I 4 J 
mcnibraijc which runs along the whole length of the arms and 
along the sides of the body to the hind-legs, connecling even 
the tail. The thumbs are left free so that they n^ay be used for 
climbing and grasping. The toes are not elongated. 
There are two kinds of Bats, fruit-eating and insectivo- 
rous Bats, the former being by far the larger. The so-called 
' Flying Fox ' or * Kelawang ' ( Pieropus cdidis ) requires no 
introduction to Singapore people. Tn the fruiting season 
scores of them may be seen on a single tree, and they can do 
considerable damages Quite as destructive can be another, 
though much smaller, member of this group, the Short-nosed 
Fruit Bat {Cynoptems margiiitttus). 
Much more numerous are the Insect-eating Bats. 
However, they are considerably smaller in size, and many ot 
them possess the most extraordinary leaf-like excrescences on 
nose and ears, especially the strictly nocturnal forms. These 
excrescences probably serve as delicate tactiie organs. The 
Vampire Bat ( Megaderma spasma ) shows these structures well. 
Another species, of which a specimen from the Botanic Gardens 
is exhibited, is remarkable for its white wings {Tapho^ous 
tt^inis), and a third one for being almost naked {Chciromelcs 
((trtjuatiiS). 
CARNIVORA. 
The Carnivora or Beasts of Prey full inlo five groups, 
Fcfidne (Cats), Camdae {Dogs), Viverridae (Civets), Mustelidtic 
(Martens and Otters), and Urskiae (Bears). 
The most formidable of these are the Cats, and the 
centre of the Museum hall contains a magnificeiU specimen of 
the largest member of this family, the Royal Tiger or 
' Harimau * [FcUs iiffris], presented alive in the year 1903 by 
H.H, the Sultan of Johore. (Sec Plate IL) Tigers are now only 
rarely shot on Singapore island, but they are still comnion 
enough on the neighbouring mainland. They also occur in 
Sumatra and Java, but curiously enough not in Borneo, The 
next largest Malayan Cat is the Leopard (Fctis pardus). It has 
a similar distribution as the Tiger, and is absent from Borneo, 
tt)o. This species occurs in two varieties, the Spotted Leopard 
or ' Harimau bintang,' and the Black one, generally called the 
Black Panther or * Harimau kumbang,' in which, howcven the 
star-like pattern of the spotted variety can generally be made 
out. The Black Panther is especially common in Southern 
India and the Malay Peninsula. Specimens of both varieties 
Lire cxhibiled ■ a fud-grown hputted Leopard, which, however. 
