It is very easily tamed, and is soon brought to show a considerable degree of familiarity with those who feed and caress it,

so as to take a fly from the hand, or even from between the lips.

It is very playful in confinement, when placed with others of its own species, its gambols being very amusing; and it is very cleanly in its habits. The ears are usually folded under the arm during sleep and hybernation; and its appearance is so remarkably altered by this action, that it would be scarcely supposed to be the same animal, by a person who had not witnessed the change. It has an acute and shrill, but not a loud cry; but when disturbed, the sound becomes more piercing. Its retreat is nearly the same as that of the Common Bat; and in some parts of the country it is the more abundant of the two.

FAMILY NOCTILIONIDE.-NOCTULES.

191

172. The Bats of the fourth family, NOCTILIONIDE, are almost exclusively confined to tropical countries, where a large

number of species exist,-some in the Eastern, and others in the Western hemisphere. Little is known, however, of their

habits. The Noctilios, or Noctules, of South America, are, com

monly known as Bull-dog Bats, on account of their short thick muzzle, which is cleft, in some species, by a furrow similar to that in the lip of a Hare. The tail projects beyond the membrane that connects the hind-legs; and the claws of the hind-feet are large and strong. The length of the body is about four or five inches ; and the spread of the wings at least a foot and a half. In an East Indian genus, Dysopus, or Cheiromeles (Fig. 94), the wings of which measure nearly two feet across, the hinder thumb is placed at a distance from the rest of the toes, and is capable of being opposed to them,-a character which obviously connects this group with the Quadrumana. The tail is here short; and there is an almost entire absence of the membrane connecting the hind-legs.

173. The Bats of the frugivorous section have molar teeth with rounded eminences, for bruising and grinding their food; and the complex structure of their stomach, with the length of the intestinal canal (which in the Pteropus is seven times that of the body), also indicate that they are destined to subsist, in part at least, upon a vegetable diet. Like many of the Monkeys, however, they are probably in a degree omnivorous; feeding chiefly upon fruits, but pursuing small birds or large soft-bodied insects (such as moths), which may be obtained without much difficulty. This tribe contains but one family, the PTEROPIDE; which is characterised by the entire absence of the nose-leaf, the simplicity of the ears, the shortness of the tail, and the absence (partial or entire) of the membrane stretching between the thighs. The Bats of this family are widely diffused throughout the tropical regions of the Old World; and many of them exceed in size any others of the order. One of the most remarkable species is the Pteropus Javanicus, or Roussette of Java, a Bat with a fox-like head, the expanse of whose wings is no less than five feet. It is very abundant in the lower parts of the island, and lives in troops, which do not appear to visit the more elevated districts. Numerous individuals, says Dr. Horsfield, select a large tree for their resort; and suspending themselves by the claws of their hind-limbs to the naked branches, often in companies of several hundreds, afford to a

FAMILY PTEROPIDE.-ROUSSETTE.

193

stranger a very singular aspect,-being readily mistaken for a part of the tree, or for a fruit of uncommon size suspended from

FIG. 95.-HEAD OF PTEROPUS.

its branches. In general these animals preserve a perfect silence during the day; but if they are disturbed, or a contention arises among them, they emit sharp piercing shrieks: and their awkward attempts to extricate themselves, when oppressed by the light of the sun, exhibit a ludicrous spectacle. In consequence of the sharpness of

their claws, their attachment is so strong, that they cannot readily leave their hold without the assistance of the expanded membrane; and if suddenly killed during the day, they continue suspended after death. Hence, if it be desired to obtain them in the day-time, it is necessary to cause them to take wing by alarming them. Soon after sunset they successively quit their hold, and pursue their nocturnal flight in quest of food. They direct their course by an unerring instinct to the forests, villages, and plantations, attacking fruit of every kind, and doing a vast amount of mischief. In order to protect valuable fruits from their ravages, the natives are obliged to inclose them in nets or baskets. There are few situations in the lower parts of Java where this night-wanderer is not constantly observed; as soon as the light of the sun has retired, one animal is seen to follow the other at a small but irregular distance; and this succession continues uninterrupted, till darkness obstructs the view. The flight of this Bat (termed by the natives, the Kalong) is slow and steady, pursued in a straight line, and capable of long continuance.-The Harpyia Pallasii of Timour, is a sin

gular looking Bat, having nostrils projecting in a kind of cylinder, and a claw on the fore-finger.-The flesh of many of the

frugivorous Bats is eaten as a dainty by the inhabitants of the countries in which they are found; having a flavour which has been compared to that of the hare and partridge. It is possible that some of larger species, which may have been known to the ancients, gave rise to the fabulous account of the Harpy.

ORDER IV.-INSECTIVORA.

174. Although, as we have already seen, a large proportion

FIG. 97. TEETH OF INSECTIVOROUS
ANIMAL.

of the Bat tribe, as well as many of the lower Quadrumana, are adapted to derive their chief support from Insects, and have their teeth and their general conformation arranged accordingly, yet it is in this order that we find these characters developed to their fullest extent. Though

the animals which it contains differ very greatly in other respects,