78 TRANSACTIONS — 
PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
C.—The Mammalia. 
By the late F. Buchanan White, M.D., F.L.S., F.E.S. 
Whilst it may be taken as a certainty that all, or almost all, the 
Perthshire Mammals, if not permanent residents on the banks of the 
Tay or in its waters, pay at least occasional visits thereto, there^ is 
a lamentable absence of records regarding the distribution of species 
throughout that part of the river to which these papers are restricted. 
The reasons for this are various. Many of our Mammals are either 
nocturnal in their habits or live a life of concealment, and, unless they 
interfere with the interests of the game preserver or the agriculturist, 
their very existence is ignored. There are, moreover, but few 
naturalists who pay much, or any, attention to British Mammalia, 
and thus a few people only are able to distinguish between the 
closely allied species. With this in view, and considering the long 
stretch of river to be dealt with, it is not greatly to be wondered at 
that records are few and far between, and that the evidence for such 
as do exist requires to be carefully sifted. The object of this paper, 
therefore, is quite as much to indicate what information is required, 
as to show what has already been obtained. From this lack of 
records it will not be possible to point out the distribution of the 
mammals in the same way as the distribution of the plants has been 
shown. ■ . c 4 - 4 .H 
The great factors which determine the distribution are, nrst, the 
possibility of obtaining a suitable habitat, and second, the presence 
or absence of a sufficient supply of the proper kind of food. For 
example, an arboreal animal, such as the squirrel, might be able to 
obtain sufficient food, but will not be a permanent resident m places 
where trees are absent. Neither will an amphibious creature, like 
the otter, dwell in a locality where the banks do not offer facilities for 
hiding, even though there be abundance of fish. 
Given, therefore, a sufficient supply of food and a suitable 
environment, there is no reason, except human interference, why 
most of our mammals should not have a wide distribution on the 
banks of the river. 
Long-Eared Bat {Flecotus aurihis, L). 
Common Bat {^V6Sp6Tu^opipistvcllus^ Schreb.). 
Both of these bats are more or less common from the Carse ot 
Gowrie to Loch Tay. We are rather poorly off for specimens in the 
Museum, and should be glad to get more. 
It is by no means improbable that Daubenton’s Bat (Vespertiho 
Dauhentoni, Leisl.) also occurs. It has the peculiar habit of flying 
close to the surface of rivers and ponds, and, as it is not easily seen. 
