BATS OR HAND-WINGED ANIMALS 
a 5 ° 
Upon examining the skeleton of the bat's wing, however, you 
would see that there is one portion of the hand which does not form 
part of the framework of the wing at all, and that is the thumb. 
Although the fingers are so wonderfully lengthened, the thumb is 
quite small and short, and is armed with a strong, sharp and curved 
claw of some little size. It is by means of this claw that the bat 
travels on level ground, for it cannot walk at all, but moves merely 
by making use of every little crevice by which it can hitch itself, so to 
speak, along. The reader may wonder why it is that a bat's wings 
are so large and wide. 
The fact is, that the broader the wings the more buoyant is the 
animal which bears them. If we look at any bird which is remark¬ 
able for its powers of flight, we shall always find that its wings are 
very large in proportion to the size of its body, while in those which 
do not fly for very great distances they are quite small in comparison. 
And so it is with the bat, which, being obliged to pursue and capture 
swiftly-flying insects, must, of course, be able to skim through the air 
with even greater speed himself. 
Thus, you will see, nature has been most careful to suit the 
structure of the bat in every possible way to the life which she 
intended the animal to lead. She has given him wings which will 
bear him swiftly through the air, and has also lightened his frame 
to such a degree that he can continue his flight hour after hour 
without feeling in any way fatigued. But, more than this, she has 
also gifted him with a most wonderful power of avoiding the various 
objects against which he might injure himself when flying after dark. 
And this she has done in a very singular manner indeed, and 
which for many years was a great mystery to those who attempted to 
discover it. All sorts of experiments were made without success, some 
of them of a most cruel character, but it was not until quite of late 
years that the true key to the secret was detected. 
The fact is, that the entire surface of the bat's wing is covered 
with a vast number of the most delicate nerves, which can at once feel 
the presence of any object, even though they have not come into contact 
with it, and so warn the animal to change the direction of its flight. 
So perfectly do these nerves perform their office, that a bat may be 
