not release, her captive progeny. The following circumstance, related by the American naturalist, Titian Peale, will show to what an extent this feeling may be evinced. "In June, 1823, the son of Mr. Gillespie, keeper of the public square, caught a young red bat, V. Noveboracensis (New York bat), which he took home with him; three hours afterwards, in the evening, as he was conveying it to the Museum in his hand, while passing near the place where it was caught, the mother made her appearance, followed the boy for two squares, flying round him, and finally alighted on his breast, such was her anxiety to save her offspring. Both were brought to the Museum, the young one firmly adhering to its mother's teat. This faithful affectionate creature lived two days in the Museum, and then died of injuries received from her captor. The young one, being but half grown, was unable to take care of itself and died shortly after." From Linnæus we learn that the female makes no nest for her offspring. She is content with the first hole she finds, where, sticking herself by the hooks or thumbs of her arms against the

sides of the apartment, she permits her young ones to hang at the nipple, and in this manner continues for the first day or two after they are born. When she grows hungry and finds it necessary to go abroad in search of food, she takes her little ones off, and sticks them to the wall, in the same manner that she had herself before hung; there they immoveably cling and patiently wait for her

return.

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Geoffrey St. Hilaire states, that whilst the female is suckling, the male places himself in front of the mother, so that the young one may be equally protected, and warmed by both the parents at the same time."*

There are upwards of 130 distinct species of bats, of which about 20, all living on insects, are natives of the British isles. Some of these are extremely rare, and only found in certain spots; while others, as the Pipistrelle or common bat (the body of which is about the size of a mouse), and the long-eared bat, are very common. Like the mouse, these animals are capable of being

* Bell's British Quadrupeds.

tamed to a certain degree. Mr. White mentions one, "that would take flies out of a person's hand, and very dexterously shear off the wings before it eat them." While he amused himself with this quadruped, "Mr. White saw it," says Mr. Bingley, "several times confute the general opinion that bats, when on a flat surface, cannot get on wing again; for it rose with great ease from the floor."

Mr. Bell gives the following interesting account of the long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus): "It is one of the most common of our British bats; and the extraordinary development of the ears, their beautiful transparency, and the elegant curves into which they are thrown at the will of the animal, render it by far the most pleasing; it is also more readily tamed than any other, and may soon be brought to exhibit a considerable degree of familiarity with those who feed and caress it. I have frequently watched them when in confinement, and have observed them to be bold and familiar even from the first. They are very cleanly, not only cleaning themselves after feeding, and at other times, with great assiduity, but occasionally

They are very

assisting each other in this office. playful, too, and their gambols are not the less amusing from their awkwardness. They run over and against each other, pretending to bite, but never harming their companions of the same species; though I have seen them exhibit a sad spirit of persecution to an unfortunate Barbastelle* which was placed in the cage with them. They may readily be brought to eat from the hand; and my friend, Mr. James Sowerby, had one, during last summer, which, when at liberty in the parlour, would fly to the hand of any of the young people who held up a fly towards it, and, pitching on the hand, take the fly without hesitation. If the insect were held between the lips, the bat would then settle on its young patron's cheek, and take the fly with great gentleness from the mouth; and so far was this familiarity carried, that when either of my young friends made a humming noise with the mouth, in imitation of an insect, the bat would search about the lips for the promised dainty. The large and beautiful ears

* Barbastelle, another species of British bats.

are usually folded under the arm during sleep, especially if the sleep be profound; and this is also the case during hibernation ; the long tragus* then hangs down, and gives the animal the appearance of having short and slender ears. Indeed, a person who had not seen it in the act of folding its ears, could never imagine it to be the same species when they are fully expanded. The cry of this species is acute and shrill, but not loud. It affords a rather remarkable illustration of the well-known fact, that some persons are incapable of detecting certain sounds; as, during the time that I kept several of them living, although their small sharp cry was distinctly audible to persons sitting much farther from them than myself, and though I lent my attention closely to them with the greatest intentness, I could not detect the sound unless I placed my ear close to their cage, though it was uttered frequently.† On being

A part of the inner skin of the ear, which in this creature is so large as to give it the appearance of having double ears.

A gentleman, well known to the author, could never hear the chirping of a cricket or grasshopper, though other sounds were distinctly heard by him,