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HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

LIBRARY

OF THE

MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY
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THE
EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

. AND OF

THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES.

CONDUCTED BY

WILLIAM MACGILLIVRAY, A.M..,

CONSERVATOR OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, EDINBURGH; FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY
OF EDINBURGH; MEMBER OF THE WERNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY; OF THE
ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA, &c. Xe.

ASSISTED BY SEVERAL SCIENTIFIC AND LITERARY MEN.

VOLUME II.

A.D. 1839—1840.

EDINBURGH:

PUBLISHED BY THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY, 12, SOUTH ST DAVID STREET.

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M.DCCC. XL.
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AULTEAOD, x

THE EDINBURGH i

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

EVE PIETY SUC AES ChB NAC ES.

FEBRUARY, 1839.

ZOOLOGY.

ON THE FOOD OF BIRDS. BY J. C. BELLAMY, ESQ.

In Nature we everywhere discover a system of gradation. If we look
‘upon objects generally, we observe a gradation of forms; and if we com-
‘pare their parts, we find a gradation in the constitution of their organs.
‘Since also there are relations and dependences established between vari-
ous parts and organs of living beings, for the execution of more or less
complex actions, and since these organs and apparatus are but the instru-
ments of the actions of living bodies, a gradation is further discoverable
in these also, whether of an internal or external nature.

The natural world has been so arranged, that the different beings hold
various connections and relations of a complex character. We see but
little of objects being accomplished by single agencies : a number of agents
usually conspiring to effect a purpose; and though there may be one
chief agent, others act subordinately in concert. We see the effect pro-
duced by causes acting on a system of gradation, that is to say, by causes
which are less and less active and conspicuous, so far as that one object
is concerned, but which, in the production of other objects, play a more
decided and active part. In this way, the perfection of construction of
the organs, apparatus, and parts employed to effect a given purpose, as
observed in the principal agents, and their less and less perfection, and
the gradual disappearance of the structure in the minor agents, is ex-
plained, in so far as an elucidation can be given of the primary laws of
Nature.

Since the ordinations and intentions of Nature are effected by beings
differing widely in general points of view, though certainly for the most
part by beings of congenerous characters, the folly of endeavouring to
trace out the links of a presumed chain of gradation in a simple, linear
manner, from Man to the lowest form of vegetation, and the impropriety
of framing a classification or arrangement of natural objects on this sup-
posititious principle, need not be pointed out. The day also for classify-

_ ing objects in Nature according to the structure of one organ or apparatus,
is now, I believe, past. The discovery of the system on which Nature
herself has planned the series of beings will supersede the necessity of
inventing generalizations of this kind, and will, of course, demonstrate
more forcibly than ever the suspicion at various times promulgated by
another set of systematists who advocated the propriety of classifying
natural objects by their aggregate conformation, that the organ or part,
or particular formation of a part, apt to be selected as the standard for
classifying a certain series of beings, often exhibits so many gradations,
and Passes so frequently into objects every way, except in this, totally,
different in character, and probably themselves already classified and
systematically arranged by another standard, that this method of classi-
fying brought together subjects perfectly incongruous and heterogeneous.

In the case of Birds, any attempt to arrange them according as they
are eaters of flesh, or grain, or fruits, or herbs, would, besides bringing
together species of very different structures and habits, induce a belief in
students that their appetites were in all instances limited, as implied in
the name of the class under which they might rank; whereas not only
would the species so ranked possess opposite or varying tendencies in

respect of appetite, but also in many cases an individual species would
1

exhibit altered habits and appetite according to the season of the year;
and finally, individuals belonging to one species would be seen at one and
the same time to affect different localities, and to feed differently. The
names of garnivorous, insectivorous, carnivorous, &c., should be used
merely as ordinary words, and by no means be employed as technicalities.
In Temminck’s classification of Birds, we have the orders Insectivore,
Granivore, and Omnivore, so named, I presume, par excellence, for else
the epithets are highly contradictory. Indeed, as it is, their impropriety
is quite manifest from very many instances. Thus Parus occurs in Gra-
nivore, Turdus in Insectivore ; not to mention very many other cases
where the genera might as properly have been placed in one division as
the other, or even in Omnivore. Dichotomous methods and classifica-
tions, which assume a particular organ or structure, as the standard of
comparison, may be admissible on small scales, and are surely highly con-
venient, but a different method must be adopted in disposing of the
whole series of beings, and in the determination of physiological points,
our deductions are not to be overruled by existing ordinal or other names.
Systematists have been unfortunate in searching for order and method in
the wrong quarters; where the imagined order was to be found, there
Nature displays the greatest tendency to vary ; the order of Nature is dis-
coverable in general results, in the completion of general objects and
plans, and in the unity and harmony of the principles on which she seems
to have planned the series of beings.

The bills of birds are manifestly chiefly employed to collect, and in
part to comminute their food. A gradation of the various shapes and pe-
culiarities they assume is well known to exist. The stomachs of birds
are exclusively used for the digestion and preparation of the food col-
lected, and in these also a gradation of structure, and various peculiarities
exist, though not so extensive or appreciable. But both organs are sub-
servient or secondary to the general character, organization, and habits
of the respective possessors, and are accordingly unfit to be the ground-
work of a classification of this tribe, even on this one account, not taking
into consideration the weightier reasons before named.

But besides that it is improper to class birds under denominations in-
dicative of exclusive habits of feeding so contradictory to truth, or to found
a system on the varying structure of one particular organ, the Dill or
stomach for instance, individual birds are known to differ in habits from
the rest of their kind, from local circumstances, or some occult peculiari-
ties of situation, their instincts directing them, as it were, to avail them-
selves of their extended powers of diyestion.

It is extremely important for all who are commencing the study of
Nature to attach little or no importance tonames. Thus, ‘“insectivorous,”
“carnivorous,” and “ granivorous” birds they will in many cases find to
vary their food. It will be found, however, on inquiry into the structure
and digestive powers of their stomachs, that the food they partake of is
in all cases agreeable to their organizations, and that their capacities of
appropriation are ever adequate to the comminution and digestion of the
food selected. If we reflect, also, fora moment, it must appear that often
the number of resources must be enlarged, or the lives of birds sacrificed.
Those, for instance, which live for the most part on fruits and seeds
during summer, must have other resources during winter; and there are
numerous instances whiere generally the individuals of a species will give

ae

2 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

preference to some one kind of insect food during summer, but be obliged
to resort to another sort in winter. Again, times of scarcity, even of
staple supplies, to the feathered creation will occur, when, if the diges-
tive powers and instinctive faculties of birds were of very limited operation,
their races, so far as the dearth extended, must become exterminated.
Very many kinds emigrate to other climes, and so escape these contin-
gencies of our country; other species continue to feed on insects the
year through, and by superior diligence, aided by a probable diminution
of appetite, they manage to survive the rigours of our winters. Thus,
the Gold-crest subsists exclusively on insects, in summer feeding on a
variety of these, and in winter seemingly, at least with us, confining itself
to minute coleoptera collected from the bark of trees, especially apple-
trees. The Creeper, also, does not vary the nature of its food, but in
winter searches out these same beetles and aurelix, while in summer,
the abundance of insect food of all kinds renders this extreme diligence
superfluous. But with other birds the case is different. Certain of the
smaller species which regale during summer on fruits and insects, must
limit themselves much to the latter in the ungenial months ; for example,
the Blue Tit, Robin, and Blackbird. The Tit-lark feeds in summer on
caterpillars and beetles, but in winter its subsistence must be precarious.
Perhaps the Winter-Gnat forms great part of its food, as it does of several
other birds, being indeed a most wonderful demonstration of care and
provision for many kinds in the severe part of that season of want. The
Linnet and Greenfinch also, which are principally granivorous, must, I
apprehend, betake themselves to insect food in the depth of winter. The
Rook is a bird which gives the preference to insect food, that is to say,
worms and grubs, but when we are afflicted, as is often our.lot, with a
long-continued summer-drought, these birds will carry off potatoes newly
planted, and in subsequent periods of want will do great damage to newly-
sown corn land. Now, if birds could not, on the subsidence of their sum-
mer diet, or on the occurrence of emergencies, find resources in other
food, and betake themselves to supplies different from their accustomed
provender, they must inevitably perish.

With respect to the organization and forms of birds, as indicative of
their food, but few results can be arrived at on that point from these
sources. Let us first examine the bill. A hooked bill does not exelu-
sively belong to rapacious birds, and some rapacious kinds have it not.
Moreover, the association of a hooked bill and membranaceous stomach
will not indicate a bird of prey, certainly not an exclusive feeder on live
quarry, birds, quadrupeds, reptiles, or fish; for the Kestrel at times cap-
tures beetles, and the Shrikes subsist largely on those and other insects.
By the same instances we see that a combination of a hooked bill, thin
stomach, and strong curved claws, is likewise insufficient to indicate a
predatory bird. A notched bill will not assist in discriminating a bird
accustomed to tear flesh, for this structure descends from the Shrikes,
which are partially carnivorous, to the Thrushes and Flycatchers, which
are not so. The large, strong, sharp-edged bill of the Pies will not
indicate an omnivorous appetite, for the Ox-eye is omnivorous, and
has a short and very conical bill. The knobbed bill of the Bunting will
not point out exclusive granivorous habits, nor will the strong conical
bills of the Finches. These and the Larks subsist on seeds and insects,
and yet how different are their bills! I question if there be an instance
of an exclusively granivorous bird.

Let us now see how far the structure of stomachs characterizes tlie
diet of birds. Membranaceous stomachs appear in the Accipitres; but
they are also seen in the omnivorous species of Parus, in the Cormorants,
and other birds. The stomach of the Pinnatipedes are nearly membrana-
ceous. Thick muscular stomachs appear in the Finches, Galline, some
of the Palmipedes, the Land Rail, the Bearded Titmouse, and in a vast
number of other birds. Thin muscular stomachs occur in the Pies,
Grallz, some of the Palmipedes, and others.

There are not a few birds which will betake themselves voraciously to
two or more kinds of food, eating together with their more ordinary pro-
vender what one might imagine would constitute their reserve; a suspi-
cion here naturally arising that their constitutions need this admixture at
certain seasons. Thus, the Common Bunting will, at the height of sum-
mer, partake both of green corn and beetles. Thus also the Thrush,
Blackbird, and Robin, will combine fruits and insects. Again, the Greater
Tit or Ox-eye is an instance of an omnivorous appetite ; he is a general
consumer, one who can accommodate his palate to every dish set before
him; he will swallow seeds, corn, snails, various insects, offal meat, and
will also at times kill small birds, and feed on their bodies. The Flusher
is not so indiscriminate a feeder as the Ox-eye, but yet it will devour
small birds and insects.
tation for eating seeds, or hard food, will partake largely alsa of insects.
Thus, the Sparrow, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting, and Common Bunting, ge-
nerally spoken of and ranked as ‘* granivorous birds,” yet eat largely of
beetles and other insects. Those birds generally considered ‘‘ insecti-
vorous,” having a soft flexible bill, are in numerous cases likewise fruit

eaters. The Robin, for instance, the Fauvette, the Blackeap, and the

Birds whose strength of bill indicates their adap-°

Willow Wrens, though these last will never touch cherries, the true ob-
ject of their visits to cherry trees being to procure the small insects found
in abundance on them at the time of the ripening of the fruit. ‘* Insecti-
vorous” birds, however, are seldom granivorous, for whilst, on the one
hand, the granivorous kind can, by extensive powers of comminution and
digestion, easily assimilate food of a softer description, the insectivorous
having usually stomachs suited only to soft and readily digestible food,
cannot, it would seem, mollify amd digest the hard structure of seeds. |
Yet this matter is not altogether cleared up, for the Ox-eye has a
membranaceous stomach, and occasionally will swallow hard seeds’
and corn, to say nothing of garden peas, of which he devours large quan-|
tities, in which respect he resembles the ‘‘ granivorous” birds. Perhaps}
the gastric juice in this species may have stronger solvent powers
than usual, and the digestive powers of birds possessing similarly con-
structed stomachs vary greatly, as we have already exemplified above in
“‘insectivorous” birds, part of which live exclusively on insects, while,
others eat fruit in addition. Sky Larks, which have gizzards, feed on
grain, seeds of various kinds, other vegetable substances, and insects,
The Nuthatch eats insects, particularly beetles, and kernels of nuts. B:
all which instances of unexpected combinations of dissimilar food, whether
eaten at one and the same time, as is frequently the case, or partaken of
in rotation, as is the habit of some species ; and by the few instances, out
of a very extensive list, given before, to show that the same kind of
stomach occurs in birds dissimilar in general characters, and is not con-
stant to all the species of one tribe in certain cases; it appears that some
other less equivocal structure or agent than the bill or stomach, one hay-
ing more decided and constant characters, must be sought for to explain
facts of sach anomalous natures.

Here, however, we judge rather by results, for the gastric juice, which
There allude to, gives but slight opportunities for investigation. Still
this liquid must vary even with the species, as appears by statements
above made, and it must alter in quality also, I presume, in some cases,
according to the alteration in diet adopted by the birds; and more than
this, it must differ in different individuals of one species at the same pé-
riod, for a reason already explained. It seems, indeed, quite subservient |
to the immediate requirements of the bird. It is rational to conclude
that the gastric juice is of a more active quality in membranous stomachs,
and less in gizzards; but then we should recollect that flesh is more
readily digested than other aliment, that caterpillars and other soft mat-
ters are consumed by birds with gizzards, and that the thickness of the |
walls of stomachs has no direct power in digesting, but. only in comminut-
ing. We certainly are quite incapable of saiiniag why this or that |
bird has a gizzard, and another not. The facts are frequently adverse to |
our preconceptions and theoretic calculations. The Bearded Tit lives |
on seeds, beetles, snails, and flies; but who would have concluded that
it had a gizzard, and that provided with gravel? The young of many
birds, whose powers of digestion and comminution are immature, feed
differently from the parents. Sky Larks feed their young with worms, |
ants’ eggs, grasshoppers, and caterpillars; so also do the Robin, Green
finch, and Chaffinch.—( To be continued.) ,

BOJE’S CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS.

In the Isis for 1826 is an arrangement of birds: in outiine, which, a
though possessing considerable merit, seems to have been almost entire?
Gverouked! until recently brought into notice by its having been referred
to by the Prince of Musigrano in his Comparative List of the Birds

Europe and North America. The number of primary sections or i
is five—Raptores, Insessores, Rasores, Grallatores, Natatores.

Order I. Rarrores, V2gors.

Fam. I. Gypogeranidee, Vigors. Mf
Gypogeranus, Zi/ig.—Serpentarius, Cuv.—Falco serpentarius, Linn
Dicholophus, iia. cristatus, I/dig. col. 237. a

Fam. II. Vulturide, ZLeach.—Vultur, ieptins 5
Vultur, Linn.—V. cinereus, Linn.—V. angolensis, Lath.
Cathartes, IJllig.—Neophron, Savigny: —Catharista, Vieill.—Mon ae

chus, Tenn.
Sarcorhamphus, Dumeril._V. Gryphus, Linn.—V. Papa, Linn. i

Fam. III. Falconide, Leach. ;
Polyborus, Vieill.—F. brasiliensis, Gmel. ‘
Gypaetus, Sforr.—Phene, Savigny.—Falco barbatus, Gm.

Haliaetus, Savigny.—Falco ieucocephalus, Gm.—F. Macei, Cuv-
Aquila, Bechst.—F. armiger, Shaw.

Pandion, Savig.—F. Tcliaetue: Linn.

Circaetus, Vieill.—F. Gallicus, Gm.

Buteo, Bechst.—F. Tachardus, Shaw.

Pernis, Cuv.—F. apivorus, Gm.

Astur, Bechst.—Daedalion, Savig.—F. columbarius, Gm-
Morphnus, (/uv.—F. Guianensis, Daud.

Harpyia, Cuv.—F. cristatus, Gm.

Nisus, Cuv.—F. Minullus, Vaill.
Cymindis, Cuv.—F. hamatus, I/liy.
Cerchneis.—F. rupicola, Licht.
Hierofalco, Cuv.—F. Canarius, Gm.
Elanus, Savig.—F- Melanopterus, Daud.
Milvus, Savig.—F. Riocurii, Vaill.
Circus, Bechst.—F. ranivorus, Shaw.
\Fam. 1V. Strigidee, Leach.—Strix, Linn.
Strix, Zinn.—Strix brasiliensis, Licht.
Syrnium, Savig.—St. nebulosa, Gmel.
Bubo, Cuv.—St. Africana, Temm.
Scops, Savig.—St- pulchella, Pall.
Glaucidium.—St. nana, T'emm.—St. passerina, Linn.
Athene.—St. nudipes, Daud.
Surnia, Dumeril.—St. choucon, Vaill.
\Fam. V. Caprimulgide, Vigors—Caprimulgus, Linn.
Podargus, Cuv.—P. javanicus, Horsf.—P. cornutus, Temm.
Caprimulgus, Linn.—C. europeus, Linn.
(To be continued.)

SINGULAR DEVELOPMENT OF A KOOK’S BILL.

}Tuere was killed on the morning of the 17th current, in the vicinity
Jof Paisley, a Rook, the bill of which exhibited the extraordinary develop-
ment delineated on the accompanying sketch. This singular conformation
Jdoes not appear to have been the effect either of disease or of accident.
It is rather to be accounted for from a tendency in the mandibles to grow
. beyond their natural limits. The points of these tending in opposite di-
Jrections, it followed that the curvature of the upper proceeeding down-
ward, and coming in contact with the lower mandible proceeding upward,
Jcaused the latter to divide, and to extend on each side of the upper
Jmandible in the shape of two elastic processes in the manner delineated,
}which completes the singularity. The bird was in good condition, and
Jas the frost was keen, it had been feeding on the roads, as the contents

! . . . .
Jof the gizzard testified. The skin is in my possession.
Witrtam Drew.

Paisley, 1, Stevenson Street,
19th January 1839.

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HDA
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LAN

SKETCH OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF NORWICH.
BY J. M.

(Abridged from a Paper read before the Cuvierian Society of Edinburgh.)

Havine had occasion to spend last summer and autumn in the city of
Norwich, and a small village in its vicinity, I took the opportunity to
devote the greater part of my spare time to making myself acquainted
with the natural productions of that singularly interesting neighbourhood.

- winters are said to be usually severe.

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 3

Whether we consider its Geology, its Botany, or its Natural History in
general, it holds out many inducements to the student of nature; and, to
a stranger, as I then was, comparing it with the environs of Edinburgh,
as the place best known to me, all was novelty.

‘The general aspect of the county of Norfolk is such as might be ex-
pected to be presented by most districts where chalk abounds, modified,
however, by various circumstances, and by none more so than the high
state of cultivation to which the land, otherwise unfertile, has been brought .
The surface of the county presents little variety, being generally a level
plain with few elevations, except in the neighbourhood of Norwich, the dis-
trict more under consideration. The soil is generally a light sand, or sandy
loam. Within a few miles of Norwich may be observed many diversities,
however, of surface, not merely arable lands and pastures, but woods,
or rather plantations, heaths, fens, and water in its different forms of
lakes, rivers, and ponds. In the fenny districts especially, and even in
Norwich itself, intermittent fevers are endemic, and usually attack
strangers during the first week or two of their residence, on which occa-
sion a person is quaintly said to be ‘ arrested by the bailiff of marsh land.’
With respect to the climate, the summer is generally very hot, with fre-
quent and violent storms, on account of its eastern exposure, and the
The county exhibits most of the
signs of rural prosperity, but we do not view it in that light, but proceed
to give a short account of its Geology.

The chalk formation is seen around Norwich, and, indeed, extends over
the whole county, as well as the greater part of the south-east and east-
ern counties of England. In many places the chalk is of great thickness,
with frequent layers of flints interposed, The jliné, which may be pro-
cured in almost any quantity, is extensively employed for mending the
roads, for which purpose it is admirably adapted, and although the masses
of flint are in general of small size, yet from the want of any other stone,
they are much used in building, and most of the churches, the Town Hall,
and many other buildings, are in a great measure constructed of flint,
forming objects of considerable interest to such as have been accustomed
to the sight of more seemly structures. Many of the nodules contain
fossils of different kinds, as spatangi, &c.

That interesting formation, known by the name of Norfoli Crag, is
exposed in the neighbourhood of the city, from which it extends to the
sea, a distance of eighteen miles. It is almost entirely composed of fossil
organic remains, including extinct species of zoophytes, sponges, and al-
cyonites ; crustacea and coprolites; along with myriads of marine shells,
some allied to those found in the neighbouring seas, and others, again,
which have no analogues either in recent species or in those of any other
formation.

Numerous relics of large fossil mammalia have been found on the
eastern coast of Norfolk : remains of the Elephant, Hippopotamus, and
Rhinoceros. Mr Woodward has established the existence of two species
of Mastodon, the grinder of one of which I had the pleasure of seeing in
the Norwich Museum. This is the only part of the country where fossil
remains of the Mastodon have hitherto been found, and some years ago
an entire skeleton of the WM. latidens was discovered, but only a single
grinder was preserved, the rest having been burnt for lime.

From the high state of cultivation to which so much of the county of
Norfolk has been brought, it may be supposed that the number of plants
must be very limited. But it is otherwise. Along the rivers, and by the
edges of the pools, there is a profuse vegetation, while the road-sides, and
the numerous chalk pits interspersed over the country, have their peculiar
species. The corn fields, themselves, the woods and heaths, afford
habitats for many others much prized by the botanist.

In many places the beautiful Mymphea alba, so often the theme of ad-
miration, raises its large flowers above the water, or, covering with its
broad leaves the surface of some still pool, presents a tapestry of green
alternating with the purest white. Nuphar lutea is exceedingly abundant
in all the rivers and ponds; and in more shallow water the Sagittaria sa-
gittifolia grows plentifully. The larger ditches teem with a profusion of
Butomus umbellatus and Stratiotes aloides, Bidens tripartita and cernua, He-
losciadum nodiflorum and repens, while their surface is in some places
covered with the interesting Hottonia palustris and Hydrocharis Morsus
Rane, with abundance of Lemma polyrrhiza, and by the margin of one
ditch near the city, I saw Apiwm graveolens, or wild celery. Lythrun
salicaria is there a common, and, at the same time, a very showy plant.
Different species of Mentha, among others M. Piperita and viridis, both
undoubtedly wild, and IZ. gentitis and rubra, along with Scatellaria galeri-
culata, Lysimachia vulgaris, Cineraria palustris, Carex Pseudo- Cyperus, are
found in similar localities, and in one place I observed the rare Scirpus
carinatus growing in abundance. That rare plant the Acorus Calamus was
formerly abundant on the Yare below Norwich, and the roots, when
dried, are used to give a peculiar flavour to gin, or at least to some kinds
of that spirit. In moist meadows there is abundance of Thalictrunz
flavum, and in marshy ground Lysimachia Nummularia often covers a
large extent of surface with its trailing shoots, loaded with a profusion of
yellow blossoms, and I haye seen associated with it the beautiful and

rare Geniiana Pneumonanthe. In dry ground, but always near water,
Pulicaria dysenterica grows in extensive patches.

