EHINOLOPHUS NORILIS. 
according as tliese animals inhabit countries nearer to the Equinoctial Line : others 
have the more simple and obscure tint of the European species. Of the former an 
example is afforded by the Jthinolophus larvatus and the Rh. affinis ; of the latter 
by the Ithinolophus nobilis and the Ith. minor. Several of the other Javanese 
species have an intermediate tint. 
The Ithinolophus nobilis belongs to the second section of this genus. The 
nasal apparatus consists of a broad membrane stretching transversely across the nose, 
in form of a shelf ; the sides are bounded by several parallel folds, and inferiorly it 
constitutes a semicircular envelop, which has a short, obtusely rounded point in the 
middle. All the remarks which apply to the genus Rhinolophus generally have 
already been given with detail in the description of the Rh. larvatus ; but few observ- 
ations therefore are required to point out the specific distinctions of our animal 
The colour above is pure brown, and underneath brown variegated with gray. The 
sides of the breast, and of the body underneath, and the marks on the back, above and 
beneath the scapula, are light gray, inclining to white, with an obscure silvery lustre. 
The fur is remarkably long and silky, and supplied with a most delicate down at the 
base, so as to be throughout very soft to the touch. The hairs are uniformly gray 
at the base ; on the darkest portion of the back, about one half of their length, is 
dark brown with an almost imperceptible hue inclining to chestnut ; on the upper 
parts of the neck and head, the basal gray portion exceeds the brown portion near 
the extremity; these parts therefore have a lighter tint. Underneath, the hairs are 
generally more soft and lengthened, and the gray colour predominates. The lowest 
portion of the breast and abdomen is marked by a broad band covered with hair, gray 
at the base, and brown at the extremity. The hairs of the axilla?, hypochondria?, and 
scapular marks are nearly white. The flying membrane lias a deep tint of pure 
brown, with a slight tawny gloss. In the proportional length of the anterior and 
posterior extremities, the Rhinolophus nobilis agrees with the Rh. larvatus. The 
tail is equal in length to the posterior extremities, exclusive of the toes. The ears 
are remarkably large, and tending to the sides ; they are acutely terminated at their 
union with the head ; the margin, anterior and posterior, is involuted, the posterior 
involution being the largest. 
The body of the Rhinolophus nobilis is four inches in length ; the expanded 
membrane measures nineteen inches and an half! Our animal feeds on insects. It 
is comparatively a rare species : two specimens only are contained in the Honourable 
Company's Museum, which agree in size, colour, and external characters. 
