83 
Generic Characters. —Dentition : i. 2:23 c. }2}; m. $5, or 222, or 2:2, or 4:5 
teeth in all, 32,34, 36, or88. Known from all othersof the family by the four, 
instead of two, upper incisors. Four sub-genera are based on the vary- 
ing molar dentition. Our species fall in the sw)-genus Vesperus (m. 2%), 
VESPERTILIO SUBULATUS Say. 
_ LirTLE BROWN Bat. 
1823. Vespertiiio subulatus, Say, Long’s Expl R. Mts., 1823, 65.—Harlan, 
Fn. Am., 1825, 22.—Rich., F. B. A., i, 1829, 3—Godman, Am. 
Nat. Hist., 1, 1831, 71.—Cooper, Ann. Lyc. N. Y., 1837, iv, 61.—De 
Kay, Nat. Hist., N. Y., 1842, 8—LeConte, Proc. Phila. Acad., 
1855, 486.—H. Allen, Monog., 51.—J. A. Allen, Buli. Mus. Com. 
Zool., i, 210.—Id., Proc. Best. Soc. Nat. Hist., xvii, June, 1874.— 
Jordan, Man. Vert., 1878, 22.—Coues and Yarrow, Geog. and 
- Geolcg. Expl. and Surv. West 100th Merid., v, 1875, 96. 
1885. Vespertalto cavoli, Tenim., Monog., 11, 18385, 236. 
—. VMszeriilio domesticus, Cheene. Cab. Nat. Hist., 11, 290. 
Specific Characters.— Length 3 inches, often less; expanse of wings, 8 to 
9; tail about 1.50; fore-arm equal tail; longest finger’2 to 2.56; ear usu- 
ally .40, but from .30 to .75. Molars 3:3; teeth 38 in all; upper incisors 
paired off close to canines, a median space intervening; middle pair 
markedly bifid, the lateral ones obscurely or not so; lower canines with 
small basal cusp posteriorly ; first two upper premolars small, last one 
arger, compressed, and bicuspid, the large outer cusp longer than any 
point of the true molars; lower premolars small, especially the two front 
ones. Skull thin and papery, crestless, with inflated cranial, and prolonged 
rostral part, giving a small face, high forehead, pointed muzzle, and foxy 
or terrier-like physiognomy. Face moderately whiskered. Ears rather 
large, oval in general contour. Tragus about half as high as auricle; 
upright, or nearly so; lanceolate. xtreme tip of tail more or less obvi- 
ously exserted. Interfemoral membrane naked on dorsal surface, except 
a triangular patch of fur at its base, continuous with the covering of the 
back. Wing-membranes naked, very delicate, thin, almost diaphanous; 
usually rather brown than blackish. Fur dark plumbeous at base; at 
tip varying from quite dark to yellowish-brown, usually palest on the belly. 
The Little Brown Bat is one of the two most abundant North Amer- 
ican Bats. Dr. Coues states that as many as ten thousand, by actual 
count, have been destroyed in one building. The same author in- 
cludes in this species several forms described either by Dr. Allen, Le- 
Conte, or others, as distinct species. Two varieties of ordinary subulatus, 
however, are recognizable: one, evotis, slender, with large ears and pointed 
snout ; the other, Jucifugus, stout, with smaller ears and blunted snout. 
