22 
tip to tip. Sir Emerson Tennent gives the following account 
of some of their habits:— 
“ A favorite resort of these bats is to the lofty India-rubber trees, which 
on one side overhang the Botanic Garden of Paradenia, in the vicinity of 
Kandy. Thither for some years past they have congregated, chiefly in the 
autumn, taking their departure when the figs of the Ficus elastica are con¬ 
sumed. Here they hang in such prodigious numbers that frequently large 
branches give way beneath their accumulated weight. 
“ Every forenoon, generally between the hours of 9 and 11 A. M., they 
take to wing, apparently for exercise, and possibly to sun their wings and 
fur and dry them after the dews of early morning. On these occasions 
their numbers are quite surprising, flying as thick as bees or midges. 
“ After these recreations they hurry back to their favorite trees, chatter¬ 
ing and screaming like monkeys, and always wrangling and contending 
angrily for the most shady and comfortable places in which to hang for the 
rest of the day protected from the sun. 
“ The branches they resort to soon become almost divested of leaves, 
these being stripped off by the action of the bats attaching and detaching 
themselves by means of their hooked feet. At sunset they fly off to their 
feeding-grounds, probably at a considerable distance, as it requires a large 
area to furnish sufficient food for such multitudes .”—Natural History of 
Ceylon. 
When at rest, the fruit bat hangs head downward, by one 
foot, wrapping itself tightly in the folds of its wings. 
They are also found in Africa and Madagascar. 
The Society has exhibited a number of specimens, but they 
cannot be seen to advantage in captivity, as during the whole 
of the day they hang, as described above, almost concealed 
from view within their wings. 
The North American bats belong to the insectivorous 
branch of the order. The most common species in the East¬ 
ern and Middle States are the Red Bat (. Atalapha borealis) 
and the Little Brown Bat ( Vespertilio subulatus). In spite 
of the almost universal disgust with which they are regarded, 
they are harmless little beasts, and are of great service in de¬ 
stroying numbers of noisome insects. 
Other mammals kept in this building during cold weather 
are the Peba Armadillo ( Dasypus novemcinctus ), the Hairy 
Armadillo (Z>. villosus), and the Six-banded Armadillo 
(Z>. sex-cinctus). The armadillos belong to the order 
Edentata —so called from the imperfections of their supply of 
teeth. They live in the warmer portions of the New World, 
from Texas to Patagonia. They burrow in the ground and 
live on worms and insects. 
