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The dentition is: i 2/3, c 1/1, p 2/2, m 3/3 = 34.

The Great Bat, as one would expect from the shape of the wings, has a quick, dashing flight reminding one of that of the Swifts, with which, indeed, it may be seen high in the air hawking for the same prey. It often glides down obliquely on expanded wings. It flies at twilight and again at dawn, as well as in the daytime occasionally. It has a shrill, clear, cricket-like voice.

Mr. C. B. Moffat says they "cram themselves to bursting point either once or twice in the twenty-four hours, during a seventy minutes career of mad excitement among the twilight-flying beetles and gnats." They also take moths and other insects; but in captivity they have resolutely refused to eat such "warningly coloured" species as the Cinnabar and Magpie moths. It is proved that at one meal they will consume food equal to a fourth of their own weight. When one considers the lightness of insects the amount of good these purely insectivorous creatures effect is obvious.

Their resorts are in hollow trees and under the eaves of buildings, where numbers may associate together, especially in hibernation. Their presence is often indicated by thick layers of excrement.

The Great Bat flies all through the year with the exception of January and the latter part of December. Pied and almost black variations from the normal colouring have been recorded.

The sexes are said to separate into distinct colonies in the summer: the females retiring to trees. The single young is born naked and blind towards the end of June. When they get their fur they are much darker than the adults.

Although the Great Bat is generally distributed as far north as Yorkshire, Durham, and the Lake District, it is common only in the South of England, from Norfolk to Cornwall, but is rare in the Isle of Wight. It is not recorded from Ireland. Formerly, it was not considered a native of Scotland, but in recent years several examples have been captured there. It is found throughout the greater part of Europe and adjacent parts of Asia.

Leisler's Bat (Nyctalus leisleri, Kuhl).