew about in a confused manner in their efforts to escape. The sack was ^ 

 carried out under one of the oak trees and the specimens examined ; 160 had been ■ 

 captured, and of these 25 were preserved^ and the remainder allowed to escape. 

 Some of the bats which had been given their liberty attempted to fly back to their 

 retreat, but dazed by the sunlight took refuge in the branches of the nearest tree; 



, ^ Sixteen lyroved to he Myotis ihi/saiiodes; the others were .M. iiinnanensis. | 



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