80 
Quadrupeds. 
III. Clieiropterous Animals. 
THE BAT. (Vespertilio Noctula.) 
The Bat has the body of a mouse, and the wings of a 
bird. It has an enormous mouth, and large ears, which 
are of a kind of membrane, thin and almost transparent. 
The pinions of its wings are furnished with hooks, by 
which it hangs to trees or the crevices in old walls 
during the day, a great number of them together, as 
they only fly at night. The wings of the Bat are very 
large ; those of the Great Bat measuring fifteen inches 
across. It feeds on insects of various kinds, particu- 
larly on cockchafers and other winged beetles, part of 
which, however, it always throws away. A female Bat 
that was caught, and kept in a cage, ate meat when it 
was given to her in little bits, and lapped water like a 
cat. She was very particular in keeping herself cleanC 
using her hind feet like a comb, and parting her fur so 
as to make a straight line down the back. Her wings 
she cleaned by thrusting her nose into the folds, and 
shaking them. She had a young one born in the cage. 
It was blind, and quite destitute of hair, and its mother 
wrapped it in the membrane of her wing, pressing it so 
closely to her breast, that no one could see her suckle it. 
The next day the poor mother died, and the little one 
was found alive, hanging to her breast. It was fed with 
milk from a sponge, but only lived about a week. 
