BATS OR HAND-WINGED ANIMALS 
257 
turned into a perfectly dark room, across which a number of strings 
have been stretched, and will yet fly freely backwards and forwards 
without brushing against a single string, even with the very tips of 
its wings. 
Wonderfully adapted as the bat is to a life in the air, he is a ter¬ 
ribly awkward and clumsy animal when he attempts to crawl upon the 
ground. He is quite unable to walk in the ordinary manner, and can 
only crawl painfully along by hitching the long claws with which the 
thumbs are furnished into the various crevices in the soil, and so 
dragging himself forward by slow degrees. 
Strange to say, however, he can ascend a rough wall very easily, 
and does so in the following manner: 
Placing himself closely against the wall, with his head away from 
it, the animal rests upon the fore parts of his body, and raises his 
hind feet into the air. With the curved claws upon his toes, he then 
feels about for a little cranny, or a projecting piece of stone, to which 
it clings, while the rest of the body is lifted from the ground. One 
of the hinder feet is next raised again, and is quickly followed by the 
other, the animal thus ascending, not “hand over hand,” but paw 
over paw, and keeping his head directed towards the ground during 
the entire process. 
Even when at rest the bat hangs suspended in this curious posi¬ 
tion, clinging with the hind feet to a beam or a similar object, and 
allowing himself to swing head downward. And the reason of this 
singular attitude is clearly that he may be able to take to flight at the 
least alarm. If he should be frightened in any way, all he has to do is 
to loosen the hold of the hind feet, when he at once falls into the air 
and makes use of his wings in his escape, which he could not do were 
he to rest in any other position. 
Even when taking to the air for his evening flight, a bat always 
prefers to allow himself to fall in this manner, and will never rise 
from a level surface unless he is actually obliged to do so. 
The Great Bats are found in eastern countries and live on fruit, 
and look so much like small foxes that they are sometimes called 
“flying foxes.” They live in large numbers in the trees, hanging 
from the trees fast asleep in the day time, but at night they hunt for 
their food, often doing much damage to the orchards and farms. 