Almost peculiar to the county of Norfolk are several species of that
singular genus Orobanche. The O. minor is found in most clover fields,
often giving parts of them from its abundance a rusty brown colour when
it begins to wither. The O. e@rulea, elatior, and ramosa, all very local
plants, are less common than the preceding, and the O. major I found in
only one locality parasitical on the broom. Verbena officinalis, now as-
certained not to be indigenous to Scotland, is abundant by the road-sides
and in chalk pits, and Acinos vulgaris, which appears to be more widely
distributed than was formerly supposed, grows in similar localities, as
weil as in the corn fields, where may also be found Setaria viridis, Pa-
paver hybridum, Antirrhinum Orontium, Ipecularia hybrida, Silene noctiflora,
and conica, Calamintha Nepeta, and officinalis, together with that interest-
ing little plant the Adonis autumnalis.

In the lanes and margins of chalk pits are found growing in abundance
Reseda lutea, Potentilla argentea, Melilotus officinalis, Salvia verbenaca,
Geranium rotundifolium, Pimpinella magna, Cichorium Intybus, Erigeron
acris, Dipsacws Fullonum, and less frequently Lactuca Scariola and Sa-
ligna, which appear to be rare in the district.

The different species of Verbascum have found in the neighbourhood
of Norwich an apparently congenial soil. Those I observed were F.
Thapsus, pulverulentum, Nigrum and Lychnitis. On, the city walls An-
tirrhnium majus and Teucrium Scordium form frequent tufts, and the rare
Dianthus cesius is said to grow near one of the gates. In the hedges
there is a profusion of Clematis vitalba, Convolvulus sepium, Bryonia
dioica, Galium erectum and Mollugo, and now and then near houses Sa-
ponaria officinalis has its habitat. About the town, and among rubbish,
are found Mercurialis annua, Borago officinalis, Atropa Belladonna, and
Datura Stramonium, but more abundantly than any the Solanum nigrum,
so rare in Scotland, if, indeed, truly indigenous to that country.

Ophrys aranifera 1 found in only one locality, namely, Costessey Park,
along with the more common Q. apifera, and on some cultivated plants
of Thymus Serpyllum, there was an abundance of Cuscuta Epithymum,
which also grows in the Calluna vulgaris on Mousehold Heath. In a wood
opposite the cathedral, there were several plants of Rhamnus catharticus.

The above enumeration of species it is not expected is any thing like a
complete list, as my time for botanizing was limited, and only such plants
as I observed during my rambles in quest of other objects were noted
down from memory, after the lapse of many months, and many of the
above mentioned species, although interesting to the Scottish botanist,
are by no means esteemed by an English one.

I shall now proceed with the Zoology, and begin with the Mammalia,

Although the number of quadrupeds found in the neighbourhood of
Norwich is not great, yet several of the species are possessed of consider-
able interest.

Bats of several kinds are very plentiful, and several rare species have
been observed. The Noctule, or Great Bat, Vespertilio Noctula, the
largest found,in this country, and approaching somewhat in dimensions
to some of those found within the tropics, is rather frequent, and may
be seen on wing long before its congeners have come abroad. It usually
flies at a considerable elevation, and its flight is rapid, and not so versatile
as that of the other British Bats I have seen. It has altogether a singular
appearance, and may perhaps with some be associated with ideas of the
far-famed Vampire, so much does it look like a creature of evil omen.
The place where I observed it most plentiful was about the mill at Cos-
tessey, where two or three might be seen at once, affording an excellent
opportunity for procuring specimens, which I availed myself of. In the
shady lanes, and about pools and rivers, various other species may be
seen flitting about on leathern wing. Iam unable to state with precision
the different species, as 1 had no book on the subject to refer to at the
time, and the skulls 1 was preparing were unfortunately thrown away by
accident, but I am certain that I killed three or four besides the Noctule
aud Plecotus auritus. saw a specimen of the Vespertilio pygme@us in the
hands of a gentleman in Norwich, taken in a hollow tree in Costessey
Park. In a late number of a natural history periodical, mention is made
of a very rare Bat, V. Leisleri, found near Norwich, but it is disputed
whether or not they belong to the species just mentioned, as the matter is
still sub judice.

In several ditches near Norwich, on a fine summer evening, besides
the Water Rat, I have seen dozens of the beautiful little Sorex remifer, or
Water Shrew, silently padling along, and when under the surface, appear-
ing like a mass of crystal, so much air bubbles does this tiny creature
carry along with it in its subaquatic perigrinations.

Among the less common quadrupeds are the Harvest Mouse, Mus
messorius, and the Dermouse, Myozrus Avellanarias these I saw but sel-
dom. On one occasion I chanced to fall in with a Marten, Mustela
martes, but failed in procuring it. There are said to be still remaining a
few Otters, but it must be but seldom that the angler stumbles on one.

Rabbits are exceedingly abundant in many situations, well adapted to
their wants by Nature and art, and appear to thrive amazingly.

i THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Preservation of AximaL Sunstances.—At a late meeting of the
Medical and Chirurgical Society, a ietter from Mr George Smith was
read, which stated that he had obtained a patent for an improved process
of embalming and preserving objects for anatomical purposes, for which
M. Gannal, a French chemist, had also taken out one in Paris. Seve-
ral birds, a Dorking Fowl, a Pheasant, and a Pigeon, were shown, which
had been subjected to the process, and which, at the end of more than
two months, were found in an extraordinary state of preservation, the
flesh being perfectly soft and elastic. The fellows were also invited to
view the body of a man who died on the 5th, and was embalmed on the
9th of November. It was stated that in about half an hour a great
change came over the body; that parts which had been previously soft
and relaxed became firm and hard; and that the whole body resembled
wax in appearance, and was nearly as firm. No perceptible change took
place in the following three days, excepting that some green marks on
the neck and abdomen gradually disappeared. Several of the members
who had seen it, and examined the birds, were of opinion that the dis-
covery deserved the immediate attention of the Faculty.

“M. Gannar’s Mops or Empatminc.—lIna late number of “« The Lan-
cet,” there is reported, from a meeting of a medical society in Londen, an
account of a process contrived by a M. Gannal, which, according to him,
entirely prevents the ordinary effects of putrefaction in animal bodies after
death. ;

During a recent visit of M. Gannal to London, this plan of his was tested
in the presence of several witnesses belonging to the medical profession,
and the subject of experiment was the body of a man thirty-three years
of age, who had died of epilepsy four days before. His mode of proce--
dure was as follows :—Having exposed the common carotid artery of one
side, and secured its upper end by means of a ligature, he injected slowly
towards the heart four or five pints of fluid, and secured the vessel. In
about halfan hour, the surface of the body became somewhat of the con-
sistence and colour of wax. On the 12th of November, three days after,
he proceeded to complete the process of embalming, by placing in contact
with the body, linen moistened with spirit of rosemary, then a layer of
oiled silk, and over alla coat of thin sheet lead, the whole completely
enveloped in bandages, about two hundred yards being used. Glass eyes
were introduced, and some lint soaked in oil of cloves placed in the nos-
trils, and the face and hands, which had been left exposed, were covered
with a thin coating of wax, applied with a brush. The body was then
soldered down in a leaden coffin, a small quantity of powdered quicklime
placed under the pillow, and two windows were left, corresponding to the
hands and face. The body isstill to be seen at the Theatre of Anatomy
in Little Windmill Street, London; and, although several months have
elapsed since this experiment was tried, no traces of change are visible
externally. : ; ‘ i

The composition of the fluid used by M. Gannal is not stated; it con-
tains, in all probability, some powerful antisceptic, such as creosote.

Meruop or Preservine Frurrs, &c.—Dr Christison, the well known —
Professor of Materia Medica in this University, has, for several years,
made use of a saturated solution of common salt for preserving the speci-
mens of fruits, as well as succulent and other plants in general, which
adorn his Museum. ‘This cheap substitute for the more expensive spirits
of wine, is not so generally knownas it ought to be, although he made it
the subject of a communication to the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, in
the course of last winter. In general it is preferable to spints, though in
a few cases the latter are necessary. The top of the jar is secured in the
usual way by bladder and tinfoil, or sheet lead.

Cran common to Curva anp Evrore.—Among a collection of Chinese
Crustacea sent from Canton a few years ago, which came into the hands
of the writer, there are two specimens of a Crab, the Gonoplax bispinosa
of Leach, found also on the coast of England and France. It is a singular
fact, that this crustaceous animal should have so wide a range, and be
found in countries so dissimilar. Indeed, I was at first very sceptical on
the subject, and although the descriptions given by different autho
the G. bispinosa agreed with my Chinese specimens, I was not satisfie
as to their identity until I had an opportunity of seeing eo
specimens in the British Museum, collected, I presume, by Dr Leac
on the Devonshire coast. Although I am not aware of any British
Insects found in countries so far remote as China or Hindostan, yeti
well known that several species of Birds are common to both Ea
and India, many specimens of which are preserved in the Edinburgh |
Museum.—J. M. *

SS eee

a ee eee
EprnzurcH: Published for the Propriztor, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Lonpon: Smiru, Exper, and Co., 65, Cornhill. Giascow and the West of
Scotland: Joun Smiru and Son; and Joun Macteop. Dustin: Grokee
Youne. Panis: J. B. Bareriere, Rue de Ecole de Médecine, No. 15 bis.
THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY. }

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

THE PHYSICAL

SCIENCES.

MARCH, 1839.

ZOOLOGY.
BRITISH BIRDS-—THE WREN.

Tae Common Wren, Anorthura Troglodytes, is one of the most familiarly
known of our small birds, being rendered remarkable by its peculiar form,
not less than by the liveliness of its motions. Next to the Robin, it is
perhaps the least liable to molestation from boys and idle people; and
for this security it is indebted partly to its small size, and partly to its
cheerfulness and innocence. Next to the Kinglets, the Creeper, the
Chiff.chaff, and the smaller Tits, it is the least of our native birds. Its
flight is effected by arapid and continuous motion of the wings, and there-
fore is not undulated, but direct; nor is it sustained, for the bird merely
flits from one bush to another, or from stone to stone. It is most fre-
_ quently met with along stone walls, among fragments of rocks, in thickets
of whins, and by hedges, where it attracts notice by the quickness of its
motions, and frequently by its loud chirring noise. When standing, it keeps
its tail nearly erect, and jerks its whole body smartly ; then hops about
with great alacrity, using its wings at the same time, and continually
enunciating its rapid chit. In spring and summer, the male has a very
pleasing, full, rich, and mellow song, which it repeats at short intervals ;
and even in autumn, and on fine days in winter, it may occasionally be
heard hurrying over its ditty, the loudness and clearness of which, as pro-
ceeding from so diminutive a creature, is apt to strike one with surprise
even after it has long been familiar to him.

During the breeding season, Wrens keep in pairs often in unfrequented
parts, such as bushy dells, mossy woods, the banks of streams, and
stony places overgrown with brambles, sloes, and other shrubs; but to-
wards the end of autumn they approach the habitation of man, and although
never decidedly gregarious, sometimes appear in small straggling parties.
They are not, properly speaking, shy, as they conceive themselves secure
at the distance of twenty or thirty yards, but, on the approach of a person,
conceal themselves in holes among stones, or among the roots of bushes.
In liveliness and activity the Wren rivals the Kinglets, Tits, and Creeper,
as might be expected from its diminutive size, birds as well as quadrupeds
being generally more slow in their motions the larger their bulk.

A pleasant little fable, of which the Wren is the hero, is told by the
Hebridians. At an assembly of the birds, the Eagle was boasting of his
strength, asserting that he could mount higher in the air than any of earth's
inhabitants, when up starts the little Wren, and flatly contradicts the
tyrant, challenging him to atrial of speed. The Eagle regarded his puny
tival with contempt, but accepting the challenge, or desirous of display-
ing his powers, spread out his huge wings, and launched into the air. Up
rose the royal bird in majestic gyrations, over the assembled tribes, up
beyond the mountain tops, up beyond the streaks of grey vapour, up beyond
the specks and lines of the white cirri and cirrocumuli that floated in the
blue ocean of ether, up until he seemed but a point in the eye of the
Goshawk and Peresrine, who watched his progress with more envy than
admiration, and of the Raven, who thought he could mount as high him-
self; still up until he vanished entirely from the sight of most of the other
birds, who were not accustomed to look so far into the sky. But where
was the little Wren all this time? Had he crept with shame into some
hole, or been unwittingly trampled to death by the broad foot of some
gazing Gander, or the still broader foot of the pillar-legged Pelican? At
_length the Eagle stopped, gasping for breath, with swollen eyes and palpi-
tating heart, unable to ascend a foot farther, and spreading wide his wings
and tail, floated in the dazzling light. The little vain-glorious thing that
_ had defied him, he knows has been left at least a mile behind. But lo!
2

up again starts the Wren, who had nimbly perched on the Eagle’s back,
and kept himself concealed among the feathers. With a hop, and a jerk of
his tail, and a glance of pride, up springs the little Wren into the region
of vacuity, and, fluttering there for a moment, sings his song of triumph.
The Eagle cast a glance of mortified pride upon him, which he heeded
not, but seizing a feather of his rival’s neck, descended in safety to the
ground, to receive the prize impartially adjudged by the astonished con-
clave. The moral of the fable is, that cunning may supply the lack of
power.

I know not a more pleasant object to look at than the Wren, it is al-
ways so smart and cheerful. In gloomy weather, other birds often seem
melancholy, and in rain the Sparrows and Finches stand silent on the
twigs with drooping wings and clotted plumage. But to the Wren all
weathers are alike. The big drops of the thunder-shower no more wet it
than the drizzle of a Scotch mist; and as it peeps from beneath the
bramble, or glances from a hole in the wall, it seems as snug as a kitten
frisking on the rug.

It is amusing to watch the motions of a young family of Wrens just
come abroad; but this we must defer until the month of June, when the

juniper and whin bushes of the Pentland Hills will afford them the necessary
shelter.

BOJE’S CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS.
( Continued.)

Melizophilus, Leach.—Sylvia provincialis.
Vireo, Vieill.—Muscicapa viridis, Linn.—M. noyeboracensis, Linn.
Fam. VII. Merulide, Vigors.
Merula.—Turdus Merula, Linn.
Turdus, Zinn.—T. viscivorus, Linn.
Cinclus, Bechst.—C. aquaticus, Bechst.
Grallina, Vieill.—Tanypus, Oppel.—G. melanoleuca, Vieill.
Dandalus.—Motacilla Rubecula, Linn.
Petrocossyphus.—Turdus saxatilis, Linn.
Mimus, Briss:—-Turdus polyglottus, Linn.
Myioturdus.—Turdus rex, Linn.
Pitta, Vieill.—P. erythrogastra, Cuv.
Myiophoneus, Temm.—Pitta glaucina, Temm.
Rupicola, Briss.—R. peruviana, Briss.
Fam. VIII. Motacillidze.—Motacilla, Linn.
Motacilla, Zinn.—M. alba, Linn.
Budytes, Cuv.—Motacilla fava, Linn.
Enicurus, T’emm.—E. velatus, Temm. col. 160.
Vitiflora, Briss. —Turdus leucurus.
Saxicola, Bechst.—Sylvia Rubetra, Lath.
Fam. 1[X.—Myiotheride.
Pomatorhynchus, Horsf.—Le Tochagra, Vaill. Afr. pl. 70.
Lalage.— Turdus orientalis, Gmel.
Pycnonotus, Awhl.—Turdus capensis, Linn.
Timalia, Horsf.—Pitta thoracica, Temm.
Laniarius, Vieill.—Turdus ceylonus, Gmel.
Pelicinius.—Lanius barbarus, Gm.
Dryoscopus.—Lanius Cubla, Vaill. Afr. pl. 72.
Myagrus.—Turdus auritus, Lath.
Myiothera, Jilig.—M. fulginosa, Ilhg.
Fam. X. Muscicapide, Vegors.—Muscicapa, Linn.
Butalis.— Muscicapa Grisola, Linn.
Hypothemis.— Muse. czrulea, Vaill. Afr. pl. 153.

6 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

Tyrannus, Cuv.—Musc. audax, Gm.
Platyrhynchus, Desmar.—Todus cancroma, Lath.
Muscipeta, Cuv.—Muscicapa paradisi, Linn.
Dicrurus, Vieill.—Edolius, Cuv.—k. retifer, Temm.
Ceblepyris, Cuv.—Muscicapa cana, Gmel.

Orver I].—Inszssores, Vigors.

Fam. I. Hirundine, Vigors.
Cypselus, Idlig.—Hirundo leucorrhoa, Shaw.
Acanthylis.—Hirundo spinicauda, Temm, col. 726, fig. 1.
Chelidon.—Hir. viridis, Wils. pl. 38, f. 3.
Cotyle.—Hir. fucata, Azz. T’emm. col. 161.—H. rupestris, Gm.—H.
riparia, Linn.
Progne.—Hir. purpurea, Gm.— Wils. pl. 39, fig. 2.
Cecropis.—Hir. capensis, Gm.—H. rustica, Gm.
Fam. II. Pipride, Vigors.
Ampelis, Linn.—Pipra, Linn.
Phibalura, Viedl/.—Ph. flavirostris, Viedll. col. 118.
Procnias, Idig.—P. ventralis, Tilig.
Ampelis, Linn.—A. Pompadora, Linn.
Bombycilla, Briss. —B. japonica, Diebold.
Casmarhynchus, Z’emm,—Ampelis nudicollis, Gm.
Coracina, Vezll._—Coracias scutata, Lath.
Pipra, Linn.—P. pareola, Linn.
Pythis, Vzeill.—Pipra leucocilla, Gm.
Fam. III. Meropide, Vigors.—Merops, Linn.
Merops, Linn.
Fam. IV. Trochilide, Vigors.—Trochilus, Linn.
Trochilus, Linn.
Fam. V. Nectariniade, Vigors.—Certhia, Linn.
Cynnyris, Cuv.—Certhia violacea, Gm.
Nectarinia, Idlig.—Certhia caffra, Linn.
Ceereba, Briss. —Certhia spiza, Gm.
Arachnothera, Zemm.—A. longirostris, Temm.
Fam. VI. Sylviade, Vigors.
Ficedula, Cuv.—Motaciella Phcenicurus, Linn.
Curruca, Cuv.—Mot. Luscinia, Linn.
fEdon.—Sylvia galactodes, Zemm.
Pericrocotus.—Muscicapa miniata, T'emm. col. 156.
Chloris.—Sylvia americana, Lath.
Hylophilus, Zemm.—Sylvia vermivora, Lath.
Calamoherpe.—Sylvia arundinacea, Lath.
Dicceeum, Cuv.—Certhia cruentata, Gm.
Accentor, Bechst.—Motacilla Calliope, Pall.
Phylloscopus.—Sylvia Trochilus, Lath.
Brachypteryx, Horsf.—B. montana, B. sepiaria, Horsf.

Picrons In PeterspurcH.—The following notice is extracted from a
paper onthe Natural History of the vicinity of St Petersburgh, by Charles
Drosier, published in the Naturalist for February of the present year.
The Common Dovecot Pigeon swarms in the city and the country; it is
esteemed sacred, and called God’s Bird by the Russians, from the circum-
stance of the Holy Spirit assuming that form when it descended upon our
Saviour. To kill and eat it is considered an act of profanation. It is so
tame and incautious in the city, that vehicles bave been known to pass
over it while engaged in picking up the scattered corn which falls in abun-
dance from the carts. I have touched the back of one with a walking
switch from a drosky (a peculiar vehicle used in St Petersburgh), and
could have-killed it had I been sodisposed. This bird is certainly a nuisance
in the city; it perches upon the architraves and projections-of buildings,
marring their beauty, and loads the places where it rests with immense
collections of dung, and by its flight overhead it may happen that the
symmetry and polish of a pedestrian exquisite’s coat, or the bonnet, para-
sol, or cloak of some fashionable belle, may meet with the same fate that the
out-spread banquet of Aineas received from the Harpies on ‘the shores
of the Sophiades.” The English and Germans eat the Pigeon; and for
their tables they are preserved and sold in the market by the less scrupu-
lous Russians. I had one day an opportunity of observing, myself, how
the respect for the Pigeon prevails amongst the lower orders. I shot six,
away from the village, at one shot, and brought them home (with the in-
tention of obtaining that master-achievement of modern cookery, a Pigeon-
pie, which I have often thought must be the nearest approach to ‘* Am-
brosia” we poor sons of Earth have discovered) ; when I threw them on
the table, a Russian servant who was near, after several ejaculations
against my impiety and cruelty (for they do not understand the respect
with which the English treat their superiors in station), snatched up one
of the dead birds, and bursting into tears commenced kissing and fondling
it; yet a few days afterwards she plucked them without displaying the
least uneasiness, a thing characteristic of the people, who for the most
part act from impulse.

Rovcu-wincep Swattow.—In the fourth volume of his Ornithological
Biography, Mr Audubon has published an account of a small Swallow re-
cently discovered in North America, but which had been confounded with
the Bank Swallow, Hirundo riparia. In its general appearance, including
proportions as well as colour, the Rough-winged Swallow is extremely
similar to the Bank Swallow. It differs, however, in having the bill con-
siderably longer, more attenuated toward the end, with the point of the
upper mandible more decurved. The tail is shorter and but slightly
emarginate, the lateral exceeding the middle feathers by only two-twelfths
of an inch, whereas in the other species they exceed them by five-twelfths,
or even six; the feathers are also broader and more rounded at the end.
The wings are longer, and extend half an inch beyond the tail. The tarsi
and toes are somewhat longer and more slender, and there are no feathers
on the hind part of the tarsus as in the common species; the claws are
much more slender. The bill is black, the tarsi, toes, and claws, dusky,
The upper parts are of the same greyish-brown or Mouse-colour as those —
of the Bank Swallow. The lower are of a very light greyish-brown, —
gradually paler on the hind parts, the abdomen and lower tail-coverts being
white. Length to end of tail, 53 inches, extent of wings, 123. If the
Bank Swallow of America be the same as ours, it is not improbable that
this new Rough-winged Swallow may occur in Britain. It is readily dis- |
tinguished by drawing the finger along the outer edge of the first quill,
when the strong decurved and projecting tips of the filaments become
singularly harsh to the touch. A specimen of this Swallow, presented by
Mr Audubon, is in my collection, which contains about a thousand
species; and in which there is also another obtained in a small parcel |
from Canada. The Editors of the Annals of Natural History, who ‘dare
scarcely venture an opinion” on Mr Audubon’s new species ‘ without |
having the birds before them,” may inspect many of them, if they choose, |
by calling at No, 1. Wharton Place, notwithstanding the pains they have _
taken to show that the proprietor of the collection there is an “affected?
imitator of Isaac Walton and John James Audubon,—a charge which
must appear extremely ludicrous tothe American Ornithologist.— W. M‘G. _

Monstrosiry 1n aw Insect.—A specimen of Necrophorus Humator, or
the common Burying Beetle, in possession of the writer, exhibits a somes _
what curious monstrosity. It has, in fact, an additional foot, for the
anterior leg of the right side has two tarsi, both well formed, and each i
composed of five pieces as usual. Although almost every cabinet of
Insects contains some abnormal specimens, yet this kind of monstrosity
does not seem to have been noticed by any one, and must, therefore, be _
regarded as occurring seldom, if not of extreme rarity, and consequently i
not altogether devoid of interest to entomologists.—J. M.

