The Bats of British Guiana. 
By the Editor. 
F the various groups of animals represented in 
British Guiana, the bats may be said to be 
the least known, though at all times of the 
year, and in all places, certain species of the order are 
observable. From their being crepuscular and noclurnal, 
and owing to their rapid flight, it is a matter of consider- 
able difficulty to obtain specimens, the more especially 
in the interior of the country ; and it is no doubt due to 
Miese causes, that, in spite of the obtrusiveness of this 
particular form of life, so little has been done to the 
tematic study of the group from a local point of view. 
In facl, it may be said that the greater number of speci- 
mens obtained are only accidental acquisitions, since it is 
but rarely that they are obtainable in town except whe 
they have flown into a house at night, and are then killed 
while flying from side to side of the rooms, or when they 
are shot or netted in convenient haunts to which they 
resort during the day. 
As the result of his extended observations and re- 
searches into the natural history of British Guiana, 
SCHOMBURGK, in his " Reisen", records but two species 
of bats as i.aving been certainly ascertained ; and since 
then there has been no account of the group as locally 
manifested. In the following short paper in which I am 
able to increase the record by fourteen additional species, 
some more detailed description of this part of ourfaunahas 
been attempted, though thecontributiontothesubje<5t.must 
be regarded as but a preliminaiy to further researches. 
M2 
