286 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
notched in front. In allusion to the large size of the nose-leaves this species has been called £. 
megaphyllus. 
THE ORANGE BAT * 
Another Australian species of Leaf-n6sed Bat, belonging, however, to a distinct genus, of which 
indeed, it is the sole representative, is the Orange Bat (Rhinonycteris awraniia, see p. 285). This species, 
which is about two inches long, is clothed with a soft fur, which, in the male, is of a bright orange 
colour, and in the female pale yellow. This coloration is exceedingly remarkable in an animal of 
nocturnal habits, as these are generally rather sombre in their tints. The nose-leaf in the Orange Bat 
is somewhat similar in its character to that of the true Rkutolophi , but in its other peculiarities this 
Bat is rather related to those which we shall next have to describe, and thus forms a sort of transition 
between the two groups. It has the toes equal, and composed of only two phalanges, a character which 
distinguishes it from the preceding species ; whilst its resemblance to them in the structure of the nose- 
leaf serves to separate it from its following allies. The teeth resemble those of Rhuiotophm. In 
repose the tail and intorfemoral membrane are generally turned back, which appears to be the case in 
some at all events of the following species. This species inhabits Northern Australia, and is espe- 
cially abundant on the Coburg peninsula. It reposes during the day in hollow spouts and holes of the 
gum-trees. 
THE DIADEM BAT.f 
HEAD OF THE MALE AND FEMALE DIADEM EAT, ENLARGED. (After Dobson.) 
Whilst the Rhinolophi are chiefly inhabitants of elevated localities, especially in tropical regions, 
the members of the second large genus of Horseshoe Bats {Pltyllnrhim) for the most part frequent the 
plains and lower hills of the 
same countries. The most de- 
iinite character separating the 
Phyllorhince from the Rhino - 
Itythi is the presence of only 
two phalanges (joints) in all 
the toes of the hind feet, the 
first toe in Rhinolophus having 
three such joints. The nose- 
leaf consists of a horseshoe and 
of two other portions, which, 
however, differ considerably 
in form from those of Rhino - 
tophus , the anterior portion 
being horseshoe-shaped, but not notched in front, the intermediate part not forming a prominent pro- 
cess, but broad and heart-shaped, and the posterior part broad, erect, and concave in front. The number 
of teeth is the same as in Rhinolophus , except in one species (P. tridens), which has only a single 
pre-molar on each side in the upper jaw. Fourteen species of this genus are cited by Mr. Dobson as 
inhabiting the East Indies and the islands of the Eastern Archipelago, and one of them, the Diadem 
Bat ( P hyllorMna armigera ), which is found among the mountains of Northern India, extends its 
range as far north as Amoy in China. The characters of the nose-leaf in this species will be seen 
from the annexed figures, which show strikingly the great complexity of this curious apparatus. 
Behind the nose-leaf is the aperture of a peculiar sac situated in the forehead, which is characteristic 
of many species of the genus, and which can be turned out like the finger of a glove at the pleasure of 
the animal, and the surface of which secretes a waxy substance. I ts centre bears a tuft of straight 
hairs, the tips of which project from the orifice when the sac is drawn in. The Diadem Bat is rather a 
large species, the head and body measuring from three and a half to four inches in length, and the 
expanse of the wings being about two feet. Its general colour is light brown, darker on the upper 
surface, where the hairs are ringed with three colours — pale sepia at the base, then grey, then dark 
sepia, with the extreme tips a little paler. 
' ■ RJanonycteris aurantia. 
f PhtjUorhina armigera. 