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF NORWICH.
( Continued.)

Owine to the change in the aspect of the country consequent on the im- ©
proved state of agriculture, the cutting down of woods, but above all, the |
draining of the fens, the myriads of waterfowl and other birds, which _
formerly abounded in Norfolk, have nearly all disappeared, retiring to some
more unmolested spot to rear their young, though in the fens of Lincoln-
shire a few are yet to be found. The immense flocks of Ruffs, Plovers,
and Sand-pipers, which formerly bred in these marshes, will ere long be ex-
tinct, and spoken of as things that have passed away. Though the num-
ber of birds about Norwich is on the whole smaller than at Edinburgh, |
yet the county is abundantly supplied with game, many of the proprietors
being noted sportsmen.

Certainly the most interesting British bird is the Great Bustard, which
formerly roamed the mid-land counties in small flocks, but now probably
the few that remain appear to have made choice of Norfolk as a resting —
place for the short period that will elapse till the race is extinct. Isaw |
in the possession of a bird-stuffer in Norwich a magnificent specimen
which had been shot in the neighbourhood a short time before my arrival.

The Grasshopper Warbler is of rather frequent occurrence, and so per-
fect is the resemblance between its note and the sound produced bya
large Grasshopper, that although I knew of the occurrence of the bird in
that part of the country, yet 1 was deceived by the little creature, and it _
was some time before I found out the deception, having anticipated the
capture of some large, and to me unknown, insect.

I saw a specimen of the great Shrike, Lantus Hxcubitor, not very far |
from Norwich, and the Red-backed Shrike, LZ. Collurio, appears to be not
uncommon, and one may see humble bees impaled on the thorns in the
hedges, the work of this bird.

Picus viridis, and Sitta europea, are pretty common, and often enter the |
gardens in and about the city.

The river Yare and its tributaries, together with the pools and ponds
scattered over the country, are tenanted by incredible numbers of fish,
and the angler may here pursue with unwonted success his silent avoca
tion. The Cyprinid@, which delight in sluggish rivers and ponds, here
supplant the Salmonide which in Scotland occupy such a prominent feature
in the Icthyology of the country,

4

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 7

That fierce monarch of the pool, the Pike, is here abundant, and often
attains a large size. When about a foot or so in length, it is often beau-
tifully variegated ina manner not presented by the fish when of larger size,
and its colours are seen to much advantage in a bright sun-shine. The
Gudgeon, a fish nearly allied to the Pike, is every where common, lying
near the bottom where there is mud. Eels are also numerous, and by
the process of “bobbing” I have seen a man in a fair way to fill a small
fishing coble with them. The larger ones are caught by means of a long
spear like a trident, which the fisher thrusts down into the mud.

The Perch is very common, but still more so is the Roach, which may
he sometimes seen in shoals of many hundreds. Though a very insipid
fish, it is much sought for, especially by juvenile anglers. ‘The Dace is
also common, and in my opinion resembles much in its habits the common
Trout. It is generally found in clear water, and in shallows, especially
where there is a sandy bottom. Besides these mentioned, various other
kinds of fish are met with, especially the Bream, which is found in great
plenty on some of the broads upon the Yare. Some of the largest are
nearly as deep as long, and an angler of my acquaintance insists on their
similarity to a pair of bellows.

The neighbourhood of Norwich is peculiarly rich in Entomological
treasures, and affords to the Insect-hunter an abundant supply wherewith
to gratify his love of collecting.

The splendid Calosoma Sycophanta has been repeatedly taken in the
neighbourhood, and I believe no where else in Britain. Carabus Monilis is
very common about gardens, &c. I mention it as being very rare in Scot-
land, Odacantha melanura, a rare insect, is not unfrequently met with in
Norfolk. The numerous pools and marshes, as well as the sluggish streams
with which the country abounds, give birth to a vast number of species of
water beetles, especially Dytiscide. Hydrous piceus, one of our largest
coleoptera, is found in the ditches about the city. Acilius canaliculatus is
common.

A large species of Prionus was found last summer in Lord Stafford’s
garden at Costessay by the gardener, who showed it tome. The very
first insect I took in Norfolk was at once the rarest and most valuable of
my captures there. It is the Blistering-fly, Cantharis vesicatoria, so com-
mon in the South of France, and so rare in this country. I found it un-
«der anash-tree. I also got several specimens of Leptura quadrifasciata, and
Saperda cylindrica.

The roses in the hedges and lanes have their blossoms almost covered
with a profusion of the Phyllopertha horticola ; and a species of Cock-
chaffer, Melolontha solstitialis, is extremely abundant, flying about in the
evening.

Among the Neuroptera, many species of Libellulide, or Dragon-tlies,
are very common, and among others I may mention Libellula depressa aud
quadrimaculata.

Dipterous insects are exceedingly plentiful, and I collected upwards of
a hundred species. As I am not much conversant with this department
of Entomology, I shall not mention any names, with the exception of Oes-
trus Equi.

Of Hymenoptera, I shall allude only to Sirex Juvencus, and four species
of Ammophila.

The Purple Emperor, Apatura Iris, I observed in a wood near the
city flying at a great height, and meandering among the top branches of a
lofty oak. The beautiful, though common, Peacock Butterfly, and the
Red Admiral, are both of frequent occurrence. The Skippers or Hes-
peride are pretty common about Norwich, on sunny banks and in wood-
land glades, along with Melitea Euphrosyne and Argynnis Aglaia. The
Hesperide taken are four in number.

Talso found Ino Statices, Sphine Ligustri, and Imerinthus ocellatus, the
two latter in the larva state. The J. ligustri, or Privet Moth, is common
in its Caterpillar state, in gardens about Norwich, feeding on the Lilac,
Syringa vulgaris. 1 have also seen it on the Asparagus.

The Dobchick, Podiceps minor, Waterhen, Gallinula Chloropus, to-
gether with the Coot, Fulica atra, and perhaps two or three others, in-
habit those lonely meres—

Where water-lilies lie afloat,
Each anchored like a fairy boat
Amid some fabled elfin lake:

and the Reed Warbler, Salicaria arundinacea, together with its fellow
the Sedge Warbler, are to be seen wherever there is a piece of water
fringed with alders and sedges, and it is indeed pleasant to see them

flit to and fro
Along the dark green reedy edge.

The whole family of the Sylviade, or Warblers, is very abundant
about Norwich, and among others the Lesser White-throat, one of which
Tcaught in an Insect net. The Nightingale is said to be occasionally
found in a wood belonging to Mrs Martineau near the city, a spot which
affords a delightful retreat to many of the smaller birds.

Two species of Sand-piper, the Pectoral and Broad-billed, have been

added to the British Fauna of late years from Yarmouth, near Norwich,
and not long ago there was procured in the same vicinity a specimen of
the Western Duck, now in a state of beautiful preservation in the Nor-
wich Museum, where I saw it.

Tke above sketch must necessarily be very defective, especially as re-
gards the Botanical and Entomological part, as a residence of many years
is required to enable a person to form anything like a complete local
fauna, but as such I do not consider it; and in conclusion I may state,
that if it has served to give a general idea of the productions of a county
In every way so interesting, my object has been attained.—J. M.

BOTANY.

Frora of Lonpon.—From a Paper read to the Botanical Society of
London, by Mr Daniel Cooper, being ‘*‘ Remarks on the Distribution of
Plants in the Vicinity of London,” it appears, that of the 104 natural or-
ders, 536 genera, and 1452 species, mentioned in Dr Lindley’s Synopsis
of the British Flora, there have been found 82 natural orders, 351 genera,
804 species,—a number greater than recorded in any other local Flora of
Great Britain, which is attributed to the great diversity of soil in the
neighbourhood of the metropolis.

Corron.—At a meeting of the Asiatic Society on the 5th January,
Professor Royle read a ietter from the Horticultural Society of Bengal,
which accompanied a small bale of Cotton, the growth of India, from
American seed, requesting the opinion of competent judges in England
as to its staple and price, compared with Indian and American Cottons.
It stated, that although the culture of American Cotton had not been
established in India on an extensive scale, it was hoped that the natives
would be induced, by the steady perseverance of the society, and the ex-
ample of several influential persons, to spread it extensively over all the
districts favourable to the growth of Cotton. Dr Royle also read a letter
from Mr Malcolmson, on the Cotton grown near Pestum, in the kingdom
of Naples, a small quantity of the seed of which he had forwarded, with
a request that it should be sent to the Horticultural Society of Bengal.
It was stated that two kinds of Cotton were cultivated in the kingdom
of Naples, the best of which was grown at Castellamare. Dr Royle
stated that he had received a note from the Hon. Fox Strangways, con-
taining an extract from a paper of Professor Tenore, on the Cotton spoken
of by Mr Malcolmson. It showed that the usual Cotton grown in the
kingdom was the Gossypium herbaceum ; but that the Cotton of Caste!la-
mare, which had been cultivated from time immemorial in Calabria, was
very probably the same as the American Cotton described in the Orto
Romano. For the cultivation of this Cotton in Castellamare, they were
indebted to the French, who had brought it from Calabria. Dr Royle
observed that it was most probably Gossypium hirsutum, or upland
Georgia Cotton.

Viora Lacrea.—John Nicholson, Esq., of Lincoln, has found a very
remarkable state of Viola lactea at Boulthane Lane, in the neighbourhood
of that city. Except at the base, the stems are quite erect, and many of
the specimens from a foot to eighteen inches tall; with the leaves and pe-
duncles very remote from each other, and many of the flowers apetilous.
—Annals of Nat. Hist.

GEOLOGY.

EarTHQuakes IN Cuire.—A number of observations relative to the
earthquakes of Chile have been collected by M. Dumoulin, an engineer,
and transmitted by him to M. Arago. From them it appears, that, con-
trary to the general opinion, they do not occur more frequently in one
season than another. There can be no doubt as to their elevating the
surface. The little river Tabul, which, at 22 or 23 leagues from Talca-
puano, was navigable for brigs in 1834, became fordable after the earth-
quake of 1835, and throughout the neighbourhood the beds of the streams
were elevated. In one year, Captain Costa, master of a whaler, found
the bottom of the sea, at the Island of St Mary, raised nine feet, and
rocks which were not uncovered even at low tide, were entirely out of
water, and not even covered by the sea when it was highest.

ON THE MEANS OF PREVENTING THE INJURIOUS EFFECTS OF LIGHTNING.
BY M. ARAGO.

In an Essay on Lightning, published in the Annuaire du Bureau des Lon-
gitudes, and of part of which a translation appears in the last number of
the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, M. Arago gives an account of the
facts recorded relative to this meteor, and of the inferences that may be
legitimately deduced from them. His section on the dangers arising from
lightning, and the means of obviating them, is here abridged.

Is the danger of being struck by lightning so great, that we ought rea-
sonably to attach importance to the means of guarding against it? In the

8 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

centre of the large towns of Europe, people, it would appear, are very
little exposed. Lichtenberg says that during half a century, five men only
were seriously struck with lightning in the town of Gottingen, and of
these only three died. In Halle a single individual only had been killed
by lightning between 1609 and 1825, or in more than two centuries. In
Paris there had not been a single death by lightning notified for a great
number of years. But, on the other hand, instances are not wanting of
persons having been killed in towns. Thus, on the night between the
26th and 27th of July 1759, a flash of lightning struck the theatre of the
town of Feltra. It killed a great number of those present, and more or
less wounded all the others. On the 18th of February 1770, a single
thunderbolt threw to the ground all the inhabitants of Keverne in Corn-
wall who were assembled in the parish church. In 1808, lightning fell
twice in rapid succession on the inn of the town of Capelle in Breisgau,
and killed four persons, and wounded a great many more. On the 20th
of March 1784, the lightning struck the theatre at Mantua, killed two and
wounded ten of four hundred persons present.

Yet, says M. Arago, no one will doubt me when I affirm that to each
of the inhabitants of Paris, or any other city, the danger of being struck
with lightning is less than that of being killed in the street by the fall of a
workman from a roof, or of a chimney-can, or flower-pot. There is no
one, I believe, who, in starting in the morning, dwells upon the idea that
a workman, or chimney, or flower-pot, will fall on his head. If, then,
fear reasoned, we should not be more uneasy during a thunder-storm
which lasted for a whole day. For the acquittal of our understandings,
however, it ought to be added, that the vivid and sudden flashes which
announce the lightning and its resounding thunders, produce involuntary
nervous effects, which the strongest frames cannot always resist. It
ought also to be stated, that if the descent of true thunderbolts is but rare,
the total number of strokes of lightning of one kind and another through-
out the year is, on the contrary, very great; that nothing distinguishes
the harmless flashes from the others; and that, however insignificant,
in reality, the danger may be, it seems to be increased by the great number
of its apparent renewals. This consideration will appear clearer if, return-
ing to our term of comparison, I suppose that at the moment when a
workman, or chimney, or flower-pot, was about to fall from a roof or a
window, a very loud detonation were to announce the event throughout
the whole extent of the city, every one might then conceive, many times
a day, that he was precisely in the street where the accident was to hap-
pen, and his alarm, without being at all better founded, would become
conceivable.

Were we to rely upon general belief, there is much greater danger in
villages than in large towns, and theoretical considerations would tend to
confirm this opinion; but on this subject facts are wanting. But if few
persons perish from thunder-storms in the heart of our towns, the number
of houses that are struck and seriously injured is great. During the single
night of the 14th and 15th April 1718, the lightning struck twenty-four
steeples in the space comprehended between Landernau and St Pol-de-
Leon, along the coast of Brittany. On the night of the 25th and 26th
of April 1760, the lightning fell three times, in the short interval of
twenty minutes, upon the chapel and other buildings of the Abbey of the
Notre-Dame-de-Ham. On the morning of the 17th of September 1772,
it injured four different buildings in Padua. In December 1773, the
lightning over London, nearly at the same moment, struck the steeple of
St Michael’s, the obelisk in St George’s Fields, the New Bridewell, a
house in Lambeth, another house near Vauxhall, and a great number of
other places yery distant from each other, not omitting a Dutch vessel
near the Tower. A learned German found in the year 1783, that within
the space of thirty-three years, lightning had struck 386 steeples, and had
killed 121 ringers. On the 11th of January 1815, during a thunder-storm
which embraced the space comprehended between the Northern Ocean
and the Rhenish Provinces, the lightning fell upon twelve steeples dis-
persed over this great extent of country, set fire to many, and greatly in-
jured others.

The necessity there is for protecting buildings against lightning should
be measured by the number of those which are annually struck by it, and
also by the extent and importance of the damage which it carries in its
train. In 1817, lightning set fire to the woodwork which terminated the
steeple of St Mark at Venice, and the whole was consumed. This
pyramid was rebuilt, but another thunder-storm reduced it to ashes on
the 12th of August 1489. Onthe 20th of May 1711, a single thunder-
bolt greatly damaged the principal tower of the town of Berne, and devas-
tated nine houses. On the 23d of April 1745, the pyramid of St Mark,
which on this occasion was built of stone, received a violent stroke of
lightning. On the night of the 25th and 26th April 1760, three strokes
of lightning set fire to the church of Notre-Dame of Ham, and completely
destroyed it. On the morning of the 18th of August 1769, lightning
fell upon the Tower of St Nazaire at Brescia, which stood upon a maga-
zine containing 2,076,000 pounds of gunpowder. This vast mass ignited
in a moment, in consequence of which the sixth part of the buildings in

that city were overturned, the rest much shaken, and 3000 persons
killed. Damage to an immense extent has also been committed on ship-
ping. For example, in fifteen months in 1829 and 1830, five ships of the
British Royal Navy were struck in the Mediterranean, and suffered greatly
in the rigging. The British ship Resistance, of forty-four guns, and the
Lynx, entirely disappeared during a severe thunder-storm, in a convoy of
which they formed a part. The Logan of New York, of 420 tons, and
L.20,000 value, was entirely consumed, and the Hannibal of Boston
shared the same fate in 1824.

The ancients believed that lightning never penetrates farther into the
earth than five feet. Hence the majority of caverns were considered by
them as secure asylums, and the Emperor Augustus, when a thunder-
storm was anticipated, used to retire to a low and vaulted retreat. But
no one, even at the present day, knows at what depth there is perfect se-
curity from descending lightning, and still less from ascending. In former
times also it was generally thought that persons who ensconced them-
selves in their beds had nothing to fear from lightning; but this opinion
is refuted by facts. The Romans considered the skin of the seal a pre-
servative against lightning; the people of the Cevennes collected the
cast skins of snakes for the same purpose. But although these may be
useless, it appears that the choice of clothing is not altogether a matter
of indifference, for numerous instances might be adduced in which it would
seem that some individuals appear to have been preserved, and others
struck, according as they wore particular garments, manufactured of par-
ticular materials; and wax-cloths, and silk and woollen stuffs, have been
considered as less permeable to lightning than linen. It even appears
that animals may be more or less severely injured in different parts of the
body, according to the colour of their hair. Thus in an Ox and a Horse
struck by lightning, the hair was destroyed on the white parts only. It
has been supposed that some trees, as the laurel, are not liable to be

struck by lightaing, but this opinion also has been found to be incor-
rect.

Many persons have been struck in the open country, but the danger is .

still greater under trees. It has been generally admitted, that lightning
always respects glass, but there are facts which disprove this also. Num-
berless examples show that liglitning never strikes individuals, without
more particularly attacking any metals which they may have about them.
It may therefore be admitted that such objects increase the danger of being
struck; and none will deny this conclusion, if the question refers to a
large tnass of metal, but the opinion is attended with more difficulty in
reference to those trifling metallic articles which often form a part of our
common dress. On the whole, however, it is preferable during a thun-
der-storm to have no metal about one. But it may be asked, is it of the
slightest consequence to regard the increase of danger which a watch, or
buckles, or the money in one’s purse, or which the wires, chains, and
pins in a lady’s dress, produce? ‘To this question no general answer can
be given; for every one will regard it through his own prepossessions, and
will more or less be determined by the apprehensions with which the
meteor inspires him.
(To be continued.)

Tue Waite Bircn.—The beautiful Jamine of the silken bark were
used by the ancients as a papyrus for writing tablets before the invention
of paper; and, according to Pliny and Plutarch, the works composed by
Numa were discovered in the tomb in a legible state four hundred years
after his interment. If a hole be bored in the tree when the sap rises in
the spring, a sweet liquor distils from it, which, properly fermented, with
the addition of sugar, makes a pleasant wine. This process is performed
in March, and four or five punctures may be made in a large tree, which
has been ascertained to yield nearly its weight of sap, and that without
material injury. When the weather changes from warm to cold, Birch
trees cease to bleed, and on returning warmth begin again. In Northum-
berland, fishermen put the bituminous bark into a cleft stick, and, light-
ing it, use it for fishing in the night, and spear the fish attracted by the
light. The portable canoes of the North American Indians are commonly
constructed with this material, and on the banks of the lakes of the north
of Europe are produced those enormous Birch trees, the bark of a single
one of which is sufficient to form a large canoe. The economical uses of
the different parts of this tree are almost endless, and to the inhabitants
of the northern climes it is invaluable.— 7. B. Hall, in the Naturalist.

Eprnsurcu: Published for the Proprietor, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Loxpon: Smits, Exper, and Co., 65, Cornhill. Gxiascow and the West of

Dusuin: GErorGE

Younc. Paris: J. B. Battyrere, Rue de |’Ecole de Médecine, No. 13 bis,

THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY.

Scotland: Jonn SmitH and Son; and Joun Macteop.

| fn

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF

NAS Ea Ae eS. EO was

AND OF

THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES.

APRIL, 1839.

ZOOLOGY.
OXEN.—BUFFALOES.—BOS BUBALUS.

Atraovcr much has recently been done to illustrate what has been
called the Bovine tribe of animals, more familiarly known as Oxen, yet
much still remains to be effected. The whole group is, by most Natu-
ralists, following Baron Cuvier, classed as one genus, namely, that of Bos,
and all the associate animals are considered merely as so many species
and varieties. This renders the genus very extensive, almost too much
so for convenient study; and, besides, so many and such marked differ-
ences abound, that it seems expedient to carry the subdivision somewhat
further. This, accordingly, has been done by some eminent Zoologists ;
and hence, in addition to the ovibus genus of M. de Blainville, at present
composed, we believe, of the Musk-Ox alone, three sub-genera have
been proposed, viz. the Bos or genuine Oxen, with their innumerable
varieties, in almost every part of the world; the Bison, including the
American Bison, and several other animals; and, thirdly, the Bubalus
or Buffalo group, some of which are familiar domesticated animals, whilst
others are wild. It should here be observed that this term Wild, as
applied to cattle, is used in widely different senses. As is well known,
the domestic Spanish breed was transported to South America soon after
its discovery. There they found a most congenial climate and soil, and
the race soon exceeded the requirements of the settlers, and ranged in
innumerable thousands over the fertile Pampas. These cattle, far re-
moved from the haunts of man, soon became estranged from him, acquired
new tastes and habits, and in many respects exhibited a perfect contrast
to their still domesticated relatives. Nor is this to be considered as a
solitary occurrence. Under such circumstances the cattle are denominated
wild cattle, and they acquire many claims to the appellation. But though
their habits are changed, their nature, it appears, is not; and experience
has shown that by a little trouble, and patient management, even the
adult animals may, in a few weeks, be afresh brought under the control
of man. Very different, however, is it with some other varieties distin-
guished as wild cattle, such, for example, as the African Buffalo, which it
would appear is as little susceptible of subjugation and domestication as
the Jaguar or the Tiger. This common appellation, applied in a two-fold
sense, together with the fact that certain changes are usually superinduced
on the external appearance, greatly augments the difficulty of arriving at
positive conclusions concerning the specific distinctions of many of the
animals that are subjected to our examination.

