16 
ORDER CHIROPTERA^GENUS DYSOPES. 
TRIBE I. DIPHALANGIA ANISTIOPHORA. 
S^n. Anistiophori, (in part.) — Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras. 
Noctilionina. — Less. Mam. — Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 498. 
CHARACTERS OF THE TRIBE. 
The Index with two ossified phalanges. 
The Nose simple, without a leafy appendage. 
GENUS VI. DYSOPES.’— BULL-DOG BATS. 
Syn. Motossus. — Geoff. Ann. Mus. VI. 150. — Desm. Mam. p. 113. 
Dysopes. — Illig. Prodr. p. 122. — Teram Mon. Mam. I. 205. 
Dinops. — Savi, in Nuov. Giorn. di Letter. No. 21, p. 230. 
Nvcpinomos. — Geoff. Descr. d’Egypte, II. 28. — Uesm. Mam. p. 116. 
— Horsf. Jav. 
Cheiromeles. — Horsf. Jav. 
Thyroptera ? — Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras. p. 61. 
Vespertilio, (in part.) — Linn. Gmel. I. 49. 
generic characters. 
The Head thick. The Muzzle broad and flat. 
The Ears very large, mostly approximated, recumbent over the eyes, 
and arising from the commissure of the lips. The Upper Lip large and 
wrinkled. 
The Auricular Operculum round, thick, placed in front The 
Tongue smooth. 
The Dental Formula varying according to the age ; as under— 
First Age, 
»j2+C+(F+. 3)M 
!a+C+(2F+3)M 18 
,, * * I4.C4-(F4-3)M 12 
Very young, 
Young, 
Adult, 
Old, 
V + C+(F+3)M _ 12 _„„ 
|2+C+(2F+3)M 
V+C+(F+.3)M ^L2 
ll+C+(2F+3)M 14"^'^“ 
¥+C+(F+3)M _^2 
1 C+(‘2F+3)M 12 
The Toes covered with bristles. The Thumbs of the hinder feet free, 
and sometimes opposable. 
The Alar Membranes narrow. The Tail long, partly engaged in 
the Interfe-moral Membrane. 
Inhabit the tropical parts of the entire globe, and the warmest portions 
of the temperate zones. 
The Bull-Dog Bats have the muzzle simple, their ears broad and 
short, arising from the angle of the lips, and uniting together upon 
the muzzle, the auricular operculum short, and not surrounded by 
the auricle. The tail occupies the entire length of the interfemoral 
membrane, and often extends beyond it. [In the adult state only 
two incisive teeth appear in each jaw; according to M. Temminck, 
in their extreme youth, their incisors are as many as six in the 
lower, and four in the upper jaw ; these are gradually reduced with 
age to two in the upper jaw only.]* 
The following admirable description of the characters of this genus is 
supplied by M. Geoffroy. The Bats belonging to the genus Dysopes 
may be easily recognised by tlieir fierce-looking physiognomy, and the 
peculiarity of their whole figure: their large head and broad muzzle has 
led to their being compared to the Bull. Dog, and to their being desig- 
nated by his name. The head is remarkably full across the ears, which 
approximate and are festooned over the eyes, so tliat they are calcu- 
lated quite as much to protect these organs, as to favour tlie power of 
liearing : tliey arise very near the commissure of the lips, and alter pass- 
ing behind tlie auditory foramen, sweep upwards and forwards to unite 
upon the brow. Most of the Chiroptera have the tragus placed in the 
auditory cavity, where it foims a kind of second exteinal ear, and then 
receives the name of auricular open ulum ; but in the Dysopes there is a 
difference, because this second ear is situated in front and exteriorly; it 
is, moreover, round and thick. Lastly, the species of this genus are re- 
cognised by their tail, which is long, and generally more or less engaged 
in the interfemoral membrane. The tongue is smooth, and the muzzle 
unfurnished with hairs; the nose is destitute of membranes and cavities; 
the nostrils are but slightly prominent, open in front, and margined with 
a small Iiood. 
To tliese indications M. Temminck adds the following: In ail the 
species of this genus the posterior members are very short, the fibula is 
perfect, often as large .as tlie tibia, and the wide separation of these bones 
supplies large space for the strong muscles of the feet. They have all 
bristles on their toes, and the outer or inner one is usually freer than the 
others, and sometimes opposable. The thumb is short, strong, and 
bulky: the upper lip is ample, and wrinkled ; the snout more prominent 
than the lips- Tlieir most striking characteristic, however, is tlie appa- 
rent insufficiency of their wings, seemingly quite disproportioned to the 
size of their bodies, which are big and heavy. To such an extent is this 
narrowness of their wings, that in some species we slionid be led to con- 
clude they could not serve them in a long continued flight, and must be 
useful only as a parachute. Forced to subsist in subterranean and deep 
caverns, it would appear that it was chiefly by scaling the walls of build- 
ings and the trunks of trees, or by crawling by means of their prehensile 
organs, that they provided for their wants. Insects and larvae are pro- 
bably the food nf tliese creatures ; whose manuers and appetites are, 
however, as yet but little known. 
All Naturalists agree iliat this group of animals is very distinctly and ac- 
curately defined and circumscribed, and yet it was for a long time separated 
into two, or more. This circumstance was owing to the reputed differ- 
ences in the number of tlieir incisive teeth, arising from changes produced 
by age, and wliich it is now ascertained occur alike in them all. The 
Mulossus was said to be characterized by two incisors above and two be- 
low, and tlie other section, the Kpclinomus, by two above and four be- 
low ; the latter being, moreover, supposed to belong exclusively to the 
old world, whilst the former alone were found in the new. All this, 
however, was the result of hasty inference. It .would appear that the 
maximum number of the incisors is not less than six above and four be- 
low. To these succeed the canines, which on their mesial side are 
supplied with prominent heels. These appear as the animal advances 
in age, and bef ire them tlie incisors, one by one, drop out till there is 
only one pair left above, and sometimes none below. In the words of Tem- 
miiick, a part of the canines t.Tkes the place of the incisors whicli fall 
out, and ilie heels of the lower canines discharge, along with tlie upper 
incisors, the functions of mastication. 
The Genus Dinops of M. Savi is formed of one of these Bull- 
Dog Bats (Dysopes Cestonii) which [being examined in its first 
age] was found to have six incisors in the lower jaw. 
Again, M. GeoftVoy has formed those with four incisors only in 
the lower jaw, into the Genus Nyctinomus. [These are the young.] 
At first, the Bull-Dog Bats were found only in America; at 
present they have been discovered in both Continents, [and more 
recently in New Holland.] Many of them have the thumbs of 
the hinder feet more separated than the fingers, and distinctly 
moveable, a character which has led Dr Horsfield to form a new 
Genus Cheiuomeles, with a single species in which this character 
is very distinctly marked. 
It is probably to this genus that we should refer the Thyrop- 
tera of M. Spix, which have been but imperfectly described by 
him. They appear to have many of the characters of the Bull-Dog 
Bats, and their tiiuinb has a concave dilatation, peculiar to them, 
and enabling them to cling with greater security. 
I Dyitope,, from Suffoix-eot, to frighten with excessive ugliness. 
* The precise words of the Baron Cuvier are, “ One seldom rinds more than two incisors in each jaw ; but, according to M. Temminck, many have at first six incisors 
below, of which they successively lose four," — a remark not strictly accurate, as an examination of the dental formula; noted above will serve to explain. 
