io8 



The Irish Naturalist. 



May, 



to its powers of sight, though in what way we cannot yet tell. 

 Unless the animal is afflicted with very inferior sight to that 

 of — for instance — the Pipistrelle, it does not need special 

 organs to enable it to fly in the dark ; nor can it be for that 

 purpose that the Long-eared Bat has developed those enormous 

 ears that make it so great a curiosity amongst our mammals. 

 Naturalists have, iodeed, supposed this to be the explanation ; 

 but then they did not know that the Pipistrelle and Dauben- 

 ton's Bat, which have no such appendages, fly equally late 

 with the Bats that have them. For my part, I think the Long- 

 eared Bat's ears can be explained by the nature of the situa- 

 tions in which it flies. This Bat's habit is to glide about 

 among the foliage of trees with its eyes apparently rivetted on 

 the leaves in search of insects at rest ; and while its e5^es are 

 thus occupied it naturally wants well-developed " feelers " to 

 enable it to thread its way among the branches without colli- 

 sions. In fact, many carnivorous animals — Seals, for instance 

 — have been described as using their whiskers in the same 

 way, when stealing on their intended victims, as the Long- 

 eared Bat, in my opinion, uses its ears. However, the feeding 

 habits of the Lesser Horse-shoe Bat in its natural haunts have 

 still to be ascertained, and it would be very rash to start any 

 theory as to what those habits may be until they have been 

 more accurately .studied. In the observations I have offered, 

 I hope I have shown that Bats are worth a little watching, and 

 have secrets in their economy which must be found out by 

 watching, and which the most skilful scrutiny of the largest 

 series of dead specimens will not suffice to disclose. It is true, 

 no doubt, that the time available to most of us for this kind of 

 observation is rather limited ; but to those who realise how 

 attractive, not to say exciting, a form of pursuit it may become, 

 opportunities will, every now and then, suggest themselves, 

 and I hope no member of the Dublin Naturalists' Pield Club 

 will despise them when they occur. 



Ballyhyland, Co. Wexford. 



