VESPEETIL10. 
evenings of summer and autumn, frequently' 
tittering a sharp stridulous note or scream 
during their flight, and pursuing the various 
kinds of insects on which they feed, par- 
ticularly moths. They are sometimes taken 
by throwing up the heads of burdock whilen- 
I cd with flour ; which the bats either mistak- 
| ing for some insect, or casually dashing 
i against, are caught by the hooked prickles 
and brought to the ground. 
The bat is capable, like the mouse, of being 
tamed to a certain degree ; and we are assured 
by Mr. White, in his Natural History of Sel- 
borne, that he was much amused in the sum- 
I mer of the year 1766 with the sight of a tame 
bat. “ It would take flies out of a person’s 
hand. If you gave it any thing to eat, it 
brought its wings round before the mouth, 
hovering, anchhiding its head, in the manner 
( of birds of prey when they feed. The adroit- 
ness it shewed in shearing off the wings of 
the flies, which were always rejected, was 
1 worthy of observation, and pleased me much. 
| Insects seemed to be most acceptable, though 
it did not refuse raw flesh when offt red ; so 
i that the notion that bats go down chimneys 
and gnaw men’s bacon, seems no improbable 
story. While I amused myself with this 
wonderful quadruped, I saw it several times 
confute the vulgar opinion, that bats, when 
down on a flat surface, cannot get on the 
wing again, by rising with great ease from the 
! floor. It ran, I observed, with more dispatch 
than I was aware of, but in a most ridiculous 
and grotesque manner.” 
Bats are commonly supposed to produce 
two young at a birth which they suckle for a 
: considerable time. When recently born they 
1 adhere most tenaciously to the breast of the 
: parent, so as not to be- removed without 
difficulty. 
Bats lodge in great numbers in the cavities 
: of old buildings, under the projections of 
walls, in the hollows of trees, in rocky places, 
| ike.. Sc c. During winter they -lie torpid in 
,j these recesses, till the warmth of the vernal 
'j atmosphere invites them abroad to make 
their evening excursions. When taken torpid 
| and brought into a warm situation, they awake 
from their slumber, and again expand their 
j wings. During this state of torpidity, the 
1 circulation of the blood is not to be perceived 
j iu the smaller vessels ; but when thus awa- 
kened by warmth, it again becomes visible 
by the microscope. This was first observed 
by Leewenhoeck, who could perceive no ap- 
pearance of circulation in such as were taken 
[ in their torpid state; but on bringing them 
to the fire, the circulation soon became very 
brisk. 
Bats are said to drink on the wing, like 
- swallows, bv sipping the surface, as they play 
; tiver pools and streams. They love to fre- 
quent waters, not only for the sake ot drink- 
Ij in <>■, but on account of the insects which are 
j found over them in the greatest plenty. 
The general appearance of the bat, together 
j w ith its nocturnal flight, must be confessed to 
j excite the idea of something hideous and dis- 
mal ; and for this reason the antients conse- 
crated it to Proserpine, and supposed it to be 
one of the inhabitants of her dreary regions ; 
and it cannot fail to occur to the recollection 
orfevery cue, that painters, in their repre- 
sentations of (lends and demons, usually ex- 
hibit them with the leathern wings of the bat, 
It is also equally evident, that the fabulous 
harpies of the antients must have originated 
from a similar source; .the larger bats of 
India and Africa, by a little poetical exagger- 
ation of their manners, answering extremely 
well to the general description of those mon- 
sters. 
3. Vespertilio noctula, the noclule bat, is 
considerably larger than the former ; its ex- 
tended wings measuring from 14 to 15 inches: 
the length from the nose to the tip of the tail 
about four inches and a half. The nose is 
slightly bilobated ; the ears small and round- 
ed ; the body is fleshy and plump; the 
shoulders very thick and muscular ; the fur 
very soft and glossy, and of a bright chesnut- 
colour. This is an inhabitant of Britain and 
of France, but seems not to have been par- 
ticularized as a distinct species, till described 
by M. Daubenton in Buffon’s Natural His- 
tory. It is said to be common in some parts 
of Russia, sheltering in caverns. It flies high 
in the air in search of food, and does not skim 
near the surface like the smaller bats. It has 
been occasionally found in great quantities 
under the eaves of old buildings, and has ge- 
nerally a strong and unpleasant smell. 
5. Vespertilio ferrum equinum, horse-shoe 
bat, with a horse-shoe-shaped membrane at 
the tip of the nose ; ears large, broad at the 
base, and sharp-pointed, inclining backward; 
no smaller or internal ear; colour of the 
upper part of the bodv deep-cinereous; of 
the lower, whitish. There is said to be a 
greater and smaller variety ; perhaps the 
male and female. The greater is above three 
inches and a half long from the nose to the tip 
of the tail; the extent of wings above 14. 
