SKULL AND FRONT TEETH
OF CESTONI’S BAT.
(After Temminck.)
In the genus Nyctinomus, as we shall here restrict it, the ears are large, and generally united upon the forehead or on the muzzle in front of the eyes, either directly or by a fold of skin, and furnished with a distinct tragus, and the upper lip is more or less distinctly folded or wrinkled. The intermaxillary bones are generally separated by a cleft; and in all the species they bear two incisor teeth, which are separated by a space from each other and from the canines, whilst the lower jaw has six incisors in young animals, and usually only four in the adults. The canines are strong, and followed in the upper jaw by either four or five teeth, the number of premolars being either one or two. In the lower jaw there are always two premolars, and three true molars. The first and fifth toes are much thicker than the rest. The species of this genus occur in the warmer parts of both hemispheres.
HEAD OF CESTONI’S BAT.
(From the Proceedings of
the Zoological Society).
Cestoni’s Bat, originally discovered at Pisa, is the only species of the group that occurs in Europe, and forms the type of the genus Dinops of Professor Savi, now regarded as a sub-genus of Nyctinomus. It is one of the species with five molars in each jaw, and six incisors permanently in the lower jaw; and the tail extends for fully half its length beyond the interfemoral membrane, which is small, and stretched by long curved heel-spurs. A small membranous band crosses the shank, uniting the wing with the interfemoral membrane. The general colour of the fur is a mouse-grey, paler below; on the backs of the toes there are some long white hairs. The wings in this and the other species of Nyctinomus are long but narrow; the second finger, which runs to the tip of the wing, being very long, so long indeed that its metacarpal bone alone exceeds the fourth or hindmost finger in length. The inner toe also is rather larger than the rest, and somewhat separated from them, without, however, taking on the form and function of an opposable thumb. The head and body in this Bat are about three inches and a quarter long, and the tail rather more than two inches, of which about an inch is within the interfemoral membrane. It has a very wide distribution, being found in the South of Europe and throughout Northern Africa, and occurring also at Amoy, in China, where Mr. Swinhoe obtained specimens of it. He describes the interfemoral membrane as fitting loosely on the tail like a glove, so that it can slip up and down at the will of the animal. It flies high in the air, where it can be readily distinguished by the narrowness of its wings. A specimen that Mr. Swinhoe kept for some time alive would slip the interfemoral membrane up and down when irritated, and had the further disagreeable habit under such circumstances of protruding its eyes until they seemed ready to fall out of their sockets. In Egypt Cestoni’s Bat is one of those that frequent the Pyramids and other old buildings, which must make that country a perfect paradise for Bats.[227]
THE PALE CHESTNUT MASTIFF BAT.[228]
This widely-distributed species belongs to the typical sub-genus Nyctinomus, in which the characters of the genus are most clearly manifested, the upper lip especially being very strongly folded. Its total length is about four inches, an inch and a half of which is made up by the tail, about half of which is enclosed by the interfemoral membrane. The body is covered with a thick, short, soft fur, which scarcely encroaches upon the membranes, and is composed of hairs of a fawn colour at the tips, with the basal portion whitish or light ash colour; the fawn colour is paler on the lower surface of the body. The ears are of considerable size, rounded, closely approaching each other, but not joining on the top of the head, and furnished with a small tragus. The inner margin of the ear bears a row of five or six minute warts.
This species is found commonly in South America and the West Indies, and also extends northwards into the United States, at least as far as Charleston, in South Carolina. Mr. Osburn gives an excellent account of its habits, as observed by him in Jamaica, where this Bat is often very abundant in the houses. He says, “They generally appear from half-past five to six o’clock, directly after sundown, and occasionally appear up to ten o’clock, but not in such numbers. They again make their appearance in my bedroom before dawn. The beating of their wings, with the occasional squeaking call, is quite familiar to me as the first sound of morning.” Its cry resembles the sound “click-click.” In the shingled roof of the house at Rowington Park, Vere, Jamaica, these Bats were exceedingly abundant, passing the day clinging together in clusters, notwithstanding the heat experienced immediately beneath the shingles. Mr. Osburn says that he “counted fourteen little heads in a mass about the size of a turnip.” Under these circumstances, however, they are not all asleep. “Now and then,” says Mr. Osburn, “a wing is stretched in drowsy enjoyment; and the luxury King James thought too great for subjects, and ought to be reserved for kings, is largely indulged in by Bats. First one and then another wakes up, and withdrawing one leg, and leaving itself suspended by the other alone, adroitly uses the foot at liberty as a comb, with a rapid, effective movement dressing the hair of the under part and head—an action far from ungraceful. The foot is then cleaned quickly with the teeth or tongue, and restored to its first use,” of suspending the animal. A little after sundown, according to Mr. Osburn, the roof is alive with movement, betrayed by squeaks and a scuffling shuffle over the boards, and the Bats scramble eagerly up the shingles, and escape through any opening they may find, shooting off with great rapidity in search of their insect prey. In March they made their exit about half-past six o’clock in the evening, returning to their dwelling-place about eight or nine o’clock. “It is then,” says Mr. Osburn, “they are so particularly annoying to the inhabitants of even the most carefully kept Jamaica houses. The great majority return to the roof; but one or two vigorous little fellows come into the room, and flap about in the most unmeaning way. Nothing is more remarkable than the agility with which a dozen, in the early part of the evening, skimmed and glided by every article of furniture. But now they bang themselves against the ceiling and walls, drop on the table, get up again, when the Cat, by jumping, catches them a pat, and they fall on the floor, not much hurt, to judge by their liveliness, for Grimalkin, having performed the feat, sits down, her paws tucked under, and gravely watches the hurry of the alarmed Bat shuffling over the floor. They disturb the harmony of the evening by becoming the occupants of, and making an escapade beneath, a gentleman’s coat collar, or a great sensation by getting hopelessly entangled in a lady’s hair, and bite more furiously than effectively during the process of release.” These restless little fellows, which must at least add considerably to the liveliness of an evening réunion in those parts of Jamaica where they abound, remain very active in their quarters all night, and start out in search of their breakfast so early that they return home again by five or six o’clock. They then seem to amuse themselves, before retiring to their own repose, by breaking the slumbers of the people whose evening hours they have enlivened as above described, by flying about the bedrooms with a rushing sound and many squeaks. The species is exceedingly common in Jamaica, and seems always to inhabit houses. Mr. Gosse (“Naturalist in Jamaica,” p. 159) also describes the habits of this Bat, which he calls the Chestnut Mastiff Bat.[229]