PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 23 
hirtus), both taken in Dalkey Sound; and from himself the reddish grey bat 
(Vespertilio Nattereri), captured in the county of Kildare. 
Doctor Gordon begged to propose a vote of thanks to the donors, and in doing so 
he could not avoid remarking on the great value and practical importance of 
thoroughly examining and discussing in the Society every point of interest con¬ 
nected with such donations. It was in that manner that natural history was made 
a useful and an improving study, and such notes of inquiry being given at the time, 
made the records of any donations doubly valuable, and at the same time had the 
effect of greatly encouraging and interesting donors to seek further objects that 
might be equally attractive to the pursuits of the Society. The monthly numbers 
of the u Annals of Natural History” bore testimony to the labours of J. E. Gray, 
Esq., of the British Museum, who was indefatigable in his investigations to bring 
to light any new features of interest, or in forming more correct classifications in 
the zoological department of the museum. This being seconded and responded to, 
Mr. Kinahan read the following paper on the occurrence of Nattereri’s bat in the 
county Kildare:—Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen—The bats, particularly in 
Britain, have been long confessedly a little known, because an almost unstudied, 
family; and hence, every observation made concerning them or their habits has an 
interest for the naturalist. It is, therefore, with feelings of great pleasure that I rise 
to-night to lay before your Society some new, and, as I hope, though scanty, inte¬ 
resting observations made when, last summer, along with a friend, I had the good 
fortune to discover a new locality for the reddish-grey or fringe-winged bat 
(V. Nattereri). This bat, very local in England, in this country is to be numbered 
among the many new animals brought to light by the exertions of your Society and 
its members, as its first record as an Irish bat was owing to a specimen, killed 
by G. Mangan, Esq., at the Scalp, county Dublin, near Enniskerry, and by him 
presented to the Dublin Natural History Society, through E. M‘Coy, Esq., by whom 
a paper on it was read at your meeting in February, 1845. Mr. M‘Coy was 
unable to furnish any details concerning its habits. The specimens on the table 
were obtained in Levitstown, in the county Kildare, under the following circum¬ 
stances :—For the first recent specimens of this bat I was indebted to Frederick 
Haughton, Esq., Levitstown, by whom they were shot on the river Barrow, on the 
22d of June ; they were handed to me, with the remark that they appeared to him 
lighter in colour than the bats he was accustomed to see about the place. On 
examination it was soon evident what they were; and having learnt from Mr. 
H. that he thought they had their nest in Tankardstown-bridge, as he had himself 
counted thirty-five and upwards flying out of a hole in it, and had been credibly 
informed that fifty-three were seen, I determined to examine the locality. The 
place pointed out was a set of small holes in one of the triangular abutments of the 
bridge, situated about four feet from the water at its ordinary height, and evidently 
containing a large colony, as the stones around its edge were polished and shining 
with the feet of the little animals running over them. On poking a switch into one 
of the holes, a loud chirping and clicking was immediately set up ; but as nothing 
could be done, on account ©f the earliness of the hour, we let them alone till 
evening, when, armed with a guage butterfly net and an ordinary landing net, we 
again rowed to the place, where a loud chirping, squeaking, and clicking announced 
that our little friends were already on the alert—this was 8.30; it was, however, 
9.30 before they made their appearance, though all this time a great scrambling and 
scuffling was audible from the hole. This evening we captured three, and counted 
(including captives) forty-one bats coming out, between 9.30 and 10.30, and when 
we left, there seemed as many more in the hole, at least the chirping and scrambling 
was as loud as ever. On arriving at home we examined our captives, which turned 
out to be two full-grown female specimens of Natterer’s bat (Y. Nattereri), and one 
female Pipistrelle (V. Pipistrellus). The next night we proceeded again to the 
hole, and the bats began to fly precisely to the minute at 9.30. We remarked, 
however, several bats coming up the river half an hour earlier, either from Levits¬ 
town mills, or from an old church which here overhangs the river. The evening 
was dark and cloudy, and the night growing gradually more tempestuous, Natterer s 
bat began to return to their nest at 10, flying about our heads, and almost mobbing 
us. The following day was wet and stormy, and though the evening cleared up, 
