280 
BATS. 
excursions in evening and early morning, can only be conjectured. I am inclined 
to favour the latter view, for the reason that the greater number always disappear 
before the darkness becomes sufficiently intense to hide them from sight.” 
We may conclude this somewhat long account of the genus Vesperugo (which 
is, however, short in comparison with the extent of the genus) by mentioning that 
there are three species which differ from all the rest in having only a single pair of 
incisors in the upper jaw. These species are V. schliefenii, of Africa; V. dormeri. 
of Southern India; and V. parvidus, of Central America. 
The Hoary Bat and Bed Bat. 
Genus Atalaplia. 
Omitting all mention of two genera of bats ( Chalinolobus and Nycticejus ) 
unknown in Europe, our next representatives of the family Vespertilionidai will be 
two species of a genus known as Atalaplia , which is confined to the New World. 
All these bats have only a single pair of upper incisor teeth; the number of 
incisors in both jaws being and the cheek-teeth either ^ or f, so that the total 
number of teeth is 32 or 30. They are also 
characterised by the membrane between the 
legs being more or less hairy; and by the ex¬ 
pansion and inward curvature of the extremity 
of the tragus of the ear. 
The largest of the more typical species of 
this genus is the well-known hoary bat {A. 
cinerea), ranging from Nova Scotia to Chili, 
and characterised by its ashy-grey colour. Dr. 
Hart Merriam, writing of the habits of this 
fine bat in the Adirondack Mountains near New York, observes that it “can be 
recognised, even in the dusk of evening, by its great size, its long and pointed wings, 
and the swiftness and irregularity of its flight. It does not start out so early as 
our other bats, and is consequently much more difficult to shoot. The borders of 
woods, water-courses, and roadways through the forest, are among its favourite 
resorts; and its nightly range is vastly greater than that of any of its associates. 
While the other species are extremely local, moving to and fro over a very 
restricted area, this traverses a comparatively large extent of territory in its 
evening excursions, which fact is probably attributable to its superior powers of 
flight.” Of the migratory habits of this bat, which is rare in the Adirondack 
region, we have already written. 
Far commoner in the Adirondacks is the red or New York bat (A. novebora- 
, censis), which is of smaller size, and conspicuous for its bright golden fur, tipped 
more or less markedly with silver. This species, which is second only in beauty 
to the hoary bat, is widely distributed in. North America, and represented by 
several varieties in South America. According to the writer last quoted, it 
generally makes its appearance earlier than the other species, and may even be 
occasionally seen abroad on cloudy afternoons long before the shades of evening 
head of hoary bat.— After Dobson. 