Some of the animals in the Buffalo group are still considerably obscured
by the circumstance above alluded to, whilst others again have characters
so distinctly marked as to enable us at once to classify them with tame
animals, or with wild beasts. Upon the whole, the Buffaloes, like the
more familiar oxen, are usually of a large stature, low in proportion to
their bulk, and supported upon strong and heavy limbs. The head too
is large; the forehead, though narrow, is remarkably strong and convex;
the chaffron is straight and flat, and terminated by a broad muzzle; the
horns are flat, bend laterally, and somewhat backwards, and are not,
therefore, very fit for goring; the ears are large, and never erect ; the
eyes too are large. They have no hump on the shoulders, and the dew-
lap is small; the back is rather straight, the hide more or less covered
with hair, and the tail long and slender. They avoid hills, and prefer
the neighbourhood of water; they swim well, and pass the broadest rivers
without hesitation. Their gait is commonly heavy and unwieldy; and
being principally guided by the sense of smell, they carry their head low.

In their combats they butt with their foreheads, try to toss their foe, and
crush him under their knees.

Passing by all the more doubtful varieties, we shall now give a short
description of the Common Tame Buffalo, and the Wild African one.
The Lame Buffalo (Bos bubalus, Linn.) seems originally to have been a
native of Eastern Asia, and its Archipelago. It is well known in China
and Cochin-China; it is the great beast of burden in Sumatra and Java,
and is the common animal food. In Ceylon, it is found wild as well as
tame. It abounds in the Malabar, in Hindostan, and Coromandel; also
in Persia and the Crimea. It seems to have been introduced into Europe
about the seventh century, and was unknown to the Ancients, whilst it is
now common and abundant in Egypt, Greece, Italy, and the other south-
eastern parts of Europe. The Lombard historian Warneftied informs us
that their first appearance in Italy excited the greatest surprise, whereas
they now graze, almost unobserved, in numerous herds. Their milk is
excellent; their hide very strong, and their flesh but slightly esteemed.
The forehead of this animal is convex and bulging, and higher than broad.
In its habits it is almost amphibious, and it is peculiarly fond of the long
rank herbage which springs up in moist and undrained countries. Hence
its love of the Pontine marshes, where, according to Scaliger, it will be
for hours submerged almost to the muzzle,—a habit which, according to
M. Quoy, it equally exhibits in the Island of Timor in the Southern
Ocean. Its stature varies according to the circumstances of food and
climate. The Hungarian and Italian breeds are almost eight and a half
feet long, and five feet high at the shoulders ; the hair is scattered, loose,
and black; and the tail long, terminated by atuft. The hide is of a pur-
plish black hue; in India, almost naked; in Egypt, sometimes totally
without hair; and in the Indian Archipelago, the anterior half is occa-
sionally covered with long hair, and the posterior is bare. It varies also
to rufous, and white occurs in some breeds. The Buffalo is at all times
of a somewhat doubtful docility. It is possessed of great strength for
burden and the plough, two, it is alleged, being equal to four Horses,
Their milk, in most warm countries, is indifferent, and their flesh worse.
In India, they furnish the milk from which the liquid butter named Ghee
is prepared. In that country the native herdsmen have very much sub-
dued them, and they ride on their favourites, and spend the nights with
them in the midst of jungles and forests without dread of the surrounding
wild beasts, which are terrified for them. When driven along, the herds
keep close together, so that the driver, if necessary, walks from the back
of one to another without much inconvenience. In Italy and Hungary
they are managed by means of a ring passed through the cartilage of the
nose; in India it is a mere rope. A dwarf variety is described by Pen-
nant, but it seems to be of the same species. The character and formid-
able powers even of these tame animals is admirably illustrated by the
following incident, related by Mr D. Johnson. Two carriers were driv-
ing a loaded string of these Buffaloes from Palamow to Chittrah. When
within a few miles of the latter place, a Tiger seized the man in the rear.
This was seen by a herdsman who was watching his Buffaloes grazing ;
and he immediately ran to the man’s assistance, and cut the Tiger very se-
verely with his sword; upon which it dropped the carrier and attacked
the herdsman. The Buffaloes immediately observed this; in their turn they
attacked the Tiger, and rescued the herdsman; they tossed it from one to
another, and to the best of my recollection killed it. Both the wounded
men were brought to me; the carrier recovered, the noble herdsman
died.—(See Griffiths’ Cuvier.)

The Cape Buffalo (Bos Caffer, Sparman) has sometimes been mistaken

10 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

for the preceding species, but is very different both in appearance and dis

position. It has never been domesticated nor tamed to labour. Its horns
are very remarkable, not for their extraordinary length, but for their roots
and base, rugged and uneven, being so unusually broad as to cover the
whole forehead, and to impart to it, says Burchell, the appearance of a
mass of rock. The expression of the animal is savage and malevolent.
Its bulk exceeds that of the Ox; for though its height is not much greater,
it is more robust and strongly built. Its muzzle, when young, is but thinly
covered with hair, the withers are high, the tail short. This Buffalo is
found in abundance, or rather, used to be found, in Southern Africa,
and thence stretches into the interior along the east coast as far as has
hitherto been explored ; and this is its only known locality. All travellers
are agreed it is dangerous to intrude incautiously into the haunts of the
Buffalo, as it is easily irritated, and rushes with blind fury against the ob-
ject of offence, bearing all before it. In its native regions it is killed in
pitfalls, like many of the larger game, by the natives, but the European
makes use of the rifle alone. The following account of a Buffalo hunt is
very characteristic of the animal. A party of boors had gone out to hunt
a herd of Buffaloes, which were grazing on a piece of marshy ground. As
they could not conveniently get within shot of the game without crossing
a part of the marsh, which did not afford a safe passage for Horses, they
agreed to leave their steeds in charge of their Hottentots, and to advance
on foot, thinking that if any of the Buffaloes should turn upon them, it
would be easy to escape by retreating across the quagmire, which, though
passable for man, would not support the weight of a heavy quadruped.
They advanced accordingly, and under covert of the bushes, approached
the game with such advantage, that. the first volley brought down three
of the fattest of the herd, and so severely wounded the great Bull leader,
that he dropped on his knees, bellowing furiously. Thinking him mor-
tally wounded, the foremost of the huntsmen issued from the covert, and
began reloading his musket as he advanced to give him a f “i hing shot;
but no sooner did the infuriated animal see his foe in front of him, than
he sprang up and rushed headlong upon him. The man throwing down
his heavy gun, fled towards the quagmire; but the beast was so close
upon him, that he despaired of escaping in that direction, and turning
suddenly round a clump of copsewood, began to climb an old mimosa
tree which stood at the one side of it. The raging beast, howeyer, was
too quick for him, bounding forward with a roar, which my informant de-
scribed as being one of the most frightful sounds he ever heard, he caught
the unfortunate man with his horns, just as he had nearly escaped his
reach, and tossed him into the air with such force, that the body fell
dreadfully mangled into a cleft of the tree. The Buffalo ran round the
tree once or twice, apparently looking for the man, until weakened with
loss of blood, he again sunk on his knees. The rest of the party recov-
ering from their confusion, then came up and despatched it, though too
late to save their comrade, whose body was hanging in the tree quite dead.
—(Pringle’s African Sketches, p. 271.)

AZARA’S ACCOUNT OF THE ‘‘ LITTLE MARTIN” OF SOUTH AMERICA.

We take the following short extract from M. Walckenaer’s Edition of the
celebrated and unfortunate Azara’s ‘* Voyages” to South America, and
hope ere long to introduce the celebrated Naturalist in a more formal man-
ner to the intimate acquaintance of our readers : we are sure it will be to
their profit and delight. ‘‘ I have often observed the Little Martin in the
woods of Paraguay. It there always flies above the highest trees; and
if, in the plain, it sometimes approaches within thirty or forty feet of the
ground, it instantly remounts to its accustomed elevation, so that I haye
never been able to shoot one. It does not migrate, and is very wild. It
scarcely lights either on trees or the ground, but ever is skimming along
like the Swallow, sometimes, in passing, catching the spiders hangiug from
the trees. It is not very unlike the Common Martin in appearance, and
is sometimes called the Bat-Swallow from its resemblance to that crea-
ture, both in colour and uncertain flight; it is, however, more rapid in
flight than any other of its race. On the wing it executes every kind of
movement ; sometimes merely fluttering, then spreading wide its wings,
now mounting high, and then darting off in a straight line or obliquely. It
threads the branches with the greatest address, and is so peculiarly des-
tined for flying, that it sometimes does not repose for an instant the whole
day.

** From his able and zealous assistant Noseda, Don Azara obtained
the following particulars: I have often pursued these birds, and have
hever got a shot at one; not only on account of the rapidity of
their flight, but also on account of their great shyness, which pre-
vents them from ever coming within gun-shot, and at the same time
they are very cunning. Tired of so much useless fatigue, I ordered an
Indian to examine if these Martins never perched upon the trees during
the hottest part of the day, ard also to discover the places where they
spent the night. This Indian spent a whole week in the wood, and re-
marked that these birds never rested during the day, and that they often
mounted quite out of sight. At last, however, he discovered a tree of

extraordinary dimensions, and very bushy, whence he perceved many
Martins sallied forth at break of day. He examined this hole; and hay-
ing noticed that a current of air issued from it, he concluded that there
might be a second opening, which he discovered near the ground. I so
placed myself, that I could see birds enter this domicile. They arrived
at sunset in small troops (I counted sixty-two), but so rapidly, they could
scarcely be distinguished. I heard their wings striking against the mar-
gin of the entrance, and which was so small that they could not obtain
admittance with extended wing, although the interior was large enough to
permit them to pass two abreast. During the night, I closed both open-
ings, and heard the birds flying about in the interior. Next morning the
tree was cut down, and forty Martins were taken, the others having es-
caped. I examined the interior, and found it was only suited for creepers.
Some of the birds 1 put into a cage, and allowed the others to fly about
the house. I perceived they could rot stand; and that their crooked,
nails, very strong and sharp, afford them many facilities in climbing.’
After this follows a very minute noting, after his fashion, of specific cha-
racters, which, however, we shall not inflict upon our readers.

Tue Common Fowt a Mouse-rater.—If the following incident is not
of frequent occurrence, it may be interesting to your readers. The other
day, in going along a road near a farm yard, my attention was arrested by
a large flock of Hens pursuing with great avidity a Common Field Mouse.
Every now and then, as opportunity offered, they made a peck at it, but
this produced little impression upon the object of their pursuit, and it at
length succeeded in getting into a crevice, behind a post gate, where its
vigilant pursuers stood around anxious to renew the attack. A person
who was present drove the Mouse from its retreat, when the Hens again
commenced the chase; but as they seemed to make cruel work of it, the
Mouse was killed for them, when they all surrounded it, and began to
make a meal of its Mesh. It was amusing to see the Chickens in this hunt,
who, although they joined the party, were evidently quite afraid of their
victim, for if it accidentally turned round between their legs, they jumped
up and ran away backwards, apparently in a great state-of agitation. Mr
John Jennings, Jun., of Campsall, to whom the Hens belong, assured me
that this was not an uncommon scene, and that the Hens always ate the
Mice when they succeeded in killing them.—Epwin Lankerter, Campsall,
Yorkshire, March 20, 1839.—(From the Naturalist of April.)

A Tatxine Canary.—Such a marvel is now exhibiting in the Cosmo-
rama Rooms, in Regent Street, London. The loquacious Canary articu-
lates with singular neatness and fluency, and with as much ease and
volubility as he warbles, though his vocabulary, of course, is very limited.
In the middle of a snatch of asong, you hear him pronounce these words,
—<‘‘ Sweet pretty little Dicky,” ‘* Pretty Queen,” ** Dicky dear,” and other
fond appellations bestowed upon him by his Mistress; he also makes a
chirping imitation of a bell ringing, and calls “‘ Mary.”—(Spectator.)

ECCALEOBION, OR THE ARTIFICIAL HATCHING OF CHICKENS.

A curious exhibition under the name of ‘‘ Eccaleobion” is about to be
opened in London. It is a machine heated by steam, and divided into
various compartments for the hatching of birds by artificial heat. There
is also another machine, in which eggs of every date, from the time of
their being laid, until twenty-one days old, are so placed that by means of
a strong artificial light they are rendered transparent, so that the spectator
can observe the progress of hatching, from the origin of life in the chicken
until its complete formation. One side of the large room in which the
exhibition is placed is set apart for the chickens when hatched, and bears
the appearance of a miniature poultry yard. The contrivance is an improve-
ment on the Egyptian mode of artificial heating in ovens, and is well
worth the visit of the Naturalist and the curious.— (Newspaper para-
graph.)

SHootinc Wotves 1n Roussra.—Two or three sportsmen place them-
selves, well armed, ina sledge, and are driven through the roads and tracks
jn the woods. As they go along, they pull the ears of a young Pig which
they take with them, and make it squeel, while behind the sledge trails a
Jong rope, with a wisp of straw at the end of it. The Wolf hears the
Pig squeel, and seeing the bundle of straw dancing along over the snow
in the moonlight, makes a dart at it, mistaking it for his prey, and thus
presents a fair mark to the guns in the sledge, This sport, like all others,
has its vicissitudes; sometimes the disappointment is incurred of a blank
night, and sometimes, on the other hand, too much game is started, and
the amusement becomes somewhat dangerous. If the sportsmen have
not time to pick up the Wolves they kill, the others tear the bodies of
their dead companions, and becoming furious, will attack the sledges.
A gentleman who lives near this, and who we often see, met with an
adyenture of this kind sometime ago ; for after making his pig squeel for
some time in vain, he at length unexpectedly attracted such a troop of
Wolves that he was obliged to fly for safety, and trust to his horses
heels, and he was pursued by 12 or 14 of the ravenous creatures even
into the village.—(Venables’ Domestic Scenes in Russia.)

AND OF THE PHYSICA] SCIENCES. 1]

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY.
A FEW ELEMENTARY TRUTHS REGARDING ELECTRICITY.

THERE is no department of science which, at the present day, is extend-
ing its boundaries more rapidly and widely than Electricity, and that to the
astonishment and delight of all who are watching its progress. Some
particulars regarding it are somewhat obscure and difficult of apprehension,
but the great majority are quite level to common capacities, and excite
the liveliest attention to their results, at once familiar, and, many of them,
beyond conception, remarkable and grand. We hope frequently to bring
some of these novelties under the attention of our readers; and as we
would ‘* begin with the beginning,” we shall endeavour on the present
occasion to propound some of the elemental truths of the science, in a
manner that will be level nearly to every capacity. Our motive will, we
are confident, command the forbearance of the more accomplished stu-
dent.

If a smooth glass tube, or a stick of sealing-wax, be rubbed on the sleeve
of the coat, or with a piece of dry flannel, it will be found to have acquired
from this friction a new property, which will be exhibited by holding the
newly rubbed body over small shreds of paper, or any other light article
placed on the table, which will be immediately affected. This property
was originally named electricity, from being first observed in amber, the
electron of the Greeks. About a hundred years ago, it was discovered
that there were two different kinds of electricity, occasioned by the differ-
ent methods in which it was excited. When produced by glass, hair,
wool, and many other bodies, it was called vitreous or positive; when
produced by resinous substances, such as wax, and by amber, silk, &c., it

" was called resinous or negalive ; and the distinguishing character of these
two electricities is, that a body with posétive electricity repels all bodies
with positive electricity; and a body with negative electricity repels all
bodies with negative electricity; while, at the same time, each mutually
attracts the other. Hence, two electrified silk threads repel each other,
as do also two electrified woollen threads, but an electrified silk will at-
tract an electrified woollen thread. Intimately connected with this pro-
perty of attraction and repulsion is another not less interesting, namely,
that of exciting light, not unfrequently in the form of sparks, as is often
seen in separating certain silk and woollen stockings which haye been
worn. A variety of suitable instruments, known under the name of
electrical machines, were speedily invented for exciting this agent in large
quantities, and from these the electric spark may be procured in great
brilliancy. Ere long, another apparatus was devised, not for exciting the
spark, but for retaining and accumulating the electricity when formed.
The most celebrated of these is the Leyden phial, or electric jar, whose
retaining property depends upon the fact that certain substances are non-
conductors ; for when a body highly electrified is touched with a piece
of glass, its peculiar property suffers no change, but if touched with a
piece of metal, it is instantly deprived of all its electricity; hence the
glass and the metal possess different properties, the former being incapable,
and the latter capable, of carrying off electricity ; and hence the metal is
said to be a conductor, and the glass a non-conductor of electricity. Many
other substances belong to each of these classes; and, accordingly, the
electricity of a body, speedily dissipated in the open air, may, by simple
contrivances, be long retained in the Leyden jar; and a number of these
jars being collected, and combined together in suitable arrangement, form
the electric battery, in which numerous sparks may be collected, and
powerful shocks may be communicated. It is long since the phenomena
of this electricity were compared and identified with those exhibited by
that of the atmosphere when serene, and when they appear with new
splendour in the terrific grandeur of thunder and lightning. Mr Dalebard,
at the instigation of Count Buffon, erected near Paris an iron rod upon
three long poles, insulated by glass feet and silken threads, whence on
the 10th of May 1752 sparks were elicited by many astonished observers
with a crackling noise. It was in June of the same year that the cele-
brated Franklin obtained similar results from his silken kite, by its means
drawing the lightning down from the clouds; and immediately afterwards
the same effects were every where procured. Under arrangements made
‘with a kite by Romas, flashes of fire a foot long, and three inches wide,
were received with a noise audible at the distance of 500 feet, and straws
three feet from the conductor were made to dance upon the ground.

At the same time it is not to be forgotten that there are many other
excitants of electricity besides friction, of which we shall enumerate a
few. One of these is heat (Thermo-electricity), the effects of which are
strikingly exhibited in many minerals and salts, and in metallic bodies, as
by raising the temperature of one end of a plate of silver, while the other is
retained at the temperature of the surrounding air: Another is galvanism
(Voltaic electricity) ; and a third magnetism (Magnetic electricity). On
these we must not dwell. But, moreover, even simple pressure induces
electricity, as when a piece of cork is pressed against a piece of Indian
tubber ; so does a change of form, as in the melting and cooling of resinous
bodies; as likewise do the common processes of evaporation and combus-
ion, and especially that peculiar chemical action which occurs in every

instance of chemical union and decomposition. From all this it canuot
but follow as a necessary consequence that electricity is produced abun-
dantly in the complicated processes which are ever going forward in ani-
mated nature. The recent experiments of M. Pouillet have clearly de-
monstrated this in vegetation, and led to the conclusion that a vegetating
surface of 100 square yards in extent produces in a day more electricity
(negative) than would be sufficient to charge the strongest battery; and
electricity resulting from animal life, may with all safety be inferred to be
still more copious and powerful.

The phenomena of attraction and repulsion, proceeding from bodies in
different states of electricity, is admirably exhibited by stockings after they
have been worn in a very common fashion, which long ago was well de-
scribed by Mr Symmer. This gentleman found the electricity most
powerful when a silk and worsted stocking had been worn on the same
leg; and was best exhibited by putting the hand between the leg and the
stockings, and pulling them off together. The one stocking being thus
drawn out of the other, they appeared more or less inflated. Mr
Symmer’s first trials were accidentally made with black silk stockings, and
he was surprised to find that white ones produced no electricity. Two
white silk stockings, or two black ones, when put on the same leg and
taken off, gave no electrical indications. ‘When a black and a white
stocking were put on the same leg, and at the end of ten minutes taken
off, they were so much inflated when pulled asunder, that each of them
showed the entire shape of the leg, and at the distance of a foot and a
half they rushed to meet each other. With worsted stockings, also, no-
thing but the combination of black and white produced electricity. When
an excited white and black stocking are presented to each other, they
attract one another, inclining to each other at the distance of three feet,
catching hold of each other within two feet, and at a less distance rush-
iug together with surprising violence, beccming as flat as so many folds of
silk when they are joined. But what appears most extraordinary is, that
when they are separated, and removed to a sufficient distance from each
other, their electricity does not seem to have been in the least impaired
by the shock they had in meeting. They are again inflated, again attract
and repel, and are ready to rush together as before. When this experi-
ment is performed with two black stockings in one hand, and two white
in the other, it exhibits a very curious spectacle; the repulsion of those
of the same colour, and the attraction of those of different colours, throws
them into an agitation which is not unentertaining, and makes them catch
each at that of its opposite colour, at a greater distance than one would
expect. Whien allowed to come together, they all unite in one mass.
When separated they resume their former appearance, and admit of the
repetition of the experiment as often as you please, till their electricity,
gradually wasting, stands in need of being recruited. In the course of his
experiments Mr Symmer accidentally threw a stocking out of his hands,
and some time afterwards he found it sticking to the paper hangings of
the room. They stuck also to the painted pannelling, and often con-
tinued for a whole hour suspended upon the hangings.

HYDROGRAPHY.

INTERMITTENT BRINE SPRINGS, NEAR KISSINGEN, IN BAVARIA.

Tue following is a summary of an able paper read to the Royal Society
of Edinburgh by that most indefatigable cultivator of Science, Professor
Forbes. We extract it from the published ‘‘ Procerpines” of the So-
ciety. The Memorr is published in fullin the April Number of the Edin.
burgh New Philosophical Journal, and is, of course, still more interesting
than the Summary.

The watering-place of Kissingen is situated about 60 English miles
east of Frankfort. Long before it was frequented for medical purposes,
its salt springs were turned to profitable account. Of these there are
several, but the one recently enlarged by boring, known under the name
of the Runde Brunnen, is much more remarkable than the others, on
account of its Copiousness, its Temperature, its discharge of Carbonic
Acid Gas in vast quantity, and its extraordinary phenomenon of Inter-
mission.

The spring rises through the new red sandstone, of which the valleys
in the neighbourhood of Kissingen are composed, on the left bank of the

river Saal, whose course is marked for many miles by the occurrence of

mineral springs, and by the discharge of carbonic acid gas. The author
supposes its direction to be connected with a line of fissure, and the gas
to have its origin in the neighbouring extinct volcanic focus of the
Rhongebirge.

