114 
STRIX FLAMMEA. 
creature is a great pest to the meadows, burrowing in 
them in every direction ; but is particularly injurious 
to the embankments raised along the river, perforating 
them in numerous directions, and admitting the water, 
which afterwards effects dangerous breaches, inundating 
large extents of these low grounds, — and thus they 
become the instruments of their own destruction. In 
their general figure they bear great resemblance to the 
common musk rat, and, like them, swim and dive well. 
They feed on the bulbous roots of plants, and also on 
garlic, of which they are remarkably fond. 
Another favourite prey of most of our owls is a 
species of bat, which also appears to be a nondescript. 
The length of this bat, from the nose to the tip of the 
tail, is four inches ; the tail itself is as long as the body, 
but generally curls up inwards ; the general colour is 
a bright iron gray, the fur being of a reddish cream at 
bottom, then strongly tinged with lake, and minutely 
tipt with white ; the ears are scarcely half an inch long, 
with two slight valves ; the nostrils are somewhat 
tubular; fore teeth, in the upper jaw none, in the 
lower four, not reckoning the tusks ; the eyes are very 
small black points ; the chin, upper part of the breast 
and head, are of a pale reddish cream colour ; the wings 
have a single hook, or claw each, and are so constructed, 
that the animal may hang either with its head or tail 
downward. I have several times found two hanging 
fast locked together behind a leaf, the hook of one 
fixed in the mouth of the other; the hind feet are 
furnished with five toes, sharp-clawed ; the membrane 
of the wings is dusky, shafts, light brown ; extent, 
twelve inches. In a cave, not far from Carlisle, in 
Pennsylvania, I found a number of these bats in the 
depth of winter, in very severe weather : they were 
lying on the projecting shelves of the rocks, and, when 
the brand of fire was held near them, wrinkled up their 
mouths, shewing their teeth ; when held in the hand 
for a short time, they became active, and, after being 
carried into a stove room, flew about as lively as ever. 
