26 o 
BATS. 
The Cusped-Toothed Fruit-Bat. 
Genus Pteralopex. 
In our brief survey of the fruit-bats we must not omit mention of a rather 
large species recently discovered in the Solomon Islands, which is remarkable for 
the peculiar structure of its teeth. This bat, which is of a uniform dark-brown 
colour, has the general external characters of the fox-bats, with which it also agrees 
in the number of its teeth, but the muzzle is much shorter and thicker. The 
peculiarity of the teeth is that the molars have a series of cusps, almost obliterating 
the longitudinal grooving characteristic of those of all the fruit-bats. The presence 
of these cusps clearly shows that the cusped-toothed fruit-bat is the descendant of 
a connecting form between the insect-eating bats and the fox-bats; and it is upon 
the evidence of this species that naturalists now regard all the fruit-bats as 
derived from bats with fully cusped teeth like those of the insectivorous species. 
The Solomon Islands form a group lying to the east of New Guinea, and extending 
in a south-easterly direction from New Ireland; and it is just such remote spots 
as these which appear to be the most favourable for the survival of ancient 
connecting types of animals like the species under consideration. 
The Long-Tongued Fruit-Bats. 
Genus Carponycteris, etc. 
All the fruit-bats hitherto noticed are characterised by the tongue being of 
moderate dimensions, and the well-developed molar teeth. We come now, how¬ 
ever, to a small group comprising seven genera (each represented by only a single 
species), all of which are distinguished by their long and slender tongues, terminat¬ 
ing in recurved papillae, and likewise by their exceedingly narrow molar teeth, which 
scarcely project above the level of the gums. All of these bats have long and 
sharply-pointed faces. With the exception of one West African species, the long- 
tongued fruit-bats are confined to the Indian, Malayan, and Australian regions, extend¬ 
ing from India itself to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and they are found 
on the continent of Australia. The}^ are of relatively small size as compared with 
the fox-bats. The use of the long tongues of these bats is unknown, but since 
they can be protruded some distance in advance of the muzzle, it may be that they 
are employed to lick out the contents of soft fruits while still hanging on the 
trees; this being confirmed by the small size of the molar teeth, which can be of 
but little service for mastication. 
The small long-tongued fruit-bat (Carponycteris minima) is the smallest of 
all the fruit-bats, being considerably inferior in size to the European noctule 
described in the next chapter. It has a very extensive geographical distribution, 
ranging from Northern India and Burma to Australia and New Ireland. It is 
common in the warm valleys of Sikhim; and, according to Mr. Blanford, generally 
roosts in trees, although occasionally found in old buildings. It lives on fruit of 
all kinds, of which it consumes, in proportion to its size, a large quantity. The 