The present spring was bored for in 1822, and the 4-inch shaft was
carried to a depth of 323 Bavarian feet fiom the surface; but at the top
it expands into a well eight feet in diameter. At a depth of 156 feet, the
water ebbed for the first time, and it has done so since with more or less
regularity ; but what is particularly strange is, that this regularity appears
to depend in a not very conceivable way upon the action of the pumps
which are employed to raise the brine from the shaft for the purpose of

evaporation. Whilst the pumping machinery works, the ebb and flow
of the spring are very regular ; when it stops, the regularity nearly ceases.
When the spring is in full flow, its appearance is very striking. The
great shaft of eight feet in diameter is filled with water, agitated in the
most violent manner by the torrents of gas which it discharges. Whilst
its turbulence is at a maximum, the gas abruptly ceases to flow, and in a
few seconds the surface of the water in the shaft is perfectly tranquil.
The water descends, and continues to do so, at first rapidly, then more
slowly, until it has subsided nine or ten feet, which occurs in about fifteen
minutes. This point has been but just reached, or for a very short time,
when a sudden swelling up of the water first, and then of the gas, is
observed in the bottom; the shaft fills very slowly,—the flow of water
and of gas continue for a long time progressively to increase, not appa-
rently attaining their maximum until the water is at its full height, which
requires from thirty to forty minutes after the first return of the stream.
It remains in a state of violent agitation for two hours, or somewhat
more, when the preceding cycle of phenomena is repeated. This descrip-
tion applies to the ordinary state of the spring, when five or six pumps
are in action; if these are fewer the periods are longer ; if more, the re-
verse. This Mr Forbes clearly made out, from registers of observations
frequently verified by himself. Of the natural state of the spring, when
no pumps work, he had not the same means of satisfying himself. There
can be no doubt, however, that, in that case, the periods are longer and
more uncertain, those of flow amounting to three, four, or five hours, and
of ebb to one, two, or three. Several of the neighbouring springs appear
to partake of the intermittent character, especially as regards the carbonic
acid gas which they discharge.

The temperature of the spring, many times observed during its various
phases, was 65° Fahr. very nearly, and it seemed perfectly stationary.
Now, it appears from direct observations, that the mean temperature of
the air at Kissingen is about 51°, or 14° lower. The author made many
observations upon the temperature of springs in the neighbourhood, both
pure and mineral, which he finds to indicate a mean temperature rather
lower than the above. Thus the great brine spring, in addition to its
other remarkable characteristics, is distinctly a hot spring, or thermal. Nor
can this be ascribed to the depth of the bore through which it issues, for
the spring which rose in the same spot before that bore was made had
the same temperature half a century ago, and it did not increase during
the operation of boring. A neighbouring spring, also intermittent and
saline, called the Schonborn Quelle, rising through a bore 550 feet deep,
has a temperature of only 52°.

Lastly, the author gives some account of the products of the spring.
Thirty and a half cubic inches of almost pure carbonic acid gas are com-
bined with one pound of water; but this gives no conception of the vast
streams of that substance disengaged by the spring during its period of
activity, and of which it is difficult to obtain the roughest measurement.
It-is collected and applied medicinally to different parts of the body, in
baths suitably arranged. The water of the spring is discharged at the
rate of from thirty-five to forty Bavarian cubic feet per minute during its
full action. Its specific gravity is about 1.0157. The solid matter it
contains amounts to 22.37 grains in 1000 of water, and consists, according
to the analysis of Kastner, of 14 grains chloride of sodium, 3.2 muriate of
magnesia, 0.5 muriate of lime, 3.3 sulphate of soda, 1.0 carbonates of
magnesia and lime, together with several other substances in small quan-
tity. It closely resembles the composition of sea-water. The brine is
concentrated from 24 to 17 per cent. by spontaneous evaporation in drop-
ping through stacks of black thorn; and in this process at least 180
millions of pounds of water are annually carried off in the invisible form
by the atmosphere. The quantity of pure salt obtained from this spring
alone amounts to about 28,000 hundred weight (Bavarian Centner)
yearly.

REVIEWS.

Tales about Animals.—By Prrer Partey. 7th Edition.
Thomas Tegeg and Son. 1888.

Or the books on Natural History, lying upon our table, we take up the
one not of highest scientific pretensions, but one which we regard as emi-
nently qualified to promote the great object we have in this Journal,
namely, to spread abroad a taste for the science, and to impart amuse-
ment to young and old. We allude to the seventh and last edition of
Peter Parley’s ** Tales about Animals.” We have not the honour of
knowing Mr Peter Parley, nor his publishers ; but both highly merit pub-
lic support, and we have little doubt have received it. This is really a
beautiful volume, in 18mo (we believe), extending to between 600 and
700 pages, and containing, we should suppose, not fewer small wood-cuts,
generally exceedingly well executed. The arrangement adopted is not that
of any of our systematic works, though we should opine Mr Peter is no

London,

2 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

stranger to these. The able author seems to have aimed at introducing
his subjects according to the interest they are found generally to produce,
and their economic importance. Thus, the first portion is devoted to the
Felines, from the Lion down to the Hygena and Cat; then we have the
Ruminants—Oxen, Camels, Giraffs, Sheep; the Solipeds—the Horse, the
Zebra, &c.; then Elephants, Rhinoceroses, Bears, Hares, Rats, Squir-
rels, Monkeys, Beavers, Hedgehogs, Bats, &c., &c. These occupy nearly
half the volume. Then come the Birds, arranged on somewhat the same
principle, occupying nearly 200 pages. Then we have Fishes, from the
Whales (about whose station we will not quarrel), the mighty monarchs
of the deep, down to the Gold-fish, swimming on the drawing-room table ;
not forgetting the Sharks, and Electrical Fishes, and the Cod, and Tur-
bot, and Salmon, and Trout toboot. Then come the Reptilia—the In-
sects, occupying about 30 pages; the whole concluded with a very slight
notice of the Annelides, Zoophytes, and Polypi— Worms, Star-fish, Corals,
&c. The object evidently is to afford combined amusement and informa-
tion, and that object has been most happily, and we may add elegantly,
obtained. Many an interesting fact will be recalled to the recollection of
the Naturalist; and for children, and even infants (attracted by the wood-
cuts), we know, from observation, it is an entertaining and quieting, as
well as quiet companion, beguiling many of what would be otherwise
tedious hours. Regarding the seventh edition we learn, that the number
of articles is nearly doubled; the quantity of letter-press is more than
doubled; and no less than two hundred and twenty wood-cuts are added.
Care has also been taken to make the volume accord as muchas possible
with its title of Tats about Animals, and to give it a tendency to inspire
in the minds of the young a spirit of mercy and kindness towards the
brute creation. As a specimen, we quote a single page (91-2), in no
way superior in interest to the other 640.

The endearing affection of Dogs for their masters is well known. In
the year 1827, there was a Dog constantly to be seen in St Bride’s
Church-yard, Fleet Street, which for two years had refused to leave the
place where his master was buried. He did not appear miserable; he
evidently recollected their old companionship, and seemed to imagine that
their friendship would again be renewed. The inhabitants of the neigh-
bouring houses daily fed the poor creature, and the sexton built him a
little kennel. But he would never quit the spot; and there he died.—
The stories of attachment between Lions and Dogs are well authenti-
eated; and in several instances the stronger animal has afforded a pro-
tection to his trembling victim, which has ripened into friendship. In a
well regulated travelling menagerie, belonging to a person named Aikins,
there was in the Autumn of 1828 a Spaniel bitch, affording sustenance
to a young Tiger that was sick, and not expected to live, and which she
evidently tended with affectionate solicitude.—There is a most interesting
account of the rescue of a child from death, by one of the St Bernard
Dogs, which is sweetly put into verse by Mrs Sigourney.

*Twas night in good St Bernard’s hall,
And winter held his sway,

And round their fire the Monks recall
The perils of the day.

Their fruitless search ’mid storm and blast,
Some traveller to befriend ;

And with the tale of perils past,
A hymn of praise to blend.

When loud at their monastic gate
The Dog was heard to moan.
Why doth he, wander forth so late,

Unguided and alone ?

Long on the dreariest Alpine height
Inured to bold pursuit,

His shaggy coat with frost wak-white,
In rushed the lordly brute.

And crouching at his master’s feet
A burden strange he laid,

A beauteous babe, with aspect sweet,
Close wrapp’d in silken plaid.

A ProressorsutP, which promises to realize the most important results
as regards the advancement of science, is about to be established in the
Durham University, namely, a Professorship of Mining, an endowment
which has long been a desideratum in this country ; and from the peculiarly
favourable position of Durham, in the heart of the great mining districts
in England, the students will at all times have the advantage of bringing

their theoretical instruction to the test of actual experiment.

EprxsurcH: Published for the Proprieror, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Giascow and the West of
Scotland: Joan SmirH and Son; and Joun Mactrop. Dustin: GEORGE
Younc. Paris: J. B. Bartrrere, Rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, No. 13 bis.

Lonpon: Smitu, Exper, and Co., 65, Cornhill.

THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY:

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

THE PHYSICAL

SCIENCES.

MAY, 1839.

ZOOLOGY.

AZARA’S ACCOUNT OF THE DOGS OF PARAGUAY.

Tae Dogs found in Paraguay may be conveniently divided into the do-
mestic and tame kinds. The former are of all sizes, and generally of
crossed races, no care being taken to preserve them pure. I do not re-
member to have ever seen either the Common Hound or the Greyhound.
Except those which are reared in the houses of the pueblos, none of them
will eat bread, or aught else than raw flesh, which is every where abun-
dant.

Among the domestic varieties those called Ovejeros, or Sheep-Dogs,
are particularly deserving of notice, because in this country, where there
are no shepherds as in Europe, they act in their place, and take charge
of the flocks. These Dogs, early in the morning, drive the flock from
the fold, they conduct it to the plain, accompany it the whole day, keep
it united; and if they are numerous, they place themselves round about
it, defending it from Birds of Prey, from wild Dogs, from Man, and from
every other enemy. At sunset they conduct the Sheep back again to
the fold, and sleep and pass the night along with them. If any of the
very young and feeble Lambs lag behind, they carefully take them up in
their mouths, and carry them awhile, returning for them again and again,
till none remain. ‘These Dogs area large race, differing somewhat from the
Mastiff. They are very carefully reared and trained by the natives, who
remove them as soon as they are whelped, and consign them to the care
of the Ewes to suckle them, keeping them constantly in the fold, till they
are able to follow the flock to the plain. As while young they have a
great tendency to amuse themselves with the Sheep, and seriously to
alarm them, a collar of long cross sticks is put upon their necks, which
preveuts them from freely exercising their limbs. They are abundantly
supplied with food and drink every morning; and sometimes a portion of
flesh, which, however, is neither mutton nor kid, is tied round their necks
that they may eat when inclined. The females are never so reared ; and
the Dogs are invariably emasculated. These Dogs are held in the highest
possible estimation, and are usually sold at from twenty to twenty-five
dollars, whilst.a Sheep is not worth more than from twopence to four-
pence.

Besides this wonderful breed, there is another variety which is scarcely
less singular. These can scarcely be said to be of any determinate breed,
but proceed from the middling and larger kinds generally. Although the
offspring of the domestic Dogs in the country huts, they are ever ready
to follow, obey, and show marks of attachment to any passing traveller.
This attachinent, however, is alike fitful and short-lived; for whenever
it strikes their fancy, they, without the slightest reason, at the end of a
few days, or even of the first, will part company, and remain at a hut, or
even on the plain, there waiting to join the next traveller who appears.
In short, these Dogs, which are tolerably abundant, seem perfectly de-
void of all partiality for any person, or any dwelling-place.

The Wild Dogs are the offspring of the domestic ones, and have ac-
quired their liberty, not, perhaps, so much from choice, or from a wish
to leave home, as from necessity; for multiplying prodigiously, they
become a nuisance, and from want of food, and mutual strife, they are
compelled to sally forth into the plains ; others assume this character from
being left behind by travellers, overcome by fatigue. As these Wild Dogs
cannot sulssist upon the smaller kinds of prey, having neither the cunning
nor the nocturnal vision of the Fox, they live chiefly upon Calves and

Colts. In hunting these they always go in companies, attacking the
a

herds of Cattle and Horses, and scaring them away, so that they may
seize and devour the young ones which are left behind. Their common
wants, which thus combine them for the purpose of hunting, do not
confer upon them the privilege of eating in common; for the most power-
ful satisfy their appetites first, leaving the remains only of their repasts to
the others. As vigour is essentially requisite for this kind of hunting,
they are all large and powerful Dogs, very much resembling the kind
which Buffon designates the Great Danish Dog; at the same time they
have a rougher coat, a longer and sharper muzzle, larger ears, and a
thicker neck, than the domestic animals of the same breed. They carry
their ears very erect, and their tails usually hang down. They rear their young
in caves, which they excavate in the earth, or appropriate those which
have been formed by some otlier animal. They are not subject to hydro-
phobia, which is unknown in this country. They bark a great deal, and
howl at times like the domestic Dog; they usually flee from Man. In
colour they are generally reddish-bay, dark chestnut, and black, though
some are spotted of all colours. Throughout the whole Pampas of Buenos
Ayres they are exceedingly numerous, and their total extinction would be
of infinite benefit to the country, on account of the great havoc they make,
and the destruction they occasion amongst the Cows and Sheep. The
inhabitants go out every now and then to hunt them, some mounted on
horseback, killing them with spears, rifles, and the lasso; but this mode
of destroying them is very laborious and insufficient withal. A more easy
and efficacious method would be to poison them with the fruit called
malaca, which sprinkled on flesh laid in their way would inevitably kill
them.

After his description of these varieties, Azara expresses his astonish-
ment that Buffon should carry to the Jength it is well known he did, his
opinion asto the influence of climate in modifying the peculiarities of one
and the same species. The Spanish Naturalist combats at length Buffon’s
error, and probably goes quite as far on the other side. Instead, how-
ever, of at all entering upon this difficult controversy, we shall here sub-
join one of the ‘‘ additional notes” which the translator has appended to
the recent English edition of this work, and which throws more light
upon the point than most abstract arguments. A male and female of the
Hare-Indian Dog (variety Lagopus) were brought over by Dr Richard-
son and Sir John Franklin from the neighbourhood of the Great Bear
Lake, and the Mackenzie River in the Arctic regions, of which it is a
native, to this country, and being presented to the Zoological Society, was
placed in their gardens, where puppies were produced. These Dogs in
their native country never bark—a characteristic. which continued to dis-
tinguish the old individuals in their new land of abode; the young, how-
ever, we are told, ‘‘have learned to imitate the language of their fellows.”
—Abridged from Mr Hunter's translation of d'Azara’s Nat. Hist. of the
Quadrupeds of Paraguay.

A NEW SPECIES OF ANTELOPE, 2GOCERUS NIGER.—-THE SABLE ANTELOPE.

A srurrep specimen of the above very large and beautiful species of
Antelope, hitherto unknown, was last year brought to this country from
the Cape of Good Hope, and the following communication concerning it,
from Captain W. C. Harris, Bombay Engineers, was read to the Zoolo-
gical Society of London :—<‘‘ I beg the favour of your presenting to the
Zoological Society the accompanying drawing and description of an en-
tirely new and very interesting species of Antelope, which I discovered
in the course of an expedition to the interior of Africa, from which I
have lately returned. It would appear to belong to the sub-genus Azgo-

14 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

cerus, and in form, as well as in other respects, bears remote resemblance
to the Azgocerus Equina (Roan Antelope, or Bastard Gemsbok), with
which it has been confounded by many persons imperfectly acquainted
with the subject, to whom it has been exhibited. A comparison of the
two animals will, however, render the existing difference between them
too obvious to demand any observation from me.

“« During nearly three months that I hunted over the country lying be-
tweenthe 24th and 26th parallels of S. latitude, within 28° and 30° E. longi-
tude, I only once met with the Antelope in question. On the northern
side of the Cashan range of mountains, about a degree and a half south
of the tropic of Capricorn, I found a herd, consisting of nine does and
two bucks, and followed them till I captured the specimen already referred
to. None of the natives of the country were familiar with the appearance
of the animal when first interrogated on the subject, althoughafter confer-
ring among themselves, they agreed that it was Kookame ( Oryx Cupensis)
the Gemsbok ;. and, of the many individuals to whom it has been shown,
a trader named Robert Scoon, is the only one by whom it has been
recognized. He declares that he saw a herd of them some years ago
near the very spot I have described, but could not succeed in killing one.
It is, doubtless, very rare; and, judging from the formation of the foot,
entirely confined to the mountains. The females are somewhat smaller
than the males, are provided with shorter and slighter, but similarly
shaped horns, and are similarly marked ; a deep chestnut-brown, verging
upon black, taking the place of the glossy black coat of the male. I did
not obtain a female specimen; but while riding down the buck, I had
abundant opportunities of narrowly observing them within the distance

of afew yards,.and am therefore positive as to the correctness of the

description. here given. The adult male stands four feet six inches high

at the shoulder, and is nearly nine feet in extreme length; the horns are

twenty-seven inches over the curve. The carcase is robust; withers

elevated; neck broad and flat; hoofs black; hair close end smooth;
general colour glossy.black, with an occasional cast of deep chestnut; a
copivus standing black mane ; belly, buttocks, and inside of thighs, pure

white ;- tail black.”

A NEW OTTER FROM DEMERARA.
In a late number of the Magazine of Natural History (New Series, vol. i.
p- 589), Mr Gray, ofthe British Museum, gave a description of what he
considereda new genus of Otter from Demerara, which is intermediate
between the Lutra and Enhydra, differing in both from the size of the
tail, which is expanded into a slight fin, and in the large size of the feet.
In a late communication, Professor Wiegman (Archiv. Part IV. 1838),
has expressed a doubt if the genus is distinct from Enhydra, which has
induced Mr Gray to copy a sketch of the animal, which Mr Gould took

from the original specimen at the meeting of the British Association at
Liverpool. This, Mr Gray thinks, will at once dispel Professor Wieg-
man’s doubts, because the tail is much longer and more slender, the fore
‘eet are much larger, and the hind ones smaller, than the Sea-Otter.—
(Annals of Nat. Hist. Vol. ii. p. 286).

Mycetes Senicutus.—Royat Howler.—, Red Monkey of Demerara.)
Noruine can sound more dreadful than the nocturnal howlings of the great
Red Monkey of Demerara. While lying in your hammock, in these
gloomy and immeasurable wilds, you hear him howling at intervals, from
eleven o'clock at night till daybreak. You would suppose that half the
wild beasts of the forest were collecting for the work of carnage. Now,
it is the tremendous roar of the Jaguar as he springs on his prey. Now,
it changes to his terrible and deep-toned growlings, as le is pressed on all
sides by superior force; and now you hear his last dying moan beneath
amortalwound. ® * ® ® His flesh is good food; but when skinned,
his appearance is so like that of a young one of our own species, that a
delicate stomach might possibly revolt at the idea of putting a knife and
fork into it. However, I can affirm, from experience, that after a long

and dreary march through these remote forests, the flesh of this Monkey
is not to be sneezed at, when boiled in Cayenne pepper, or roasted on a
stick over a good fire. A young one tastes not unlike a Kid, and the old
ones have somewhat the flavour of the He- Goat.— Waterton’s Wanderings.

THE HABITS OF THE KING OF THE VULTURES.—(Sarcorrhamphus Papa.)

An interesting communication on the King of the Vultures having lately
been received from Mr Schomburgh, the scientific and adventurous natu-
ralist, now travelling in Guiana, we shall here give a condensed view of
his principal statements. Mr Schomburg): remarks, that this is undoubt-
edly the most beautiful of the Vulture family. It inhabits South America,
and abounds in Guiana. In size, it equals that of a full-grown Turkey-
Cock. Its bill is two inches in length, and its depth amounts to almost
the same measure. The upper mandible is covered by the cere, is
straight near its origin, and hooked near its point; the lower mandible is
straight, rounded, and scarcely inflated. The nostrils, within the cere,
are lateral, and situate close to the ridge of the upper mandible. The
cere is of a bright orange colour, and continues towards the cheeks, where
it assumes a bluish hue. The beak is first black, and then red to the
point. The ridge of the upper mandible is surmounted by a fieshy ca-
runcle of a red colonr, which the bird can elevate at will. Fromthe base
of the lower mandible arises a naked skin, of an orange colour, stretching
downwards and backwards, and covered with black hairs; as the crown
is almost bare, the head might be compared to the tonsure of a monk.
The eves are surrounded with a red skin. Below the nape, the neck is
encircled by a ruff of long soft feathers of a deep ash colour, which partly
covers the breast. The interscapular regions, the scapular, and coverts,
are cream-coloured with a roseate hue; the other wing feathers, the rump,
and the tail, are deep black; the breast, belly, and thighs, white. The
wings reach nearly to the end of the tail; the second and third quills are
the longest ; the tail is round at its extremity. The legs are robust ; there
are three toes before, and one behind; the bent talons are an inch long.
The female is somewhat larger than the male, and of a uniform black, with
the exception of the feathers under the wing, which are white.

In appearance, the King of the Vultures is one of the most’ magnifi-
cent birds among the feathered tribe; however, its character corresponds
little with its showy nature, for it is voracious, unclean, and indolent.
Its sense of smell is uncommonly acute, but it is only used to scent
carrion ; and while the Eagle devours nothing but what his talons and
beak have deprived of life, and does not stoop to feed upon carcases, the
odour of putrefaction possesses every allurement for the Vulture; and it
gorges itself to such a degree, that after a full meal it cannot rise upon its
wings for a considerable time. The bird has then a most disagreeable
smell, which becomes almost insupportable if it be skinned; at other
periods, and when it has been pressed hard for food, it: does not emit that
unpleasant odour. The females appear to be more numerous than the
males; but their number has been much exaggerated, they having been:
frequently confounded with the Common Carrion Crow ( Cathartes aura),
with which they feed; indeed, the latter may be considered as their:
scouts; and the common report is well-founded, that the Carrion Crow
does not touch the carcases until their majesties and spouses, of which:
there are frequently several present at the entertainment, have satisfied
themselves to repletion: during that time they are silent and covetous-
spectators, and keep a proper distance, but scarcely: have the others done-
when they fall to with voracious appetite. ;

Their skill in preparing skeletons is astonishing ;. they not only scrape
off the flesh with the greatest nicety, but likewise the ligaments and peri--
osteum, without subjecting them previously to maceration; indeed, they
are perfect masters in their art, and-vie with the best anatomicat instructor.
When we ascended the river Berbice, a Cayman or Alligator was shot
and dragged on shore, to leave the Vultures and Carrion Crows the trouble
of cleaning the bones. On our return a month after, they had performed
the operation to our entire satisfaction, and we concluded, from the white-
ness and dryness of the bones, that a fortnight might have elapsed since
they finished. Ata later period I ascertained the fact that the Carrion
Crows do not touch the carcase until the Vultures have satisfied themselves.
I was at a Mr Sander’s on the upper river Berbice ;-on the opposite shore:
the carcase of a cow which had died the previous day: had attracted a
numerous assembly of Carrion’ Crows; they were perched on the dry
branches of some trees that commanded a view of the carcase; there they
sat’silent and mournful, their attitude not upright but stooping, their
wings partly hanging down. There they remained the whole mornings:
none touched the carease, nor did they change their position. In the after—
noon our attention was attracted by the cry of the Negroes ‘© They come,
they come!” We went out, and looking towards the opposite shore, we
observed four male Vultures and several females flying in circles over the
space where the Cow was lying; the circles became narrower and nar-
rower, and at last they lighted upon some trees in the neighbourhood; this
circumstance was hailed by the sable crew, they extended their wings, and

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 15

became unruly, but the former silence was soon restored. The Vultures
did not immediately attack the dead animal; they drew their neck from
the ruff, and remained ogling it for some time. ‘‘ Tem be the judghes,
and tem sit in court now to hold judshement o’er em,” observed the Ne-
groes who were standing around us; and the remark was so adapted and
striking that we could not help smiling at it. After half an hour had
elapsed one of the male Vultures commenced the entertainment, and his
example was soon followec by the others.. Towards evening the Vultures
had satisfied their appetite, and the Carrion Crows commenced their feast ;
where harmony, however, did not appear to be presiding, and scuffles and
quarrels took place when it concerned a favourite morsel.