This species is found in France, and, very 
rarely, in England. It is also said to be found 
about the Caspian Sea. 
5. Vespertilio auripendulus, slouch-eared 
bat, with large pendulous ears, pointed at the 
ends; nose obtuse; tail long, included in a 
membrane, and terminated with a hook ; co- 
lour above deep-chesnut, lighter on the belly, 
and cinereous on the sides ; length three 
inches and four lines; extent of wing 15 
inches. Native of Guiana. 
6. Vespertilio leporinus, Peruvian bat. 
Linnaeus, as Mr. Pennant weil observes, car- 
ried away by the love of system, placed this 
species, in the twelfth edition of the Systema 
Natura*, under a distinct genus, by the name 
of noctilio ; stationing it at a great distance 
from the rest of the bats, in the order glires, 
next to the squirrels. This he did merely on 
account of its having only two cutting-teeth 
in each jaw. But succeeding observations 
have conspired to prove that the number and 
disposition of the teeth differ greatly in the 
different species of the bats ; so that if a too 
rigid regard was paid to this particular, se- 
veral distinct genera might be instituted in- 
stead of one ; but the general characters of 
the bats are so striking as to render this per- 
fectly unnecessary. 
The Peruvian bat has a head something 
like a pug-dog ; the ears targe and straight, 
sharp at the ends, and pointing forwards; two 
canine teeth, and tw6 small cutting teeth be- 
tween, in each jaw; tail enclosed in the 
membrane which joins to each hind leg, and 
is also supported by two long cartilaginous 
ligaments involved in the membrane; colour 
of the fur iron-grey ; body equal in size to a 
middling rat ; extent of wing two feet five 
853 
’laches, Mr. Pennant observes, that Mr. 
Schreber’s figure of this species is erroneoudy 
coloured, being represented of a straw-colour. 
It is a native of Peru An extraordinary con- 
formation, according to Seba, t: kc-s place in 
the legs of this bat ; the tibia and fibula being 
placed separately from each other, and each 
invested by its own distinct and hairy skin. 
These, however, seem to be nothing more 
than the two cartilaginous ligaments mention- 
ed by Mr. Pennant. 
The remaining species (except the last) are 
distinguished by having no tails. 
7. Vespertilio nasutus, great serotine bat, 
with a very long, straight, and strong nose, 
sloping down at the end; ears long, erect, 
dilated towards the bottom, rounded at the 
end; colour of the upper parts a reddish 
chesnut ; sides of a clear yellow ; remainder 
of a dirty white; length five inches and 
eight lines ; extent of wings two feet. 
This species is described in the supplemen- 
tal volume of the count de Buffon’s Natural 
History. It is a native of Guiana, where it 
is said to assemble in meadows, arid other 
open places, in vast numbers; flying in com- 
pany with goatsuckers, and both together in 
such numbers as to darken the air. 
8. Vespertilio spectrum, spectre bat. This 
is a large species, and is a native of South 
America, where it is chiefly seen on palm- 
trees. The extent of wings is about two feet 
two inches, or more ; and from the nose to- 
the rump seven inches and a halt. It has a> 
long nose ; large teeth ; long, broad, and 
upright ears ; and at the end of the nose is 
an upright, long, conical membrane, bending 
at the end. H air on the body cinereous, and 
pretty long ; wings fufl of ramified fibres; the 
membrane extends from hind leg to hind leg. 
There is no tail ; but three tendons run from 
the rump to the edge of the membrane. 
Mr. Buffon supposes this to he the vam- 
pire ; but if the accounts of that animal’s 
extraordinary faculty may be depended upon, 
we are still uncertain as to the species ; Pisa 
and others, who give the relation, omitting 
the particular description of the animal; and, 
indeed, it is most probable that the faculty 
which gave rise to the name is by no means 
confined to a single species, but may be prac- 
tised by several of the larger bats in warm 
climates. See Plate Nat. Hist. fig. 4l6. 
9. Vespertilio vampyruSy vampire bat. Of 
this tremendous animal there are some va- 
rieties in point of size and colour ; or perhaps 
they may really be distinct races or species, 
though nearly allied. The largest, or the 
great 'Female hat, is, in'general, about afoot 
long, with an extent of wings about four feet ; 
but sometimes it is found far larger, and it 
has been said that specimens have been seen 
of six feet in extent. The general colour of 
the body is a deep reddish brown ; brighter 
on the upper part of the neck and shoulders., 
as well as on the under parts of the body. 
The nose is sharp and black ; the teeth large 
and sharp : there are four cutting-teeth both, 
above and below, and the canine teeth are 
large and strong ; the tongue is pointed, and 
terminated by sharp prickles.; the ears are 
naked, blackish, and large, and are of a point- 
ed form. The wings are black, or of the 
colour of. those of the common bat. The 
membrane is divided behind, quite to the 
rump, there being no tail ; the single claw o*. 
