S2 NATURAL HISTORY 
I forgot to mention that I once faw, in Chrtjl Church college 
quadrangle in Oxford, on a very funny warm morning, a houfe 
martin flying about, and fettling on the parapets, fo late as the 
twentieth of November. 
At prefent I know only two fpecies of bats, the common 
vefpertilio murinus and the vefpertilio auribus. 
I was much entertained laft fummer with a tame bat, which 
Vv^ould take flies out of a perfon's hand. If you gave it any thing 
to eat, it brought it's wings round before the mouth, hovering 
and hiding it's head in the manner of birds of prey when they 
teed. The adroitnefs it fliewed in fliearing off" the wings of the 
flies, which were always rejedted, was worthy of obfervation, and 
pleafed me much. Infe6ts feemed to be mofl acceptable, though 
it did not refufe raw flefli when olfered : fo that the notion, that 
bats go down chimnies and gnaw men's bacon, feems no 
improbable ftory. While I amufed myfelf with this wonderful 
quadruped, I faw it feveral times confute the vulgar opinion, 
that bats when down on a flat furface cannot get on the wing 
again, by rifing with great eafe from the floor. It ran, I 
obferved, with more difpatch than I was aware of ; but in a moft 
ridicvilous and grotefque manner. 
Bats drink on the wing, like fwallows, by fipping the furface, 
as they play over pools and ftreams. They love to frequent 
waters, not only for the fake of drmking, but on account of in- 
fers, which are found over them in the greatefl; plenty. As I was 
going, fome years ago, pretty late, in a boat from Richmond to 
Sunbury, on ^ warm fummer's evening, .1 think I faw myriads of 
bats between the two places : the air fwarmed with them all along 
the 'thames, fo that hundreds were in fight at a time. 
I am, 8cc. 
LETTER 