These beautiful birds soar uncommonly high, and possess great powers
offlight. Like the Eagles they hover over one and the same spot for a length
of time, poise their wings, and please themselves in aérial evolutions, un-
til their sharp scent and sight combine to show them the direction where
their appetite may be satisfied, when they descend in gyratory motions.
They do not decline animal food of any description, provided it does not
possess life, as they are not known to kill. They are cowardly birds,
and do not oppose, in single combat, one animal which offers resistance.
They rise with heavy wings and a great noise. 1 have not been able to
ascertain where they build their nests; very likely in the most retired
places. The young males are in their first year black; they become
black and white spotted during the second, and are only in full plumage
during the third year. They are easily tamed if taken young. Mr Glen
in Demerara hada female bird, which was so tame that it would lay
itself before its master’s feet. I saw a full-grown male bird which was
brought from Surinam to Demerara; it was perfectly tame, and was ul-
timately sold to the master of an English merchantman for the enormous
price of twenty pounds.—(Annals of Natural History for December 1838.)

On tue Nature or Sronce.—A series of papers have lately been read
to the Linnzan and Royal Societies, by Johu Hogg, Esq., upon the
Spongilla fluviatilis, to which we would more earnestly invite attention,
as it must be known to many of our readers that Naturalists are not
agreed as to the true nature and history of Sponge; some supposing it
belongs to the animal kingdom, and others to the vegetable. These op-
posite conclusions are the result not of mere theories, but of the most
eareful microscopic observation, demonstrating the great difficulty of the
subject, and the still remaining imperfections of science, which, however,
are the less to be regretted as they stimulate the lover of truth to renewed
investigation. Mr Hegg is an advocate for the vegetable nature of River
Sponge, and he supplies additional observations in confirmation of his
views, derived from a more accurate observation of the seed-like bodies,
which are found adhering to the walls of the cells or cavities of the
Sponge, and also frequently free, and endowed with the faculty of loco-
motion; and which have been regarded by some authors as the Ova of
Spongilla, and by others as those of the Plumatella. Mr Hogg has de-
termined the identity of these bodies, having succeeded in raising young
Spongilla from both kinds; and he has also ascertained that they are
destitute of cilia, being merely studded with minute granular papilla. The
motions of the unattached bodies resemble those observed by Unger in
the Sporules of Ectospora Clavata, and Mr Hogg considers the currents
to be due to the same causes which affect the cireulation of the fluids in
the cells of vegetables.

Mercatuerium.—In a memoir presented to the French Academy of
Sciences, M. de Blainville states, that neither the head, the shoulder,
the limbs, the feet, nor the dentition of the Megatherium, in any manner
resembles those of the Sloth, to which tribe the lute Baron Cuvier re-
ferred this gigantic animal. M. de Blainville places it among the Arma-
dilloes, where he conceives it ought to form a particular division, because
it probably had four toes in front, and five behind; and the teeth are
not only tetragonal, contrary to those of the Armadillo tribe, but there are
only four in.each jaw, which is also an anomaly.

BOTANY.

Caoutcuouc or Inp1an Ruzper.—The increasingly important sub-
stance Caoutchouc is a widely dissiminated constituent of vegetable fluids.
Tt has hitherto been found only in plants with milky juice, although its
presence in all these fluids remains to be proved. ‘The presence of
Caoutchouc in silk has been attributed to the nature of the fluids of the
plants on which the caterpillars feed; but this, though applicable to
the mulberry plants, can scarcely hold good with the various species of
Tetranthera, on which the Moonga feeds, or with the Castor-oil plant,
the chief food of the Eria, which in Assam does not appear to yield milk.
Milky juice is usually characteristic of certain families, but often not ;
its presence is frequently of importance, as it affords valuable indica-
tions of affinity. It is remarkable that it is almost unknown in the grand
division of Monocotyledonous plants. The families in which its presence

may be said to be universal are Apocquea, Asclepiadea, Campanulacea,
Sobeliacea, and the great division of Composite, Chicoracea, of which the
lettuce is a familiar example. It is of common occurrence in Euphorbiacea,
and Twulicea, which orders may. be looked upon as the grand sources of
Caoutchouc. Thus, in addition to the East Indian. plants, the American
Caoutchoue is supposed to be produced by Cecropia-peltata, which be-
longs to Urticea; and the ule tree of Papantla, from which the Caout-
chouc of that country is obtained, is supposed to belong to the same
orders. It must, however, be observed that Baron Humboldt objects to
the supposition of Cecropia peltata yielding the American Caovtchouc,
as its juice inspissates with difficulty. The order Huphorbiacea would
likewise appear to supply a large quantity. Dr Lindley informs us that
true Caoutchoue is furnished by Siphonia elastica, Hevia quiancusis of
Aublet, a Surinam and Brazilian tree; and it is from a tree of this order
that asubstance resembling Caoutchoucis procured in Sierra Leone. Some
Apoquee are also reported to produce good Caoutchouc; thus Aricola
elastica, produces the Caoutchouc of Sumatra; and it is from this plant
that Caoutchouc has been produced in Penang and exported to England.
Roxburgh says that that produced from Willughbeia edulis, an Indian
plant, is of indifferent quality, a criticism which will not be passed on
that obtaived from Merium grandifloreum of Roxburgh. It is probably
equally abundant in Asclepiadea ; one plant of which order, Cynanchum
albifloreum, has been stated to yield it of excellant quality in Penang,

Caoutchoue, we need scarcely add, is that substance now so much
employed in the manufacture of waterproof cloths, and of tubes, cylin-
ders, &c. most useful in the arts. It owes much of its value to its being
insoluble in water, spirits, acids, alkalis, and in most liquids; its ap-
propriate solvents are Ether, which, however, requires to be free from
all admixture, and volatile oils, the cheapest of whicliis the volatile oil of
Coal-tar, now known by the name of Nauphtha. When pure, in its native
state, it is white; and becomes of a brownish and biackish colour from
the juice, which is generally collected in a mould, being subsequently
dried in the sun’s rays, and then exposed to smoke; successive layers
being put on till it is of the requisite thickness. In all the different
methods of collecting it the extraneous soluble matters contained in the
sap are apt to he mixed up with the Caoutchouc, and continue incorpor-
ated with it when solidified; hence, its strength and solidity, and, of
course, its value, are considerably diminished. In some kinds these im-
purities are more considerable than in others, and the imperfect adhe-
sion between the layers which compose the Indian-rubber bottles are
attributable to a very thin layer of these impurities. Mr E, Solly lately
read a paper on these points to the Asiatic Society, detailing experiments
he himself had made, and considering how far improvements could be
effected in its preparation,—(See Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,
Mr Griffith's Report; Dr Lindley’s Works on Botany, &c.)

Tue Tea Prant.—The vast economic and commercial importance of
Tea, and the combined selfishness and arrogance which pervades the
Celestial Empire, upon which we have hitherto been dependent for the
supply of that necessary commodity, confers the highest interest upon
every effort which is being made for the more extended cultivation of this
invaluable plant. In the year 18]2 it was first introduced into the Bra-
zils. Its success there has been very promising, and more especially
since 1825 the progress made has been rapid, so that the growers are
already able to supply a large portion of the Tea required for the home
market. It is extensively cultivated in Ouro- Preto, and in the province
of St Paul; is extending into the province of Minas, and has been at-
tempted on a large scale in the Botanic Garden at Rio de Janeiro. At
a much more recent date the Tea plant having been observed to be in-
digenous in Assam, that province of our Eastern empire which on the
north-east most approximates to China, public attention was excited to
its careful cultivation and manufacture. An experimental company has
been formed for the furtherance of this object, which has obtained the
encouragement of the Directors in Leadenhall Street, of the Board of
Control, together with the approbation of the Board of Trade. It was
through the agency. of these bodies, that the chests already received in
this country, samples of which afforded’ such peculiar satisfaction, have
been widely distributed throughout the kingdom. Our active and intel-
ligent neighbours, the French, seem determined not to be behind hand in
deriving benefit from this source. Nut many months ago the French go-
vernment despatched M. Guillemin, one of the Curators of the Jardin des
Plants, to the Brazils, for the purpose of studying the culture of the Tea
plant, the methods of preparing the Tea for market, and of collecting
seeds and plants, that an attempt may be made to introduce its culture
into France. M. Guillemin arrived at Rio in October last, and has been
most kindly received by the authorities and naturalists of Brazil, who have
shown every inclination to promote his wishes. M. G., after examining
into all the details, is sanguine in his hopes of success ; and the mere at-
tempt, made in our day, to introduce beth Tea and Sugar as home-grown

16 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

commodities into France, manifests the ingenious enterprise of this active
people. ‘The attempts now making in India are of the last importance
to the British dominions. It is opening up a new channel of trade, creat-
ing fresh demands on our productive industry, and establishing additional
markets in a quarter from whence our wrought goods will ultimately pe-
netrate into the very heart of China itself. It will also prove in many
ways conducive to the benefit of India, and the melioration of its vast na-
tive population. It will introduce into a neglected portion of the country
British capital and enterprise, and a class of persons who will develop its
latent resources, and, in all probability, civilize its people. It will place
at the disposal of the Indian government a portion of the revenue which
now accrues to the Chinese government on the shipment of ‘Tea from
Canton, and which England will not object to pay, provided it be applied
to the remission of the land revenue, and those other burdens with which
the natives of India are so sorely oppressed. And as the climate, where
cleared, is declared to be congenial to the European constitution, it will
supply that desideratum long anxiously looked for—a'site for colonization
unincumbered by population, and the establishment of Sanataria for our
pensioned English soldier, with employment suited to his health, strength,
and capacity, the cultivation of Tea being no more laborious than the
care of gooseberry bushes, and entirely conducted in the shade. Additional
information regarding the prospects of the cultivation in India will be
found in the Oriental Herald.

REVIEWS.

The Natural History of the Quadrupeds of Paraguay and the River La
Plata ; from the Spanish of Don Felix de Azara, &c. By R. W. Pexrce-
vat Hunrer, Esq., F.G.S., Z.5., &c. A. & C. Black, Edinburgh.
Longman, &c., London. 1888, 8vo. Vol. I.

We need scarcely commence our short notice of this English edition of
Azara’s work on the Quadrupeds of Paraguay with the statement that it
was greatly desiderated. The French translation of St Mery, published
nearly half a century ago, was prepared from an imperfect manuscript
which the author meant should never see the light. Of the original work
in Spanish, published at Madrid in the year 1802. two of the five volumes
being devoted to quadrupeds, and the remaining three to birds, it is im-
possible to procure a copy out of Spain, and even in that country it is not
often met with, while St Mery’s work has long been out of print. The
best known production of the celebrated Spanish Naturalist, his ** Voyages
dans L’Amerique Meridionale, &c.,” published under the superintend-
ence of the well-known naturalist Walckenaer, contains only a very short
abridgment of the treatise now before us; and is principally occupied by
his geographical and political descriptions of Paraguay and the neighbour-
ing provinces, of their conquest, and their indigenous inhabitants ; the or-
nithological portion having obtained full consideration, and even ampli-
fication, from the pen of the celebrated Sonnini of Monancour. Except
then for this translation, Azara’s work on quadrupeds would be unpro-
curable and unknown, and hence our obligations to the spirited trans-
lator are too conspicuous to require remark. This is not the place to
enter into the particulars of Azara’s eventful life. The short dedication
of this work, however, throws so much light upon his history as a Na-
turalist, upon his peculiar advantages, and his drawbacks, that we quote it.
It is addressed to his brother, Don Joseph Nicolas de Azara.—‘‘ Dear
Nicoras—We had scarcely seen the light, when our parents separated
us; nor have we, during the whole course of our lives, ever met, or had
any communication with each other, save in Barcelona, for the short
space of two days, and that by accident. Equally separated has been
our path through life. You have lived in the great world; and by the
important offices yon have filled, your talents, deeds, and virtues, have
become famous in Spain and out of it. Whilst I, without obtaining any
ostensible employment, and without any opportunity of making myself
known to yu or any other person, have spent the best twenty years of
my life in one of the remotest corners of the earth, forgotten even by my
friends, without books or rational intercourse, travelling continually
through deserts, and immense and frightful woods, holding communication
only with the birds and the wild beasts. Of these, then, have I written
the history, which I send and dedicate to you, in order that you may by
it know me, orat least become acquainted with the nature of my labours.”

Azara’s Notes, as he modestly styles this particular treatise, contain
an account of seventy-seven species of native Mammalia, and seven spe-
cies of Kkeptiles, with numerous details respecting the European animals,
introduced by the Spanish conquerors, which are now found in numerous
herds in a wild state on the Pampas of Buenos Ayres and Paraguay.
The volume now before us, and one only is yet published, in arrange-
ment differs somewhat from the oricinal, and contains first Azara’s ac-
count of the imported European animals, and then of nearly thirty of the
native Mammalia, accompanied with numerous notes. Azara’s memoir
upon each animal is divided into three parts; Ist, An account, from close
and continued observation, of its habits, including its habitat, food, num-

ber of its young, disposition, habits in confinement, enemies, and its do.
mestic uses, if any; 2d, A minute and detailed description of its external
character, from the living animals, or from specimens recently killed; and,
3dly, A severe critical examination of the account given by Buffon, and
other previous authors. ‘This last part forms by far the largest portion
of the whole, and, though frequently too circumstantial and prolix, yet,
in Mr Hunter’s estimation, ‘‘ it furnishes much valuable information which
could not have been altered or curtailed without considerable loss to the
value of the work.” Of the non-indigenous animals we have an account
of the Wild Horse, the Ass, Mule, Wild Cows, Sheep, Goats, and Wild
Dogs: of the native Quadrupeds described, we have the Tapir, two kinds
of Peccaries, four species of Deer, two species of Ant-Eaters, nine of
Feline, including two species of Jaguars and the Puma, two kinds of
Weazel, the Skunk, the Red Wolf, the Grey Fox, the Racoon, the
Coatimondi, and the South American Otter. Ona previous page we
have given a short analysis of the information supplied respecting the
South American Dogs. Of his account of the native animals we shall
quote a single paragraph, which will afford a fair specimen of the trans-
lator’s style: it shall be respecting the Otter. ‘*I have not met with
any one acquainted with the Guaranese name of this animal, known vul-
garly as the River Wolf; but, as it is not a Wolf, | have called it nutria,
or Otter, for it belongs to the same family as the European Otter, al-
though of a different species. It inhabits the lakes, rivers, and rivulets
of Paraguay: I believe it does not enter salt water, and that its geogra-
phical range does not extend beyond the river La Plata: It lives in troops,
which, sometimes ascending to the surface of the water, raise their heads
about the boats, and bark like hoarse dogs, using angry gesticulations,
and menacing snappings, although they never harm voyagers or swim-
mers. Each family appears to possess a separate domain. It is truly
an amphibious animal, for it spends almost as much time in water as upon
the land, and both elements are equa!ly suited to its nature and habits:
it sometimes rises from the bottom with a fish in its mouth, to eat it on
land, and rears its young in holes, which it excavates on the banks. The
Payaguas Indians, who are continually sailing up and down the river Pa-
raguay, and are better acquainted with this animal than others, tell me
that it brings forth two at a birth, covered with hair, and that many fe-
males bring forth and rear their young at the same time, ard in the same
place, their usual resort throughout the year. They do not eat its flesh,
considering it very bad. This Otter smells differently from the marine
animal ; it moves slowly, dragging, as it were, its belly and muzzle along
the ground; and, althongh it can run, it does so with little agility. Its
movements in biting and walking are much more tardy than those of the
Dog; so that, even when irritated, we can seize it by the back, and carry
it off without its screaming, or making any sensible opposition.” —(p.
326.)

The Notes are numerous, taken from the writings of the most able and
popular Naturalists, as Cuvier, Desmarest, Pennant, Horsfield, Richard-
son, Swainson, Bennett, Audubon, Sir F. Head, and others, and unques-
tionably greatly enliven and illustrate the volume, though in a few in-
stances they are more piquant than relevant. Of the faithfulness of the
translation we entertain no doubt; whilst the style partakes somewhat of
the peculiarities of a foreign idiom, owing to what we regard a too great
scrupulosity of the translator to supply every minute turn of the author's
thoughts ; it is, however, generally quite clear and racy. This volume is
illustrated by a beautiful copy, by Gardner, of Azara’s valuable map of
what were the Spanish South American Provinces, supplied at great
expense. Upon the-whole, we trust that Naturalists will so far appre-
ciate Mr Hunter's praise-worthy zeal and liberality, as to encourage him
to complete the work he has so meritoriously begun, and thus to bring
within the sphere of all a store of useful knowledge, which has hitherto
been very much confined to the examination of a few.

MISCELLANIES.

Scorcu Sucar.—Beet-roor Suear.—‘ The Aberdeen Constitutional”
states, that one of its correspondents has sent a sample of sugar, made at
Macduff, from Beet-root grown in Banffshire. It is retailed in Loudon
at 8d. a pound. The quantity is about a ton; but the manufacturer says
that next season he will be able to supply any quantity. The Sugar is
well granulated, very dry, free from smell, particularly white, and tastes
like sugarcandy.

New Parcument.—M. Pelouze states, that if a piece of paper, or of
cotton or linen, be plunged into aquafortis (nitric-acid), at the density of
1. 5, and left in it sufficient time to. be saturated, say two or three minutes,
a species of parchment wiil be produced, which is impervious to damp,
and extremely combustible.

Edinburgh: Published for the Proprieror, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Loxpon: Smit, Exper, and Co., 65, Cornhill. Grascow, and the West of
Scotland: Joun Smit and Son; and Jcux Mactrop. Dustin: GEORGE
Younc. Panis: J. B. Baittrere, Rue de l'Ecole de Médecine, No. 13 bis.

THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY.

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

AMIE eS aS Cee,

SCIENCES.

JUNE, 1839.

DESCRIETION OF THE COLLECTION

FORMING FOR THE

EDINBURGH ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS ASSOCIATION.
(Contributed by a Member.)

(I & Il.) DROMEUS NOV HOLLANDI4&.
NEW HOLLAND EMU.

Family Srruraionip%. Genera

Classification —Order Rasores.
Srruruio, RuEa, Casuaritus, Dromzus, APTERYX. ais

Synonyms and Figures. New Hotianp Cassowary. White’s Journal
of a Voyage to New South Wales, pl. 1 (very indifferent), copied in
Shaw’s Naturalist’s Miscellany, pl. 99. Casvarius Nova Horan,
Latham, Ind. Orn. 665. Casoar DE LA Nouvette Horxanpe, Peron,
Voy. aux Terres Australes, pl. 66 (indifferent). Dromatus ATer,

-L’Emu noir, Vieillot, Galérie des Ois, pl. 226 (tolerable). The Emev
Dromatus Nova Hotranpi®, Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological
Society delineated, Vol. II. p. 193 (wood-cut excellent). ,

Description.—The Brxx straight, depressed on the sides, slightly keeled
above, rounded at the point, dull black. The Nostrits large, opening
upwards, placed in the middle of the bill. The Heap feathered, without
a bony crest. The Turoat blueish, naked, and without wattles. The
Fearuers brown mottled with grey above, dirty grey beneath, the barbs
loose and separate, resembling hair at a distance ; feathers arising in pairs
from the same shaft. The Wunes very short. No Quitt Fraruers
either in the wings or tail, The Lecs powerful, fleshy, and feathered to
the joint. The Tarsus or Shank blackish, naked, deeply indented.
Three Toxs nearly of equal length, directed forwards, and furnished with
blunt nails.

The Mate is above five feet in height; the Femate resembles the
male, but is somewhat less. The Eces, from six to thirteen in number,
are large, of a rich dark green. The Youne are greyish-white, with two
broad black stripes along the back, and two on each side continuing to
the neck ; a narrow middle line of white between each; the head marked
with irregular spots, dark bands along the fore-part of the neck and breast,
a broad band on each side across the thighs.

History, The Emu, peculiar to New Holland and the adjacent islands,
was first described in the year 1789, in Governor Phillip’s Voyage to Botany
Bay. It was then very abundant in the neighbourhood of that colony, but
has now been driven by the settlers into the remote plains of the interior.
The skin is particularly valued for its oil, a full-grown bird yielding six or
seven quarts of a beautiful bright colour. This oil produces no disagree-
able smell, and is excellent for burning, and as a liniment for sprains or
bruises in the Cattle. The flesh is eaten by Europeans; the rump part
is said to be delicate like fowl, the legs coarse like beef, but still tender.
The natives regard the flesh with its oily skin as a highly delicate treat, and
the fibula bone of the leg is occasionally passed through the cartilage of
the nostril as an ornament.

The remarkable peculiarity in the structure of its feathers deserves a
more particular notice. Two slender shafts, extremely flaccid, arise from
one small quill. ‘The feather resembles a dried plant in texture, is soft,
close, and flossy at the base, but widens gradually, and grows harder to-
wards the tip. Its colour is brownish-grey, becoming gradually white

towards the quill. Incapable alike of resisting water or containing air,
it seems to be adapted only for a bird which depends for safety on its
swiftness of foot.

