MURPHY AND NICHOLS : LONG ISLAND BATS. " ~ 
of waterways. During September they may be seen on the beaches 
of the Long Island Sound, jerking along in the wind against the red 
evening sky, now and again dashing out a .short distance over the 
water; and they have been observed over Mt. Sinai Harbor and 
other salt water inlets, circling hundreds of feet above the surface. 
Dr. Merriam believes that they do not fly long after sunset. 
Their flight is slower and more erratic than that of our other 
bats, yet they sometimes make considerable trips over the sea- On 
September 6, 1907, Mr. Murphy rowed before daybreak four or five 
miles ofif shore from Sandy Hook in search of Mother Carey's 
Chickens (Oceanites oceaniciis). An east wind was blowing from 
the open ocean, heavy storm clouds hung low on the horizon, and 
over the choppy water the birds sought were scurrying everywhere. 
And here, too, despite the gray, blustery morning, a number of small 
bats were struggling toward the Staten Island shore, flying about a 
gun-shot above the sea. Although he failed to kill one, he has little 
doubt that they were Silver-hairs. 
This species is highly gregarious, individuals congregating by the 
score in favorite spots, especially during inclement weather. Vessels 
at anchor often furnish them napping places through the day ; a furled 
sail may harbor a dozen of them, and in the basin in Port Jefferson 
Harbor Mr. Murphy has known of their being found in the hulls, 
cabins and canvas covers of yachts. Last January at the same place, one 
captain threw overboard more than twenty torpid "black bats," 
thinking them dead. 
In Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Silver-haired Bats gather in large 
numbers in late summer, and on calm afternoons they begin to fly 
over the Park Lake long before sunset. Oftentimes a dozen of 
them are seen zigzagging in and out among a flock of nighthawks, 
when there can be no doubt that the prey both beasts and birds are 
devouring is mosquitoes from the swarms dancing over the lake. 
Dr. Merriam found, on having winged specimens fall into the 
water, that Silver-haired Bats swim strongly. 
3. LARGE BROWN BAT 
Vespertilio fuscus (Beauvois) 
Length U.75 centimeters (4.60 inches). Teeth: incisors 5^°, canines |fj, premolars 
5^;, molars — , =32. Above dark brown, below dark buffy gray. Flight membranes 
naked. Ear moderate. 
