1905- Moffat. — Duration of Flight amorig Bats. 107 



evening. SometimevS I could see as many as three together. 

 Their appearance became less frequent from 3. 17 a.m. (forty-four 

 minutes before the time of sunrise), but one example remained 

 in sight until thirty-eight minutes before sunrise — a later period 

 than on e would expect from the fact that Daubenton's Bat seldom 

 shows itself in the evening until about fifty minutes after sunset. 

 The further question how this Bat spends the interval of more 

 complete darkness had to be postponed until at last, on one 

 night of beautiful moonlight — it was in the full serenity of the ^ 

 harvest moon (September, 1901) — I found Daubenton's Bat 

 flying freely and plentifully during the fourth, fifth, and sixth 

 hours after sunset, and at the very stroke of midnight. This, 

 added to the morning observations, may, I think, be taken as 

 conclusive that here we have a third, case of a Bat which flies 

 all night. 



We now see how far from correct is the view so commonly 

 prevalent, that a majority of our Bats are crepuscular. We 

 have examined the ways of four Irish species, all belonging 

 to the group which Dr. Dobson pronounced " crepuscular and 

 matutinal," and have found that three of them belonging to 

 three different genera — Plccotus, Pipistrellus, and Myotis — fly 

 all night, while only one— representing, I think, we should 

 say, a fourth genus, Pterygistes — restricts itself to the period 

 of twilight. There remain three Irish species of which noth- 

 ing has been found out ; but two of them — the Whiskered Bat 

 and Natterer's Bat — belong to the same genus with Dauben- 

 ton's, which we know to be nocturnal, so it seems the natural 

 thing to suspect that they also share the all-night habit. The 

 other kind whose habit remains unknown is the Lesser Horse- 

 shoe Bat, about which we have absolutely nothing to guide us. 

 Being the only Irish representative of the group with nasal 

 appendages, it ought, on Dr. Dobson's principle, to fly all 

 night ; but it is much to be wished that some of our friends in 

 Clare, Kerry, and Galway, where this interesting Bat is found, 

 w^ould bring the matter under the test of observation. 



When we know more about the Lesser Horse-shoe Bat's 

 habits of flight, we shall probably be much better able to form 

 opinions as to the use of those peculiar leaf-like appendages 

 which it carries on its nose, and which are so extremely sensi- 

 tive that nobody doubts they are supplementary in some way 



