54 Vespertilionid^. MAMMALIA. Vespertilionid.®. 
BECHSTEIN’S BAT {VespertiUo Beclisteinii). — Only 
a single example of this elegant species has at present 
been procured, we believe, in this country. The speci- 
men was captured at the new forest in Hampshire, and 
is preserved in the British Museum. In the catalogue 
it is designated Myotis Beclisteinii. It appears to have 
a decided preference for woods and thickets, and takes 
up its diurnal abode in hollow trees. It is somewhat 
exclusive in its habits, mixing only with individuals of 
its own kind, and then only in small companies. Bech- 
stein’s Bat rather exceeds two inches in length ; the 
muzzle is a little attenuated and pointed, while the ears 
are scarcely longer than the head. 
DATJBENTON’S BAT {VespertiUo Dauhentonii ). — 
Throughout Europe this mammal appears to have a 
pretty wide distribution, and in the United Kingdom it 
has been taken at the far north of Scotland. It is very 
little longer than the preceding, but the head is consi- 
derably shorter, and less pointed in front. The ears are 
comparatively short, and slightly notched at the external 
margin. Its flight is low and rapid, and it frequents 
the neighbourhood of still waters. 
LEISELE’S BAT {VespertiUo Leisleri). — Mr. Bell 
appropriately describes this bat under the cognomen of 
the Hairy-armed Bat, on account of a remarkable band 
of hair which passes along the wing membrane at the 
under surface of the forearm. A solitary specimen 
has been obtained in this country, and is preserved in 
our great national museum, and recorded in the cata- 
logue under the generic title of Scotophilus. Its habits 
and places of resort are similar to those of the above 
species. It is two and a half inches in length; the 
head is compressed and pointed anteriorly; the ears 
are short and broadly curved at the upper part. 
THE WHISKEEED BAT ( VespertiUo mystacinus). 
— The masculine title in which this little animal re- 
joices is imparted to it on account of certain long fine 
hairs attached to the upper lip ; and, whatever may be 
affirmed by the learned, we think it offers but a feeble 
apology for the said development. However, the bat 
is not proud ; on the contrary, Mr. Bell avers that it is 
a “ timid and restless species.” The living specimen 
procured by this gentleman, instead of accommodating 
itself to the lively society of others of the cheiropterous 
family with which it was associated both in captivity 
and freedom, obstinately refused food and perished. 
Its length rather exceeds an inch and a half; the ears 
are not so long as the head, and they are somewhat 
notched at the outer margin. This bat has been taken 
in several of the southern counties of England. 
THE BAEBASTELLE {Barhastelkts communis ). — 
This is a very well marked bat, differing from all the 
preceding in several peculiarities, although it has the 
ordinary length of two inches. The ears are united 
below over the forehead, while the nostrils are situated 
on the upper surface of its short, truncated muzzle. 
The fur is darker than usual, being nearly black over 
the region of the spine. The ears are remarkably 
broad, and of a more or less quadrilateral fovoi ; they 
are irregularl}^ folded at various poinia, and rather 
deeply cleft at the outer margin. The eyes are singu- 
larly minute, and seem to be almost included within 
the auricles. According to Mr. Bell, however, this is 
not actually the case. The eminent naturalist Just 
named, kept a specimen in confinement for several 
weeks, and the account he has given of its habits are 
too interesting not to be recorded in extenso. “ It 
was taken during a very hard frost in the latter end of 
December, in a large chalk cavern at Chiselhurst in 
Kent, which is excavated at the bottom of a shaft 
seventy feet deep. In this cavern, during very severe 
frosts, several species of bats are found to retreat ; and 
on this occasion I received with the barbastelle a speci- 
men of VespertiUo mystacinus, three of V. Nattereri, 
and several of Plecolus auritus. My little prisoners, 
when brought into a warm room, soon began to exhibit 
signs of vivacity ; and the barbastelle, with the others, 
fed readily on small bits of meat and drank water. 
He was a timid animal, and did not evince the slightest 
disposition to become acquainted with me. He would 
take his food, however, with his companions, and was 
accustomed to rest with them in a cluster at the top of 
the box in which they were placed. The barbastelle 
certainly became torpid more readily than any of the 
others, and more completely so ; but when awake, 
evinced extreme restlessness, and was incessantly biting 
with great violence at the wires of his box. When 
suffered to fly about the room, he flew very low, and 
less actively than any other under similar circum- 
stances ; and he was fond of lying before the fire on the 
hearth-rug, where he appeared quite to luxuriate in the 
warmth. Whilst the long-eared bats showed much 
attachment to each other, and became very familiar 
with me, the barbastelle remained sullen and apart, 
until at length I found that he was an object of perse- 
cution on the part of his more active companions, one 
of whom I detected in the act of giving him a severe 
bite on the back of the neck. This occasioned his 
immediate removal to another box ; but this sharp 
discipline probably hastened his death, which took 
place about a week afterwards, tbough he continued to 
eat till the day before he died. The specimen was a 
male, and apparently an adult.” The barbastelle has 
been frequently captured in England ; but it is better 
known on the continent, especially in France. 
THE LONG-EAEED BAT {Plecotus auritus).— This. 
is one of the most attractive members of the cheiropte- 
rous family, and, as its name implies, is possessed of 
singularly-conspicuous auricular appendages. We 
have purposely deferred the consideration of it until 
now, because it exhibits marked affinities with the 
family which will next occupy our attention. In this 
bat the ears are more than double the length of the 
head, and very nearly as long as the entire body, being 
about an inch and a half from base to apex ; the tragi, 
or lesser ears, as they were termed by old authors, are 
themselves about half an inch long. It is not, however, 
in the mere extent of these appendages that their 
attractiveness is to be considered ; it is rather owing 
to their exquisite transpai'encjq and the power the 
creature possesses of expanding and contracting them 
in such a manner as to produce the most elegant 
festoon-like foldings, or, from the regularity of the flex- 
ures thus formed, ever and anon displaying a beautiful 
feather}' appearance (fig. 12). In a state of deep 
repose the wings lie doubled up and concealed under 
