AN EXPOSTULATION AND A REPLY. 229 
of my bats after their death. In the case of the two that died 
during hibernation, it was found that the spleen was very large. 
In the bat that died from injury, December nth, and that had 
not been allowed to hibernate, the spleen was small. In a 
long-eared bat that died suddenly, July ist, and in a common 
bat that died April 23rd, the spleen w'as so small that it 
escaped observation. The last-mentioned bat was ill for three 
weeks. After its death, it was found that almost the whole 
intestine was full of small black bodies, which, examined under 
the microscope, proved to be flukes. It would be interesting to 
know what may have been the intermediate host. With the 
exception of one bluebottle, the bat had had no other food than 
mealworms for months past. 
John D. Batten. 
15, Airlie Gardens, Campden Hill, W . 
AN EXPOSTULATION AND A REPLY. 
[On receipt of the following communication, from a lady, we felt that it could 
only be adequately dealt with by one of her own sex, so we sent it to Mrs. 
Phillips, of the Society for the Protection of Birds, who kindly forwarded the 
accompanying reply. We can assure “ M. T.” that we have no intention of 
desisting from what she calls “such abuse” until those who give cause for 
censure have ceased to do so, and that, we fear, will not be just yet. — E d. Y.W.] 
‘N page 207 I find in a paragraph headed “ Very 
Womanly ” these words : “It is women without 
thought for anything but pleasure and vanity who are 
mainly responsible for the desolation that is slowly 
creeping over the whole earth.” I think it is very unjust to lay 
most of the blame on women, and I am surprised at Nature 
Notes continuing so persistently to print such abuse. This 
attack, too, is rather confuted by a paragraph headed “ Destruc- 
tion of Moles,” and by another headed, “A Bad Example” (p. 
217) ; neither of which point to women being “ mainly re- 
sponsible, &c.” As to the other question in “ Very Womanly,” 
if the birds are shot for food, the chief thing to be considered is 
whether they are killed in the most humane fashion, not whether 
they are shot by a man or a woman ; but, on the other hand, if 
they are shot for sport, I suppose the writer of “ Very Womanly ” 
could not but own that there are more men than women sports- 
men, so that would hardly make women “ mainly responsible, 
&c.,” as the writer could not contend that the birds shot for 
sport are really shot because the feathers are wanted for ladies’ 
hats. All this abuse is especially out of place when it was 
shown by the numbers of imitation osprey feathers that were 
worn, how ready women were to have any substitute, however 
stiff and ugly, rather than wear the real thing, which was pro- 
cured (by men) in such a cruel manner. M. T. 
