360 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS 
CHAP. 
the hook at the extremity of the wing, that the 
entire tree looked as though covered with old leather 
bags. The ordure of these bats poisons and destroys 
the foliage of the tree which they monopolise as 
their meeting-place. They vary in size from 3^ feet 
to 4 feet 2 inches, which is the largest I have 
measured from tip to tip of out-stretched wings. 
They have only two young ones, which cling to the 
breasts and sides of the mother during her flight. 
The head of this species resembles that of a very 
small fox ; hence its name. The teeth are differ¬ 
ently shaped from those of ordinary bats ( Vesper- 
tilio, Lin.), as the grinders denote the quality of their 
food, which is chiefly vegetable. There can be no 
doubt that they destroy great numbers of nocturnal 
insects, such as moths and beetles, as they invariably 
appear immediately after sunset, and may be 
observed at an altitude just above the upper foliage 
of the trees, where they remain flying to and fro, 
evidently in pursuit of winged creatures which have 
issued from their hiding-places at the same hour. 
In Ceylon, where toddy is extracted upon an 
extensive scale from the groves of cocoa-nut planta¬ 
tions, the chatties, or earthenware pots, which are 
suspended to receive the flowing sap, are carefully 
protected from the flying foxes with covers of 
plaited palm-leaves, otherwise these creatures would 
not leave a drop. 
They are not vicious, as they never attempt to 
bite when wounded. 
The bat tribe generally are most serviceable as 
