PTEROPUS POLIOCEPHALUS, Temm. 
Grey-headed Vampire. 
Pteropus poliocephalus, Temm. Monog., tom. i. p. 179, tom. ii. p. 66. — -Gray, List of Mamm. in Brit. Mus., p. 36. 
New South Wales is the true and probably the restricted habitat of this large species of Bat; for I have 
never seen a specimen from any other part of the Australian continent, and it certainly does not inhabit Van 
Diemen’s Land as stated by M. Temminck : the situations in which I met with it were the dense and 
luxuriant brushes which fringe the south-eastern portion of Australia, such as those at Illawarra, in the 
neighbourhood of the Hunter, the Manning and the Clarence; I possess, however, a specimen said to 
have been killed at Bathurst, which, although of much smaller size, I believe to be the same. Like all other 
Bats, the Grey-headed Vampire is strictly nocturnal in its habits, and remains during the day suspended 
from the branches of the larger trees clothing the gullies and mountain sides ; at nightfall it sallies 
forth in search of its natural food, which principally consists of the fruits and berries peculiar to the 
brushes, the small wild fig when ripe being a favourite article. The enormous numbers that may be seen 
sleeping pendent from the trees in the more secluded parts of the forest are beyond conception ; it is not 
surprising therefore that the settlers whose abodes may be in the neighbourhood of one of these colonies, 
should find their peach orchards entirely devastated in a single night. Indeed no one of the native animals 
is more troublesome to the settlers than this large Bat, which, resorting to the fruit-grounds by night, when 
it is impossible to protect them from its attacks, commits the most fearful havoc. Many pages might 
doubtless be written respecting the habits and economy of these great Bats, but this can only be done by 
those who, having been long resident in the country, have had ample opportunities of observing them, 
which the rapidity of my explorations and the brevity of my stay did not admit. In describing the habits of 
a nearly allied species (the Pteropus Jamnicus') Dr. Horsfield states, that “ they congregate in companies, 
and selecting a large tree for their resort, suspend themselves by the claws of their hind limbs to the 
naked branches, affording to the stranger a very singular spectacle ; in short, to a person unaccustomed 
to their habits, they might be readily mistaken for fruit of a large size, suspended from the branches. 
They thus pass the greater portion of the day in sleep ; but soon after sunset they gradually quit their 
hold, and pursue their nocturnal flight in quest of food. They direct their course, by an unerring instinct, 
to the forests, villages and plantations, occasioning incalculable mischief, attacking and devouring indis- 
criminately every kind of fruit, from the abundant and useful cocoa-nut, which surrounds the dwelling of the 
meanest peasantry, to the rare and most delicate productions which are cultivated with care by princes and 
chiefs of distinction. Their flight is slow and steady, pursued in a straight line, and capable of long con- 
tinuance.” This interesting account of the habits of the Javan species doubtless applies in an equal degree 
to those of the present animal, since we may reasonably infer that the economy of two species so nearly 
allied is very similar. 
Its flesh forms one of the multitudinous articles partaken of as food by the aborigines. 
The entire head brown, grisled with grey ; round the neck and advancing on to the back a very broad 
collar of deep rust-red ; upper surface and the clothing of the arms glossy black, grisled with greyish olive, 
the olive hue becoming more apparent on the hind quarters ; under surface brownish black, many of the 
hairs pointed with olive-yellow ; down each flank a patch of rufous ; ears and wing-membranes naked and 
of a deep purplish black ; claws black, becoming horny at the tip. 
The figures are of the natural size. 
