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NATURAL HISTORY. 
gregarious in its liabits, considerable numbers often retiring together to the same hiding-place. Thus, irt 
the second edition of Bell’s “ British Quadrupeds,” a good many Noctules are said to have been “ dis- 
lodged from a hole made by the Green Woodpecker in an elm by the insertion of a flexible stick;” and 
at Rugby, in Warwickshire, in a grove of old oaks, their excrement has been observed to form so thick 
a layer as to darken the ground under some of the oldest trees. Pennant states, on the authority of 
Dr. Buckworth (Backhouse ?), that one hundred and eightv-five of these Bats were taken in one night 
from under the- eaves of Queen’s College, Cambridge, followed by sixty-three on the second night, when 
the supply seems to have been nearly exhausted, as only two were captured on the ensuing evening. 
The natural food of the Noctule consists of insects, and its jaws are sufficiently powerful to enable 
it to devour even such large and horny Beetles as Cockchafers, which, indeed, seem to constitute its 
favourite food. It is, in fact, most active during the period of the year when these insects abound, for 
White, who first noticed its occurrence in Britain, states that he never saw it at Selborne before the 
end of April, or later than the end of July. In Warwickshire, however, it has been observed as early 
as the 12th of March, and as late as the 18tli of September. It flies very high, and on this account 
was named by White Vesperlilio altivolans. Its course through the air is rapid and straight, and 
accompanied by a continual sharp and shrill cry, which ceases only during the capture and consumption 
of its insect prey. It is described by White as emitting a rancid and offensive odour. 
Mr. George Daniell, in a paper communicated to the Zoological Society in 1831, published some 
notes on the behaviour of this Bat in captivity, which are particularly interesting from the description 
they contain of the birth of a young Noctule. Mr. Daniell obtained four females and one male of this 
species on the lGth of May, 1831. The male was very savage, biting the females, and breaking his 
teeth upon the wires of the cage in his attempts to escape. He refused to feed, and died on the 18th 
of May. The females, although at first sulky, fed after a time upon small pieces of raw beef, which 
they seemed to prefer to insect food. One of them died on the 20th, and two others on the 22nd ; the 
survivor, which fed by preference upon the breasts and livers of fowls, lived on for rather more than a 
month. It passed the day suspended by the hind feet at the top of the cage, and came down in the 
evening to feed, which it did sometimes most voraciously ; the quantity eaten exceeding half an ounce, 
although the weight of the animal itself was only two drachms. It rejected fiies, but ate parts of some 
Cockchafers that were given to it. The animal was rather careful in cleaning itself, using the posterior 
extremities as combs, with which the hairs were parted on either side from head to tail, forming a 
straight line down the middle of the back. The membrane of the wing was cleaned by passing the nose 
through its folds. On the 23rd of June Mr. Daniell observed his Bat to be very restless, and this con- 
dition lasted for about an hour, the animal remaining as usual suspended by the hinder extremities. 
Suddenly “ she reversed her position, and attached herself by her anterior limbs to a cross wire of the 
cage, stretching her hind limbs to their utmost extent, curving the tail upwards, and expanding the inter- 
femoral membrane, so as to form a perfect nest-like cavity for the reception of the young, .... which 
was bom on its back, perfectly destitute of hair, and blind. The mother then cleaned it, turning it 
over in its nest ; and afterwards, resuming her usual position, placed the young in the membrane of her 
wing. She next cleaned herself, ami wrapped up the young one so closely as to prevent any obser- 
vation of the process of suckling. At the time of its birth the young was larger than a new-boni 
Mouse ; and its hind legs and claws were remarkably strong and serviceable, enabling it not only to 
cling to its dam, but also to the deal sides of the cage. On the 24 th the animal took her food in the 
morning, and appeared very careful of her young, shifting it occasionally from side to side to suckle it, 
and folding it in the membranes of the tail and wings. On these occasions her usual position was 
reversed. In the evening she was found dead ; but the young was still alive, and attached to the 
nipple, from which it was with some difficulty removed. It took milk from a sponge, was kept carefully 
wrapped up in flannel, and survived eight days ; at the end of which period its eyes were not opened, 
and it had acquired very little hair.” 
From these observations of Mr. Daniell it appears that the period of gestation in the Noctule 
exceeds thirty-eight days, and they are of very considerable interest with respect to the general history 
of the Chiroptera, at any rate of the present family, for it is most probable that the conduct of this 
female Noctule on this interesting occasion is closely followed by other maternal Y espertilionidse at 
the arrival of their 61 little strangers.” Moreover, the fact of the production of only a single young 