The young of quadrupeds are generally covered with a light or spotted
livery, which gradually assumes the sombre tints of the adult, while the
female most commonly resembles the male. In Birds, on the contrary,
we find the females and young with plumage of sombre hue, while the
young males gradually acquire the brilliant tints peculiar to the adult
male. In these respects, the Emus bear resemblance to the mammi-
ferous animals. They crop grass like an herbivorous quadruped, are
swift of foot, and possess great keenness of vision. They are haunted
most readily early in the morning: after a sharp run the Dogs over-
take them, when they are easily thrown down and destroyed. The
kick of the Emu, like that of the Ostrich, is very powerful, sufficient to
break a Man’s leg. The Dogs, trained to this kind of coursing, avoid
these dangerous kicks by running abreast of the game, and springing at
its neck,

The Emu, originally savage, soon becomes domesticated. When rest-
ing, it squats down like a Hen, its neck curved like an S, and the head
reposing on the naked neck. Frequently it stands ina grotesque attitude
upon the tarsi and feet jointly.

The nest of the wild birds is formed in the following manner :—A re-
tired situation in a scrub among the hills is scraped, similar to those formed
by the Common Hen; sticks and leaves are laid round the cleared place,
and the eggs are deposited without regard to regularity. These eggs are
usually from nine to thirteen in number, and the male assists the female in
the duties of incubation. Immense quantities of the eggs are devoured
by the natives during the breeding season. The Emu has often bred in
captivity, but the eggs seldom exceed seven in number.—(See Bennett's
Wanderings in New South Wales, §c.)

Anatomy.—The Emu, in respect to its internal organs, bears a great
analogy to the Ostrich. A large membranous pouch, formed by the dila-
tation of the cesophagus, opens into a very small gizzard,—so small that
White asserted that the Emu had no gizzard. The liver is likewise very
small, the gall-bladder very large. The crop is usually filled with several
pounds of grass, flowers, seeds, and berries. The intestinal canal is at
least six yards long, very wide, and of a very cylindrical shape. The
windpipe is very long, and opens into a large muscular pouch, the use
of which is doubtful. We shall here, however, supply the words of its
able discoverer. ‘‘ It may here be stated, that in this bird the tings of the
windpipe are complete, from their commencement at the upper larynx to
about the fifty-second, when the next rings suddenly open by a wide
aperture into a strong muscular bag, as large as the human heud, closely
attached to the sides of the trachea, and expanded rings. This bag is
situated in the neck, immediately above the bone called the merry-thought;
it was seen by me in the female, though it is probable that the male also
possesses it. It is quite peculiar to the bird, no such appendage having
been ever seen attached to the trachea of any of the feathered creation;
nor do I know of any thing analogous to it in any other‘animal, excepting
in the Cameleon, to the upper portion of whose trachea there is appended
a comparatively large membranous bag.” Dr Knox believes that this ex-
traordinary bag performs the important function of enabling the bird to
swim, and to preserve life amidst the extensive marshes composing cen-
tral New Holland, and to escape also from those sudden inundations to

18 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

which Australasia is generally exposed. The muscular pouch may also
be useful to the birdin running. The cloaca appears to serve only asa
urinary reservoir, the rectum opening into it by a comparatively small ori-
fice. The bones of the carpus are wanting in the Emu, and the metacarpus
is immediately supported by the bones of the fore-arm.—(See Dr Knoa’s
Obs. on the New Holland Cassowary, Edin. Phil. Jour. p. 132, Vol. X.
1824.

Note.—The individuals (male and female) in the Collection of the As-
sociation were presented by John S. Lyon, Esq., of Kirkmichael.

(To be continued.)

FERE NATURZ.—WILD ANIMALS WHICH INHABIT SOUTHERN AFRICA.

Havine taken occasion to peruse Captain W. C. Harris’ ‘* Narrative of
an Expedition into Southern Africa during the years 1836-7,” we believe
we cannot more appropriately gratify our readers than by supplying them
with some extracts from this interesting source. Captain H. penetrated
within the tropics, along with a companion, chiefly through the favour of
the native king Moselekatsé, whom he propitiated with presents. His relish
for the delights of the chase on a great scale has seldom or ever been ex-
ceeded, and the field he obtained for its gratification was all but unbound-
ed; even his fellow-men in all their social interests and moral phases re-
ceiving a very secondary consideration. The book is very amusing, and
throughout written in the style of a genuine Mimrod; its motto, from Mr
Pringle’s well known work, seems as if it had been written expressly for
this adventure.

Afar in the Desert I love to ride

With the silent Bush-boy alone by my side ;
Away—away from the dwellings of men

By the Antelope’s haunt, and the Buffalo’s glen ;
By valleys remote where the Ourebi plays,

Where the Gnoo, the Sassayby, and Hartebeest graze;
And the Eland and Gemsbok unhunted recline,

By the skirts of grey forests o’erhung with wild vine;
Where the Elephant browses at peace in his wood,
And the River-Horse gambols unscared in the flood,
And the mighty Rhinoceros wallows at will

In the pool where the Wild-Ass is drinking his fill ;
Where the Zebra wantonly tosses his mane,

‘As he scours with his troop o’er the desolate plain ;
And the stately Koodoo exultingly bounds,
Undisturbed by the bay of the hunter’s hounds ;
Where the timorous Quagga’s wild whistling neigh
Is heard by the fountain at fall of day ;

And the fleet-footed Ostrich over the waste,

Speeds like a horseman who travels in haste,

Hying away to the home of her rest,

Where she and her mate have scooped their nest,
Far hid from the pitiless plunderer’s view,

In the pathless wilds of the parched Karroo.

The following, according to Captain Harris, is a catalogue ot the Fere
Naturz which inhabit Southern Africa; it appears to embrace the Game
or larger Quadrupeds only.

1. Felis Leo. The Lion. Inhabits variously ; usually found amongst
reeds in open plains. Gregarious, and very common.

2. Felis Leopardus. The Leopard. Inhabits thick coverts.
nogamous or solitary.

8 Felis jubata. The Hunting Leopard.
common.

4, Hyena crocuta.
where.

5. Hyena fusca. The Fuscous Hyeena.
preceding, but common.

6. Hyena venatica. The Wild Dog.
packs.

7. Elephas Africanus. The African Elephant.
ous in large troops.
rests of the interior.

8. Hippopotamus amphibius. The Hippopotamus.
Inhabits the rivers and lakes of the interior.

9. Sus larvatus. The Wild Hog. Gregarious.
and forests.

10. Phacochcerus Africanus. The African Boar.
habits the plains and forests.

11, Rhinoceros Africanus. The African Rhinoceros.

ft in the interior.

12. Rhinoceros simus. The White Rhinoceros.
the interior after passing Kurrichane.

13. Equus Zebra. The Zebra. Gregarious, found within the Cape
colony. Inhabits the mountainous regions only.

14, Equus Burchellii. Burchell’s Zebra. Inhabits the plains of the
‘interior beyond the Gareep in immense herds.

Mo-
Inhabits open places. Not
The Spotted Hyena. Very common every-
Less abundant than the

Hunts in large organised

Solitary or gregari-
Common in the extensive plains and fo-

Amphibious.
Inhabits the plains

Gregarious. In-
Very common

Very common in

15. Equus Quagga. The Quagga. Still found within the Cape co-
lony. Inhabits the open plains south of the Vaal River in im-
mense herds.

16. Camelopardalis Giraffa. The Giraffe. Gregarious in small troops.
Inhabits the great plains of the interior.

17. Bubulus Caffer. The Cape Buffalo. Still found within the colony.
Inhabits the plains and forests of the interior in large herds.

18. Catoblepas Gnoo. The Gnoo. Very gregarious. Abundant on
the plains south of the Vaal River.

19. Catoblepas Gorgon. ‘The Brinded Gnoo. Gregarious.
the plains beyond the Orange River in vast herds.

20. Boselaphus Oreas. The Impoofo. Gregarious. Inhabits the open
plains of the interior in vast herds.

21. Strepsiceros Koodoo. The Koodoo. Gregarious. Still found
within the colony. Inhabits thickets and wooded hills.

22. Acronotus Caama. The Caama. Inhabits the plains of the interior
beyond the Orange River in immense herds.

23. Acronotus lunatus. The Sassayby. Gregarious.
country of the Bechuana in considerable herds.

24, Aigocerus Harrisii. The Sable Antelope. Very rare. Gregarious
in small families. Inhabits the great mountain range which
threads the eastern portion of the Matabili country.

25. ASgocerus equina. The Roan Antelope. Gregarious in small
families or herds, but rare.
the source of the Vaal River.

26. Agocerus ellipsiprymnus. The Water Buck. Gregarious. Found
only on the banks of rivers near the Tropic, the Limpopo and
Mariqua especially.

27. Oryx Capensis. The South African Oryx. Gregarious. Prin-
cipally found in the Karroo, or in the open plains of Mamaque-
land.

28. Gazella Euchore. The Spring Buck. Scattered over the plains
in countless herds.

29. Gazella albifrons. The White-faced Antelope. Very gregarious.
Inhabits the plains south of the Vaal River in immense herds.

30. Gazella pygarga. The Pied Antelope. Gregarious. Still found
in Zoetendal’s Vley near Cape Agulhar. Common in the in-

Inhabits

Inhabits the

terior.

31. Antelope Melampus. The Pallah. Gregarious in small families
or herds. Inhabits the banks of rivers chiefly in the Bechuana
country.

32, Tragellaphus sylvatica. The Bush Buck. Monogamous or so-
litary. Inhabits the forests on the sea coast.

33. Redunca Eleotragus. The Reit Buck. Gregarious in small fa-
milies, or solitary. Resides variously, principally among reeds.

34, Redunca Lalandii. The Nagor. Found amongst rocks in small
troops.

35. Redunca Capreolus. The Rheebuck. Found within the colony,
in small troops amongst hills and rocks.

36. Redunca scoparia. The Ourebi. Found in grassy plains, usually
in pairs.

37- Oreotragus Saltatrix. The Klipspringer. Common in the colony.
Inhabits rocks and precipices in pairs.

38. Tragulus rupestris. The Steenbuck. Monogamous or solitary.
Inhabits the bushes of high ground. Common in the colony.
Note.—The Plackte Steenbok (Tragulus rufescens), and the
Bleekbok (T. Pedrotragus), appear to be merely varieties of
this Antelope, and not distinct species.

' 39. Tragulus melanotis. The Grysbok. Monogamous or solitary.
Common in the colony, among the wooded tracts along the sea-
coast. -

40. Cephalopus mergens. The Duiker. Solitary or Monogamous.
Common in the colony, especially along the coast, among bushes.
Note.—C. Burchellii would appear to be a variety only of this
species, of which no two specimens are exactly alike.

41. Cephalopus ceruleus. The Slate-coloured Antelope.
Inhabits the forests along the sea-coast.

Solitary.

On the present occasion, we have room only for one additional extract,
which, however, will afford a very good specimen of the whole. On fu-
ture occasions we hope to enliven our pages with a few brief quota-
tions from this amusing author.

HUNTING THE GIRAFFE (Camelopardalis Giraffa).

“¢ To the sportsman the most thrilling passage in my adventures is now
to be recounted. In my own breast, it awakens a renewal of past impres-

sions, more lively than any written description can render intelligible. -

Three hundred gigantic Elephants, browsing in majestic tranquillity amidst
the wild magnificence of an African landscape, and a wide stretching plain,

Inhabits the elevated ridges near

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 19

darkened as far as the eye can reach, with a moving phalanx of Gnoos
and Quaggas, whose numbers literally baffle computation, are sights but
rarely to be witnessed; but who amongst our brother Nimrods shall hear
of riding familiarly by the side of a troop of colossal Giraffes, and not feel
his spirit stirred within him? He that would behold so marvellous a sight
must leave the haunts of Man, and dive, as we did, into pathless wilds,
traversed only by the brute creation—into wide wastes, where the grim
Lion prowls, monarch of all he surveys, and where the gaunt Hyena and
Wild Dog fearlessly pursue their prey.

«¢ On the morning of the 19th, from the back of Breslar, my most trusty
steed, with a firm wooded plain before me, I counted thirty-two of these
animals, industriously stretching their peacock necks to crop the tiny
leaves which fluttered above their heads, in a mimosa grove that beauti-
fied the scenery. They were within a hundred yards of me, but having
previously determined to try the boarding system, I reserved my fire. Al-
though I had taken the field expressly to look for Giraffes, and had put
four of the Hottentots on horseback, all excepting Piet hac as usual slipped
off unperceived in pursuit of a troop of Koodoos. Our stealthy approach
was soon opposed by an ill-tempered Rhinoceros, which, with her ugly
calf, stood directly in the path; and the twinkling of her bright little eyes,
accompanied by a restless rolling of the body, giving earnest of her inten-
tion to charge. I directed Piet to salute her with a broadside, at the same
moment putting spurs to my horse. At the report of the gun, and the
sudden clattering of hoofs, away bounded the Giraffes in grotesque con-
fusion, clearing by a succession of frog-like hops, and soon leaving me far
in the rear. Twice were their lowering forms concealed from view by a
park of trees, which we entered almost at the same instant ; and twice,
on emerging from the labyrinth, did I perceive them tilting over an emi-
nence immeasurably in advance. A white turban, which I wore round
my liunting cap, being dragged off by a projecting bough, was instantly
charged by three Rhinoceroses ; and looking over my shoulder, I could
see them long afterwards fagging themselves to overtake me. In the
course of five minutes, the fugitives arrived at a small river, the treacherous
sands of which receiving their long legs, their flight was greatly retarded ;
and, after floundering to the opposite side, and scrambling to the top of the
bank, I perceived that their race was run. Patting the streaming neck
of my good steed, I urged him again to the utmost, and instantly found
myself by the side of the herd. The stately bull being readily distinguish-
able from the rest by his dark chestnut robe and superior stature, I ap-
plied the muzzle of my rifle behind his dappled shoulder with the right
hand, and drew both triggers; but he still continued to shuffle along, and
being afraid of losing him, should I dismount, among the extensive mi-
mosa groves, with which the landscape was now obscured, I sat in my
saddle, loading and firing behind the elbow, and then placing myself across
his path, until, the tears trickling from his full brilliant eye, his lofty frame
began to totter, and at the seventeenth discharge from the deadly grooved
bore, bowing his graceful head in the skies, his proud form was prostrate
in the dust. When I leisurely contemplated the massive frame before
me, seeming as though it had been cast in a mould of brass, and pro-
tected by a hide of an inch and a half in thickness, it was no longer a
matter of astonishment that a bullet discharged from a distance of eighty
or ninety yards should have been attended with little effect upon such
amazing strength. The extreme height from the crown of the elegantly
moulded head to the hoof of this magnificent animal was eighteen feet ;
the whole being equally divided into head, body, and leg. We all feasted
heartily on the flesh, which, although highly scented at this season with
the rank mokaala blossoms, was far from despicable.

“« The rapidity with which these awkwardly formed animals can move
is beyond all things surprising, our best horses being unable to close with
them under two miles. Their gallop is a succession of jumping strides,
the fore and hind legs on the same side moving together, instead of dia-
gonally, as in most other quadrupeds, the former being kept close together,
and the latter so wide apart that in riding by the animal's side, the hoof
may be seen striking on the outside of the Horse, momentarily threatening
to overthrow him. Its motion altogether reminded me rather of the pitch-
ing of a ship, or rolling of a rocking-horse, than of any thing living; and
the remarkable gait is rendered still’ more automaton. like by the switching
at regular intervals of the long black tail, which is invariably curled above
the back, and by the corresponding action of the neck, swinging as it does

like a pendulum, and literally imparting to the animal the appearance of
a piece of machinery in motion. Naturally gentle, timid, and peaceable,
the unfortunate Giraffe has no means of protecting itself but with its heels,
but even when hemmed into a corner it seldom resorts to this mode of
defence.

“<The Giraffe is by no means a common animal, even in its head quarters.
We seldom found them without having followed the trail, and never saw
more than five and thirty in a day. It utters no cry whatever. The
male increases in depth of colour according to the age, and in some spe-
cimens is nearly black ; but the female is smaller in stature, and of a lighter

colour, approaching to yellow. Although very extensive, the range of
its habitat is exclusively confined to those regions in which the species of
mimosa, termed mokaala, or Kameel doorn, is abundant, the leaves, shoots,
and blossoms of that plant being its ordinary food.”

BREEDING OF THE woopcock (Scolopawx rusticola, Linn.) IN IRELAND, AND
HABITS OF THE BIRD.

Constpertne the popular and economic value attached to the Woodcock,

every thing relating to its haunts and habits necessarily possesses an in-

terest superior to what its merely scientific bearing would confer ; hence

we more freely request attention to the following important additions to

its history.

From time immemorial the Woodcock has been known as an inhabitant
of high latitudes, moving southwards with the severity of winter, and vi-
siting these islands about the middle of November. For more than half
a century it has moreover been known, upon the testimony of such Na-
turalists as Pennant, Latham, Montagu, &c., that it was an occasional
breeder in England during spring ; and within the last few years the Pro-
ceedings of the London Zoological Society have informed us ‘ that the
number of Woodcocks nestling in England and Scotland is greatly on the
increase.” It is only, however, within the last few years that a similar re-
mark has been extended to Ireland; and on the authority of William
Thompson, Esq., the well known and able President of the Natural His-
tory Society of Belfast (see Annals of Natural History for January, 1839),
we shall supply a few particulars.

In the spring and summer of 1828, a fine Woodcock was observed in
the demesne of Florida, County Down. In July 1832, one was seen in
the County Kerry; and in April 1834, a brood was reared on the property
of the Earl O’Neil, in the county of Antrim. In the summers of 1833
and 1834, a fine bird was transmitted for stuffing to a bird preserver in
Dublin, in the former from Queen’s County, and the latter from Wexford ;
and more recertly, greater numbers have been discovered in the county
of Wicklow and elsewhere. The most important witness on these points
has been the intelligent gamekeeper at Tullamore Park, Lord Roden’s
seat, county of Down. It was in the year 1835 that this individual first
became aware that these birds continued throughout the summer in the
Park: and this year he discovered two broods, consisting of four and five
young ones. In the summer of 1836 he saw in one day five old Wood-
cocks in the Park, and though he discovered none of their nests this year,
he on one occasion saw three young birds. He is of opinion that Wood-
cocks pair before leaving this country for more northern climates ; and he
stated, that in their evening flight, at this particular season, they twist
amazingly, the hinder one following the foremost through every curve of
its course, which is extremely rapid. Their call may now be expressed
by the word hisp, by the accurate repetition of which he has brought
them back when flying past him. During the breeding season, they. in
addition to this, have calls which sound like waap, waap—weep, weep, suc-
ceeding each other, and repeated as here set down; both sexes are con-
sidered to make use of the two calls. At the season of incubation, they
call at early dawn ; and at this period their flight is very different from that
in the month of March, being now slow, or with wings scarcely moving ;
but occasionally they may be seen circling about as if at play, at all events
describing such a course as evinces that they cannot be in search of food.
In winter this observer believes that Woodcocks have a regular line of
flight from the covers to their feeding ground, and acting upon this belief,
by taking his stand at particular spots, he has shot many flying over them.

In 1837 three nests were found at Tullamore Park, the first early in
April, when it was surrounded with snow. The nests have in every in-
stance been in slight hollows of the ground, with some grass or dead leaves
at the bottom as lining. To withdraw attention from one of these nests,
when containing young, the parent tumbled about as if wounded, thus
feigning to a greater extent than the keeper had ever witnessed in any other
species of bird. In 1838, long before the general departure of the Wood-
cock, the gamekeeper saw what he believed to be five distinct brace of
these birds in one part of the Park. Daily throughout the year he now
either hears or sees Woodcocks without going out of his way or attending
to them; indeed, they fly very much about his cottage, and may be seen
on the wing every evening from its door.

The cause of this novel fact thus clearly established is far from being
very apparent. Something is ascribed to the wider extent of the woods
of the country ; and something to the more equable character of the sea-
sons, proceeding, perhaps, in some degree from the former cause. We
have not, however, room for dilating upon this point ; and must finish with
the conclusion of our able informant, that the small proportion of Wood-
cocks which breed in Ireland are probably permanent residents.

Binps or Icttanp.—It is perhaps not so generally known as it might be,
that the Durham University has established a museum as an appendage to
its academical establishment ; the sub-curator of which obtained permission

20 : THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY

to go to Iceland in the summer of 1887, to procure a collection of the
birds of that island. Three months were passed in the most northern
part of the island. Skins of fifty-two species of birds were brought home,
besides skins of the Rein-deer, three species of Seals, two large fishes
(Anarrhicus), and a Porpoise. Frederick Faber, in his Ornithology of
Iceland, published at Copenhagen in 1822, enumerates 84 species of birds,
of which about twenty are land birds, and 60 water birds. Faber adopted
the nomenclature of Linnzeus, but an examination of the skins brought
home has led to the belief that several of Faber’s birds are not identical
with the Linnean species. The Iceland Falcon is considered as distinct
from the whiter Falcon of Greenland. The Iceland Grouse is considered
as peculiar to that island. The Bridled Guillemot, Uria lacrymans, Lapyl.,
is for various reasons believed to be a species distinct from the Common
Guillemot. U. troile, Lath., Clangula Barrovii, was found breeding on
the ground, in a nest formed of its own down, and placed among aquatic
plants a little above high water mark. Some rare eggs were also obtained,
namely, those of the Iceland Falcon, Little Auk, Bridled Guillemot, and
Sclavonian Grebe.—( Proceedings of the Linnean Society.)

EELS VIVIPAROUS.

M. ve Joannis, Lieutenant of the Navy, has lately presented a memoir
to the Academy of Sciences at Paris, and which has been reported
upon by Messrs Duméril, de Blainville, and Milne Edwards. M. de
Joannis’ object is to establish that Eels are viviparous, and not oviparous,
or ovoviviparous. We have only room for the following passage :—‘‘ A
peasant came to me one day,” says the author, “for the purpose of in-
forming me, that the evening before he had observed something which
had greatly surprised him, and the like of which he had never before seen.
He informed me that the day before, being the 20th of March, he caught,
while fishing, a large Eel, immediately went home, put his Eel into
a large hollow dish, covered it with a plate, and returned to his
work. He went home again in the evening, and great was his aston-
ishment, when, in lifting up the upper plate to take out the Eel, he found
it surrounded with perhaps 200 small ones, which were from an inch and
a half to two inches long, with the thickness of a thread, and nearly
white.” This fact appeared to M. de Joannis so interesting and decisive
that he very carefully interrogated the man; supplying a summary of the
information he received. When the man first noticed the fact, the Eel
was still in the act of depositing her young, for he saw them actually issu-
ing from their mother; a small quantity of glary matter was at the bottom
of the dish, but very little. The young ones which had most recently
appeared, moved in a serpentine form, and endeavoured to mount up the
sides of the dish; some of them were glued to it by the hinder part of
their bodies, and could only raise the head with a convulsive effort ; others
were dead, whilst others were tolerably active, especially at the bottom
of the vessel. Their eyes were very distinctly perceived, as two large black
points. In general, it was remarked that those which glided along the
sides of the dish were impeded in their movements by a coloured matter
enveloping their bodies, and which made them more or less adhere. After
the man had satisfied his astonishment, he ate his Eel, and threw the little
ones away, not being deeply versed in the Natural History controversy.

