NATURAL HISTORY. 
' 6 10 
flying around him, and finally alighted on his breast, such was her anxiety to save her offspring. 
Both were brought to the museum, the young one firmly adhering to its mother’s teat. This faithful 
creature lived two days in the museum, and then died of inj uries received from her captor. The young 
one being but half grown, was still too young to take care of itself, and died shortly after.” 
The Hoary Bat (A talapha cinerea) is larger than its congener, the Bed Bat, measuring from two 
to three inches in length, and from twelve to fifteen inches in expanse of wing. Its colours, also, are 
quite different. The head and neck are of a faded yellow colour, the back brownish chocolate or 
umber smoky fawn-colour, and the lower surface fawn-colour, darker on the breast. All the hairs, 
are tipped with white, which gives the animal the peculiar ashy tinge alluded to in its name. The 
whole upper surface of the interfemoral membrane, and about one-third of its lower surface, are 
clothed with hair. The Hoary Bat is distributed over the whole of North America, as far north as 
Canada and the Hudson’s Bay Territories.* 
SCHREIBERS’ BAT.f 
Several species of Long-tailed Bats, peculiar to the Eastern hemisphere, have been formed into the 
genus Miniopteriis, which differs from all the preceding forms by having the crown of the head 
abruptly and very considerably raised from the face, and the upper incisors in pairs separated not only 
from each other, but from the canines. They have the ears separate, with their outer margins extend- 
ing forward nearly to the opening of the mouth ; the nostrils simple ; the first phalanx of the second 
finger very short ; and the tail as long as the head and body, and entirely enclosed within the inter- 
femoral membrane. 
Schreibers’ Bat, the type of this genus, is very remarkable for its extraordinary geographical 
range ; for, according to the determinations of Messrs. Tomes and Dobson, it extends from J apan 
through the Eastern Archipelago to Australia, and westward of these localities through Burmali and 
Ceylon to Asia Minor, and thence into Southern Europe. It is also generally distributed in Africa, 
and occurs in Madagascar. On the continent of Europe it is found as far north as Switzerland and 
Lower Austria. 
The species varies considerably in the colour of its fur. The basal half of the hairs is always dark, 
either brown, greyish-black, or black, with the extremities sometimes of nearly the same tint, but 
generally lighter, varying from a light grey, even becoming whitish on the lower surface, to reddish- 
grey and reddish-brown. Specimens from tropical localities are generally dark in colour. The ears 
are much shorter than the head, and sweep almost completely round the eye (whence the name of 
“ blepotis ” was given to the Eastern form by M. Temminck), terminating near the angle of the mouth 
in a small square-ended lobe. The tragus is much shorter than the ear, about twice as long as broad, 
and rounded at the tip. The total length of this Bat is about four inches, half of which goes to the 
head and body, and the remainder to the tail. Schreibers’ Bat is an inhabitant of caves. It was 
originally obtained from the caverns of the Banat, but occurs generally throughout Southern Europe. 
In the East it is also said by M. Temminck to find a retreat in. caves and clefts in the rocks. It is 
very common in J ava, but rarely appears in the open country. J 
THE BROWN PIG BAT.§ 
This is another of the forms occupying the border-land between the families of V espertili o nidee and 
Embidloniiridm , and assisting to unite the whole of the simple-nosed Insectivorous Bats in one great 
series. In the form of the head, and in the dentition, it resembles especially Natalm and Furia. The 
wing-membranes are continued down the toes to the base of the claws ; the tail is long, and enclosed, 
# Other recorded species of this genus are : A. intermedin , from Mexico, A. Pfeijferi, from Cuba, A. Frantzu, from 
Brazil and Costa Rica, A. varia, from Peru and Chili, A. pallescens , from Venezuela, and A. Grayi, from Chili, all with 
molars Ft * and A. egregia , from Brazil, A. Ega , from Brazil, and A. caudata, from Pernambuco and Chili, with molars 
A. Grayi has been said to occur at Juan da Fuca, in North America, and in the Sandwich Islands. 
f Miniopteriis Sch.reibersii. 
J Other recorded species are Miniopterus tristis , from the Philippine Islands, and M. australis, from the Loyalty Islands. 
§ Tliyroptera tricolor. 
