459 
In Hockering Wood, on tho 8tli of Juno, 1877, I saw four 
Noctules in an old Nuthatch’s nest, which was originally bored 
and used by Picus major. Tho hole was about twenty feet from 
the ground, in the trunk of a small oak. One of the bats Hew 
away before I could examine it, tho other three were $ s. 
Pipistrelle ( Vesper tilio pipistrelhisj . This bat is common in 
Sparham, and so abundant in Cawston church, that Mr. Marsh and 
I once caught twenty in our butterfly nets in a few minutes. 
Mouse-coloured Bat(?) (V. murinus f ). A few years ago I 
wanted specimens of Noctules for a friend, and accordingly I 
stationed myself, gun in hand, between Sparham church and the 
River Wensurn to watch for a chance of shooting some as they 
Hew from tho tower to tho river just before dark. For about three 
(quarters of an hour I saw a great many Noctules, most of which 
Hew much too high to shoot. I had four shots, and bagged three 
Noctules, but could not see to pick up tho fourth. I had a good 
view of a gigantic bat which puzzled, mo at the time (as I then 
thought the Noctule had the largest spread of wings). This bat 
struck mo as spreading its wings at least an inch more than any 
of the oilier great bats. I mention this that my readers may look 
out for V. murinus. Nearly all Noctules measured by me had a 
spread of fourteen-and-a-quarter inches, none more than fifteen 
inches when stretched tight : one was less than fourteen-and-a- 
quarter inches. Possibly the giant which I saw was only an 
unusually large Noctule. 
Reddish Grey Bat (V. mttererij. May 5th, 1870, at Sparham 
I was examining a cole-tit’s nesting box (which I had made in an 
old wall by taking a brick out and putting a wooden lid in instead). 
It was a hot day and the sun was shining on the wall at about ten 
minutes to one o’clock, when, as I took out the wooden lid a very 
lively specimen of V. n'attereri J tried to scramble out. It was 
probably disturbed either by ants or by the heat of the wall. 
Besides the usual shrill squeak of the common bat, this bat made 
an odd grunting noise when touched ; it quickly availed itself of 
any opportunity of flying out of my hand, even the moment after 
being re-captured in a butterfly net. Its mouth was slightly open 
when I caught it, and afterwards. 
