374 BATHING. 
two young, and suckle them until old enough to 
purvey for themselves. While suckling, they re- 
main closely attached to the mother’s teats, which 
are two, situated upon the chest. The parent 
shows a strong degree of attachment for her off- 
spring, and, when they are captured, will follow 
them, and even submit to captivity herself, rather 
than forsake her charge.—The voice of the small 
bats, when irritated, is a sharp chattering sort of 
squeak. They bite with much force, and those 
of considerable age and size can inflict a very 
severe injury, as their teeth are pointed and keen. 
Although not many years ago, the number of 
bats known to occur in Britain amounted only 
to six, there are at present described in our more 
recent works on the Zoology of this country not 
fewer than sixteen species. The characters of 
these are briefly given in Jenyns’ ‘ Manual of 
British Vertebrate Animals,’ and more fully in 
Mr. Bell’s beautiful work on the British Mam- 
malia. Many of the species have been found 
only in the southern counties of England; and it 
is somewhat remarkable, that hitherto the species 
observed in Scotland do not exceed three at most. 
The common bat of the latter country is the Pipis- 
trelle, Vespertilio prpistrellus of Gmelin and Desma- 
rest, although, previous to Mr. J enyns ’ researches, 
it was pongilenedl as the V. murinus of Linnzeus, a 
much larger species, which has also been found 
in England. The Pipistrelle we have determined 
_ from species obtained in various parts of the 
south of Scotland. The only other species which 
we have hitherto met with, north of the Tweed, 
is the Plecotus auritus, the Long-eared bat, which 
in some places is nearly as plentiful as the Pipis- 
trelle. Dr. Fleming, besides these, mentions the 
V. emarginatus as having been found in Fife ; but 
it is probable that the information is not to be 
depended upon, especially as the characters which 
he gives are vague, and equally applicable to the 
Pipistrelle, and as he considers the V. murinus, 
which is the Pipistrelle, to be the common bat, 
although that has not been found in Scotland. 
BATATAS. See Barraras. 
BATHING. The cleansing or medicinal appli- 
cation of water or other liquids toanimals. The 
cold bathing of a horse is accomplished by making 
him swim in a river. This remedy has been 
known to remove a case of obstinate costiveness ; 
and, when repeated at certain intervals, has been 
found beneficial in cases of locked jaw. It has 
been recommended also, but without good reason, 
in cases of lameness arising from strains. The 
use of a warm bath, when it can be rendered 
practicable, seems to be serviceable in spasmodic 
complaints. The bathing of particular parts of 
the body with lotions or medicated waters, is, in 
very many and various cases, serviceable. 
The bathing of sheep is the application of me- 
dicated liquid by rubbing, syringing, or dipping, 
for the purpose of destroying the ked or sheep- 
tick, and of preventing cutaneous eruptions. 
The ked is an insect which greatly annoys sheep 
BATTATAS. 
towards the autumn, and provokes them to rub 
and break their skin; and cutaneous eruptions of 
various kinds and degrees, even to the extent of | 
scab, are very apt to be produced by a change of 
food from grass to turnips, or by any other equally 
great transition of habit. The principal ingre- 
dients—perhaps the only useful ones—in the 
bathing liquids which have been longest in use, 
are tobacco-water and the spirit of tar; a very 
good bathing liquid is made by mixing one pound 
of black soap and thirty-two pounds of tar with 
a sufficient quantity of water or soap-suds ; and 
numerous bathing liquids have of late years been 
brought into notice, medicated with such dan- 
gerous and dreadfully active ingredients as ar- 
senic and corrosive sublimate, or made up with 
quack mixtures of unknown composition, but, in 
one or two instances, of considerable celebrity. 
The old method of bathing is practised by pour- 
ing or syringing the animal on a bathing-stool ; 
‘and the new method is practised by dipping him 
in a bathing-box, placing him upon a drainer, and 
letting him slide down a short inclined-plane into 
a pen. The bathing-stool is wide and sparred for 
the body of the animal, and has a close seat at 
its short end for the operator ; and the bathing- | 
box, the drainer, the inclined-plane, and the pen, 
unitedly constitute one apparatus, specially con- 
structed for the process of bathing. The method 
by pouring is effected by the operator shedding 
the wool in lines, and an assistant applying the 
liquid along the shedding; and the method by 
syringing is effected by the operator introducing | 
the point of the charged instrument among the 
roots of the wool, and pushing it forward in a | 
direction parallel with the length of the body. | 
A kindred operation to the bathing of sheep is | 
smearing. See the articles Suznp-SMEARING and | 
W AsHING. 
BATTATAS, or Sweer-Potaro. A tuberous 
and esculent rooted, perennial plant, of the con- | 
volvulus family. It was formerly called by botan- 
ists Convolvulus Batatas; but is now called [po- 
mea Batatas. 
of the 16th century. Its tubers were formerly 
imported, in considerable quantity, every year 
from Spain and Portugal, and sold in our markets 
under the name of Spanish potatoes; and they 
are the potatoes referred to in Shakspeare’s 
Merry Wives of Windsor,—“ Let the skye rain 
potatoes, and hail kissing-comfits.” The tubers 
are sweet-tasted, nutritious, and productive, and 
are extensively cultivated and much esteemed 
for food in India, and in many other hot countries 
of the world. They are very palatable, when 
cooked in almost any ordinary manner; and they 
form: a most delicious dish, when cut into slices 
raw, and fried with butter. The plant is culti- 
vated in the same manner as the common potato, 
but requires much more room. Many trailing 
stems grow from one tuber, and extend in all 
directions, to the length of from four to six feet; 
It is a native of the tropics, and | 
was introduced to Great Britain about the end | 
