THE SORICINE BAT. 
33Ji 
THE GREAT-EARED LEAF BAT * 
The Great-eared Leaf Bat, an inhabitant of St. Domingo and J amaica, is the type of a remarkable 
little genus, characterised by having the ears very large, membranous, and united at the base by a mem- 
brane ; the nasal appendage erect ; the interfemoral membrane large, cut out beh:nd in a broad curve 
running from the tip of one spur to the other; and the tail long, projecting by its last joint beyond the 
interfemoral membrane. The head is rather long, and the jaws armed with four incisors in each — 
the intermediate ones in the upper jaw being larger than the lateral — two premolars in the upper, and 
three in the lower jaw, and three true molars in each jaw. The species of this genus occur in the 
West Indies, Mexico, and California. 
The Great-eared Leaf Bat ( Macrotus Waterhousii) is a small species, the head and body measuring 
two inches and a half in length, and the tail one inch and one-sixth. Its fur is of a mouse-colour, 
paler beneath, and the nose-leaf is lance-shaped. 
Our knowledge of the habits of this Bat is chiefly derived from observations made in Jamaica 
by Mr. Gosse and Mr. Osbum. The former says that it is one of the commonest of the J amaica 
Chiroptera, and that it is more addicted than any other species to visiting lighted rooms at night. 
Mr. Osburn obtained it in abundance from caves ; and he adds that although it occurs in houses, it 
there always inhabits the cellars, and is never found in roofs. The great breadth of the wings gives 
it during flight an appearance of being larger than it really is, and its flight, according to Mr. Gosse, 
is not so noiseless as in Bats generally, but accompanied by an audible rushing sound. When on the 
ground, it makes no attempt to crawl, bat springs at once into the air, and takes flight as readily as a 
bird. Mr. Osbum obtained many females with their young, and describes the mode in which the latter 
adhere to their mothers. He says the nipple was held by the little hooked teeth of the young animal, 
while the fur, or even the thigh of the opposite side, was grasped by its feet, so that the young Bat lay 
diagonally across its mother’s belly. The food of the Great-eared Leaf Bat consists for the most part of 
insects. Mr. Osbum found in the stomach of one a yellowish mass, 'with fragments of the hard parts 
of insects, among which were two short legs with strong claws, which probably belonged to some species 
of Orthoptera. 
From one observation it would appear that this Bat is supposed sometimes to feed on fruits. Mr. 
Osbum says that at Mount Pleasant, St. Ann’s, his attention was called to a number of spirts on the 
wall in an open verandah, on examining which he says he detected seeds of the fustic berry sticking to 
the wall. He was informed that they were produced by these Bats, which came in at night, and 
hitched themselves up, when a chewing might be distinctly heard, and then these splashes on the wall. 
One let the legs and wings of a large Grasshopper drop. The berries said to be particularly affected by 
these Bats were "those of the fustic (Moms tinctorid ), the bread-nut (Brostmuvi ahcastruni ), and the 
rose-apple (Eugenia jambos), all of which are mentioned by Mr. 
Osburn as favourite articles of food with Stenoderma perspicillatuni , 
a true fruit-eating Bat.t 
THE SORICINE BAT.J 
Agreeing with the Phyllostomes and Vampires in the form 
of the molar teeth, the general form of the muzzle, the presence 
of a nose-leaf and tragus, and some other characters, the Glossophagce 
exhibit some striking peculiarities which serve to distinguish them 
from these and all other Bats. Foremost among these is the 
structure of the tongue, which is very singular. It is a long, somewhat compressed fleshy cylinder, 
beset with reversed hairs, and capable of being pushed out of the mouth to a considerable distance. 
In the fresh state, according to Rengger, it has a furrow running along the upper surface, and this, he 
thought, rendered it specially applicable to the purpose of sucking blood, which was formerly supposed 
* Macrotus Waterhousii. 
f Other known species are Macrotus calif omicus and M. mexicanus, the native countries of which are indicated in their 
specific names. 
J Olossopkaga soi'icina. 
43 
HEAD OF SORICINE BAT. 