** These are the facts, of which,” adds Lieutenant Joannis, ‘‘ I am as
thoroughly convinced as if I had myself seen them. Iknow the man, and
he is truly moral, his character is steady and serious, and his very igno-
rance in such matters supplies most ample proof for the establishment of
the veracity of his recital. Accordingly, I do not fear to advanee it as a
fact which I regard as demonstrated, that Eels are viviparous. I will not
say that they are oviviparous, since, so far as I know, the eggs have not
hitherto been noticed.” —( Comptes Rendus, Février, 1839.)

BOTANY.
UPON THE RESPIRATION OF PLANTS.
TuHosE two distinguished French Naturalists, Messrs Edwards and
Colin, have commenced reading to ZL’ Academie des Sciences a series of
papers developing their views upon the interesting subject of the Respira-
tion of Plants, which go far to overturn the received doctrines upon this
interesting function of vegetable physiology. These gentlemen having
been long dissatisfied with the popular theory, undertook an extensive set
of experiments which throw quite a new light upon the subject. With
the prevailing theory, we presume that many of our readers are so fami-
liar, that any lengthened exposition is unnecessary; and we shall, there-
fore, merely remark, that it maintains that the process consists solely, and
directly, in the mutual action between the plant and the atmosphere ; that
so far as the leaves are concerned, carbonic acid is disengaged during the
night, and absorbed during the day, oxygen appearing under the direct
rays of the sun, whilst, as it’ regards the seeds-in germination, there is a
mere combination of the oxygen of the air with the carbon of the seed,
forming carbonic acid gas; the influence of water in this process being
either nothing, or wholly secondary; it is, in short, that the absorbed

carbonic acid is decomposed by the plant, which appropriates the carbon,
oxygen being disengaged.

The experiments of these Naturalists were carried on, not in the air, but
in water. They selected some very large round-shaped bottles with a
narrow neck; to this neck a bent tube was attached, the other end of
which was introduced into a receiver; and the whole apparatus was com-
pletely filled with fresh water. Into the bottle were introduced forty
garden beans, in a perfectly healthy state, well washed and shaken in
water to free them from air; so that the seeds were in contact only with
water, and with the air which it contained.

For a time nothing could be remarked. Ere long, very minute bubbles
of air were observed on the surface of the beans ; these insensibly became
larger, and in the space of twenty-four hours they were very conspicuous ;
and finally, many of the beans floated on the water, upborne by the air,
falling to the bottom only when the bubbles burst. No doubt is enter-
tained that the gas issued from the beans, as it was actually witnessed is-
suing from the internal substance of some which had been cut.

The quantity of water which, during this process, was absorbed, was
very great. After being four or five days in the water, the weight of the
beans was more than doubled; and on being taken out, they manifested
they were in a healthy state, by germinating in the ground, and more
conspicuously when kept in moistened paper, between two plates.

The quantity of gas which accumulated in the receiver was very small,
amounting only to a few cubicinches. Notso, however, with that dissolved
in the water, and subsequently disengaged by boiling. The water, when put
into the bottles, was found to contain about five cubic inches of air; andafter
the experiment had lasted for five days, it contained more than thirty-three,
leaving twenty-eight cubic inches produced solely by the action of the water
and the beans. This gas consisted of more than nine-tenths of carbonic
acid gas, a very minute quantity of nitrogen, and a mere trace of oxygen.
In the production of this enormous quantity of carbonic acid gas, the air
naturally in the water must go for nothing, and it must have been derived
from one of the elements of the water. The water, therefore, is decom-
posed ; its oxygen unites with the carbon of the seed, and formsthe carbonic
acid, which disengages itself, in whole or in part; and the hydrogen, the
other element of the water, not being evolved, must be absorbed by the
seed, in whole or in part. Theimportant fact, then, brought out by these
experiments, is the decomposition of water, a fact which does not enter
into the popular theory of the subject at the present time. Messrs E.
and C. have obtained corresponding results by experimenting upon the
bulbs, stems, leaves, and flowers of plants, as from the seeds. And hence
it follows that respiration is not, as has hitherto been considered, a func-
tion of secretion merely, but it, moreover, exhibits a fundamental fact
concerning the nutrition and development of the embryo seed by the ab-
sorption of hydrogen. To this highly interesting subject we may probably
again revert.—(See Ann. des Scien. Nat. December 1838.)

MISCELLANIES.

A Protiric Ewe.—In the park at Cardross, this season, 1839, a Ewe,
belonging to Mr Erskine, dropped five lambs; the same Ewe last year
had three lamhs, and the year before three; making the extraordinary
number of.eleven produced in the course of three years.—Newspaper Pa-
ragraph.

Lace MADE BY Carerrittars.—A most extraordinary species of
manufacture has been contrived by an officer of engineers, residing at
Munich. It consists of lace veils, with open patterns in them, made en-
tirely by Caterpillars. The following is the mode of proceeding adopted :

Having made a paste of the leaves of the plant, on which the species of

the Caterpillar he employs feeds, he spreads it thinly over a stone or
other flat substance, of the required size. He then with a camel-hair
pencil, dipped in olive oil, draws the pattern he wishes the insects to leave
open. ‘This stone is placed in an inclined position, and a considerable
number of the Caterpillars are placed at the bottom. A peculiar species
is chosen, which spins a strong web; and the animals commence at the
bottom, eating and spinning their way up to the top, carefully avoiding
every part touched by the oil, but devouring every other part of the paste.
The extreme lightness of these veils, combined with their strength, is
truly surprising. One of them, measuring 264 inches by 17, weighed only
a grain and a half, a degree of lightness which will appear more strongly
by contrast with other fabrics. One square yard of the substance of
which these veils are made weighs 43 grains, whilst one square yard of
silk gauze weighs 137 grains, and one square yard of the finest net
weighs 2623 grains.—No mention is made of the particular species of
Caterpillar employed in the manufacture.—(From ‘‘ The Naturalist.”)

Epinzurcu: Published for the Proprietor, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Lonpon: Smiru, Exper, and Co., 65, Cornhill. GuLAascow, and the West of
Scotland: Joun Smiry and Son; and Joun Mactrop. Dustin: GrorcE
Younc. Panis: J. B. Batters, Rue de l’Ecole de Medecine, No. 13 bis: _

THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY.

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES.

JULY, 1839.

THE COMMON CROSSBILL FOUND BREEDING IN SCOTLAND.

Tuat indefatigable and most acute observer of the habits of birds, Tho-
mas Durham Weir, Esq., of Boghead, some of whose numerous and
highly interesting additions to our knowledge of the Ornithology of Scot-
land are recorded in the first and second volumes of Macgillivray’s History
of British Birds, has recently favoured us with an account of the breeding
of the Common Crossbill in the counties of Stirling and Linlithgow, which
will appear in the third volume of the work just mentioned. A young
bird, which had newly left the nest, was shot by him as its parents were
feeding it, and as the bird in this state has very seldom been examined, a
minute account of it will be interesting to our Ornithological readers. It
was killed on the 15th of June. The plumage was not perfect, as the
qnills and tail-feathers had not received their full growth.

Length five inches and eight-twelfths ; extent of wings ten; bill along the
ridge seven-twelfths ; wing from flexure three and two-twelfths ; tail one and
one-twelfth. The billis perfectly symmetrical, being rather short, robust,
triangular at the base, considerably compressed, and much higher than
broad ; the outline of the upper mandible decurved, its sides sloping and
flattened, the edges straight, sharp, and slightly overlapping; the tip very
small, acute, deflected, only one-twelfth of an inch longer than the lower ;
the lower mandible with the angle broad and rounded, the dorsal line
ascending and nearly straight, the edges inyolute, the tip pointed and a
little ascending. The lower jaw is of extreme width at the base, the dis-
tance from the exterior of one joint to that of the other being nine-twelfths
ofaninch. The lateral motiou is very great, but there is no greater fa-
cility of movement toward one side than tothe other, the tip of the man-
dibles being separable three and a half twelfths to either side. On the
toof of the upper mandible are two longitudinal flattened ridges. The
tongue as in the adult.

The general colour of the plumage of the upper parts is dull greyish-
ochre, longitudinally streaked with dusky, the central part of each feather
being of the latter colour, which is more decided on the back ; the rump
with more yellow, the cheeks and sides of the neck lighter. The lower
parts are white, the fore part of the breast tinged with yellow, and the
whole under surface streaked with greyish-brown in linear-oblong lines.
The quills and coverts are blackish-brown, narrowly edged with pale yel-
lowish-brown, as are the tail-feathers.

Mr Yarrell, in his excellent History of British Birds, describes a young
Crossbill, which ‘‘ was brought from Hampshire at the latter end of
March, aud was obtained within a few miles of Winchester. Its whole
length is only five inches ; the feathers of the wings and tail not yet com-
pleted ; the former measuring but three inches from the carpal joint to the
end, and the tail-feathers only extending five-eighths of an inch beyond
the ends of the upper tail-coverts. This bird cannot have flown far from
the nest in which it was reared, and was probably hatched about the be-
ginning of March. In the colour of its plumage it very closely resembles
those observed on young birds of the year when obtained in June, namely,
the head, neck, and upper part of the back, the rump, and all the under
surface of the body, greyish-white, streaked longitudinally with dusky
brown ; the feathers of the wings and tail hare brown, with narrow edges
of pale brown; the beak, though rather long, has both its mandibles per-
fectly straight, the lower one just shutting within the edges of the upper,
nor is there the slightest indication to which side either mandible would
hereafter be inclined,”

It thus appears, that until
the Crossbill has used its beak
in extracting the seeds from be-
tween the scales of the cones
of pines and firs, so as, by the
peculiar action which it em-
ploys in so doing, to bend the
tip of the upper mandible to one
side, the curious crossing and
elongation of the tips of the
mandibles characteristic of this
genus are not observable, the
bill being similar to that of a
Finch or Sparrow, though
stronger and more compressed.
In this respect the Crossbills
are not singular. Thus the
Oyster-catcher, when young,
has the tips of both mandibles
pointed, and that of the upper
considerably elongated; whereas, by the action of driving limpets
from the rocks, the end of the bill is ultimately thinned on either side,
so as to become wedge-shaped. It appears that in some degree the
bills of Woodpeckers owe their cuneate form to the same cause. The
thin edges of the mandibles of many sea-birds, as the Gannets and Phae-
tons, become transversely or obliquely fissured by use; and the serratures
on the claws of Gannets, Cormorants, and Herons, have no existence
while the young birds remain in their nests.

The undue prolongation of the mandibles, in consequence of a deflection
from their natural direction, is frequently observed in the Rook, which, on
account of its habits, is peculiarly liable to this accident. 1t is also not
unfrequently seen in cage-birds. The elongation of the upper mandible
invariably takes place in all birds which, by captivity, are prevented from
using their bills in the natural manner or degree, and is usually very con-
spicuous in tame Eagles and Parrots. This abnormal growth is not con-
fined to the mandibles, but is common to all horny parts, as the claws
and hoofs of birds and quadrupeds, as well as the horns of the Rumi-
nantia, and extends even to the teeth, as is naturally seen in the Hog
genus, and accidentally in the Glires.

THE BLOOD-HOUND.

Tue first part of an original and valuable paper upon some varieties of
the Doe has lately appeared in one of the Dublin Medical Journals, with
a short account of which we shall gratify our readers. It is devoted to
some kinds of Blood-hounds, and seems the result of long and patient re-
search and observation. It is anonymous, which we regret.

«© There are three Dogs at present known under the name of Blood-
hound, which, though by some considered distinct from one another, I
am disposed to regard as varieties of the same animal, the difference in
their appearance being probably owing to climate, if not, indeed, to some
intentional or accidental cross. These varieties are the African, the
Cuban or Spanish, and the British.

“ The first, viz. the African, I am inclined to regard as the original

22 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY, *

whence the others sprang. The Cuban seems to havea dash of
Greyhound in him, and the British would appear to have been improved
by the intermixture of the old English Talbot, which I take to be a far
more genuine as well as.more ancient animal.

«* The first to be described, therefore, is the African, and of him there
must be the least known—as far, at all events, as regards his original ex-
traction. The African Blood-hound is very seldom to be seen in this
country; he sometimes resembles a very large and raw-boned Spanish
Pointer, (C. avicularis Hispan.) His ears are pendulous and fine in tex-
ture, about the length of a Foxhound’s; coat very fine, and skin ap-
parently thin ; colour generally dark liver-colour clouded with black, yet
sometimes tan ; muzzle nearly always black, as also the tip of his ears ;
head pretty large, and shaped like a Pointer’s; eyes placed towards the
front ; tail fine, and carried rather horizontally than erect. The appear-
ance and manners of this Dog are ferocious in the extreme; he stands
about twenty-six inches high at the shoulder, often less, but seldom
more.

“* Tsaw one of these animals in London some time ago, which had been
brought from the Cape of Good Hope, and from him took my description;
he was the only African Blood-hound I have ever seen; and as these
Dogs are apt to die when brought to a cold climate, I dare say few of my
readers (if any) have ever met with one of them. Two African Blood-
hounds were brought to England, and presented to the Tower Menagerie,
by Major Denham. A drawing of them may be seen in the first volume
of a very interesting work published by the Society for Promoting Enter-
taining Knowledge—eniitled The Menageries. I was also shown a sketch
of one, and furnished with a description similar to the one I have given
above, by a friend who had spent some time at the Cape. These are
very swift Dogs, of exquisite sense and smell, great endurance, and in-
domitable courage. My account of the African variety ends here, and I
now come to one somewhat better known—one, at all events, concerning
which information is more easily obtained—viz., the Cuban or Spanish.

« This animal does not differ so greatly in form from the former-described
variety as at first sight might be supposed. It is in general much taller,
is of a slighter make, bears its head higher, and is altogether a more im-
posing-looking Dog than the preceding. It is said to be inferior in smell.
which I conceive must be the case from the formation of the head and
nose ; but what it wants in scent it makes up in speed, being in this re-
spect little inferior to many Greyhounds. This Dog is to be found in
greatest perfection at present in South America; many are brought from
the West Indian Islands also, but are scarcer there than on the Continent.
This is a very tall Dog, being frequently twenty-seven to twenty-eight
inches high at the shoulder: in his general shape he resembles a Smooth
Lurcher, ora cross between a Greyhound anda Mastiff; his head is thick
across the temples ; muzzle long and rather fine, yet by no means so small
as a Greyhound’s; ears something like a Greyhound’s, but larger and
much more pendulous. This Dog's neck is long, and as he carries his
head well up, he has, when a good-sized specimen, a very noble’ appear-
ance ; his tail is moderately long, and tapers to the extremity; it is very
slightly villous beneath ; colour generally tan shaded with black above—
sometimes liver-colour—and occasionally mouse-coloured or silvery-grey ;
the muzzle and tips of his ears are generally darker than the rest of his
body—often black. This Dog, be it observed—and I state this on the
authority of a native of South America—is never seen mottled or of two
colours ; that is to say, speckled or streaked, or black and white, &c.
Whien such is the case, rest assured that the Dog is not by any means
well-bred, but has probably had for one of his parents a Boar-hound or
Danish Dog. The eyes of this Dog are placed very much towards the
front of the head, and very close together, which I conceive must tend in
some measure to confine his vision to objects more immediately in front.

** This is the well-known Dog rendered so famous, or rather infamous,
from his having been employed by the Spaniards in their cruel and-exter-
minating conflicts with the Americans. The same, also, since frequently
used in the capture of runaway-slavesin the West Indies. I have been
informed that on such occasions a small Dog of the Spaniel breed should
be used, called a Finder, as the Blood-hound is slow at hitting off the
trail unless so aided, not possessing tlie same nicety of smell that is dis-
played by the two other varieties.

‘« He is a Dog of extreme courage; is capable of much affection; sel-
dom exhibits treachery unless to entrap a declared foe or astrange beggar-
man, on which occasions he has been known to simulate sleep, and thus
induce the unsuspecting man to pass within reach, on whom he would
certainly spring were he so unwary. Their manner of seizing and biting
closely resembles the practice of the Bull-dog, (C. molossus.) They never
let go their hold when they have once fastened, but increase their mouth-
ful continually, making every effort to tear away the bit, which they not
unfrequently do. Let them once fasten on the throat of their foe, and,
whether uppermost or undermost, the battle is their own. One of these
Dogs killed a good-sized Bull-dog in about ten minutes, never having
changed the hold he got atifirst. I saw one of these Dogs opposed to a

Bear, on which occasion he did very well, but Bruin having ripped the
skin off his shoulder, he declined further combat, and resigned the field
of battle in favour of a young Boar-hound, son of his Grace the Duke of
Buccleuch’s Dog,‘ Hector,’ which, though barely eighteen_months old,
pinned the shaggy monster by the nose, hurled him to the ground, and
punished the poor Bear so severely, that in a few minutes the brute
howled for quarter, and was glad to yield, ‘ rescue or no rescue.’ 1 feel
it my duty to remark, ‘ en parenthése,’ before going any farther, that al-
though I may thus mention ‘ combats des animaux,’ or even minutely de-
scribe them, yet I condemn them zn tofo—as cruel and degrading to hu-
man nature. I saw many such scenes when a much younger man than
Iam now. My blood was warmer than it is at present, and in the ex-
citement of the scenes I witnessed, I forgot for a long while to reflect
upon their barbarity. When I mention such things, therefore, it is mere-
ly to display the character of the animal I am describing in a clear point
of view, while at the same time I disapprove of such practices.

“ The Spanish Blood-hound is more commonly seen in this country than
the African or Spanish varieties, and I have found that to it is the name
of Blood-hound almost exclusively applied. The finest specimen of the
breed I have ever seen was in the possession of Mr Johnston, of Edinburgh,
to whom, as I was told, it had been sent from Jamaica by a brother
resident there. I was informed that Mr Johnston was offered sixty
guineas for this Dog, which, however, he refused. 1 saw this animal, in
company with a young South American, who assured me of its being, as
far as he could judge, a perfectly fine specimen. I saw also a smaller
Dog of the same breed in Edinburgh, in the possession of Mr Charles
MacKnight, son of the late Dr MacKnight of that city. At that time
I did not believe Mr MacKnight’s Dog to be thoroughbred, in conse-
quence of its diminutive size. Ihave since, however, seen one in Dublin,
the property of Sir Philip Crampton, the Surgeon-General, which is even
less than it, and of the purity of whose blood I can hardly entertain a
doubt. The Surgeon-General’s Dog is of a very light mouse or silvery-
grey colour, and appears certainly far better bred than any of her offspring
I have ever seen. I also saw two of this breed in London; they had
been brought from Barbadoes, and were handsome animals,”

THE WAIRUS OR SEA-HORSE A VISITANT IN BRITAIN.

Tue Walrus, however familiarly known in the arctic regions as an object.
of commercial pursuit, has yet rarely been seen alive on the British shores.
We are aware only of two instances on record ; one in the Island of Har-
ris in the year 1817, and the other in Orkney in 1825, (Nat. Lib. Mam.
VII.) To these we now add a third :—* About fortnight since a strange
large animal was observed on the sands of the Severn at Purton, and, as
a man went towards it, it retreated towards the water. This emboldened
the pursuer, and he soon approached very near to the animal, upon which
it turned round and exhibited a countenance of such apparently extraor-
dinary ferocity and disposition to do battle, that the man was glad in his
turn to take to flight with pretty considerable speed. He then pracured
a large duck gun with a man to accompany him, and to lend his shoulder
to support the gun while he took aim, and by this: means the strange
visitant was very soon dispatched. On examination it turned out to be
a Walrus or Morse, a well known animal of the Seal tribe in the Polar
Seas, but which very seldom, we believe, is seen in these latitudes. It
was quite young, as it measured only about seven or eight feet in length,
while the average length of a full grown Walrus is from twelve to sixteen
feet, and some have even measured twenty feet. After its death, it was,
we understand, conveyed to Berkeley Castle, where its tusks, &c. will
probably be added to the other trophies of the chase which are preserved
in that ancient baronial fortress.” — Gloucester Journal.

We cannot but express our regret at the inhospitable reception bestowed
upon this young and confiding stranger on the banks of the Severn. The
pursuer was here exposed to no kind of danger: and the capture of the
poor Morse would have been an. easy task, and kind treatment would
have been appreciated, not to say repaid. Any of our Zoological Gardens
would have regarded the animal as an invaluable prize, and the owner
might, had he chosen, been in this way richly rewarded.

Bearing on this point, we take the liberty of extracting the following
sentences from the last volume of one of our most popular works on Na-
tural History, (Nat. Lib., by Sir William Jardine, Bart.)—‘* Considering
the intelligence and amiability that are thus displayed by the Walrus, we
are not greatly surprised to learn that it can be domesticated. The in-
stances we have met with are not numerous, yet we cannot withhoid our
credence to the statement which De Laet quotes from Edward Worst,
who mentions that he saw one of these animals alive in England, which
was three months old, and which had been brought from Nova Zembla.
Every day it was put into water for a short time; but always seemed
happy to return to dry ground. It was about the size of a calf, and could
open and shut its nostrils at pleasure. It grunted like a wild Boar, and
sometimes cried with a strong deep voice. It was fed with wild oats or

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. ~ 23

millet; which it rather sucked in than masticated. It was not without dif-
ficulty that it approached its master, but it attempted to follow him, espe-
cially when it had the prospect of receiving nourishment at his hand.”

BIRTH OF A GIRAFFE IN BRITAIN, AND DEATH.

Many of the members of the London Zoological Society in. particular,
and Naturalists generally throughout the country, have lately felt deep
interest in the present announcement. It was on the 19th of June that
the beautiful Giraffe in the garden of the Zoological Society gave birth,
after a gestation of fifteen lunar months, toa fine young male animal,—
the first of its species ever born in this country, or indeed in Europe.
Professor Owen stated at a meeting of the Society, that the young ani-
mal, when born, was perfectly motionless, and apparently dead; but
when gentle friction was applied, it unexpectedly gave a sudden shudder,
and respired, whilst motion quickly followed. It made vigorous efforts
to stand, raising itself on the fore-knees, and was able to support itself
two hours after birth. The next day it was capering about, showing a
remarkable degree of development and strength, as might be expected
from the long period of gestation. The length of the young Cameleopard
from the muzzle to the setting of the tail was six feet ten inches, the tail
terminating with the usual tuft of long black hair, and its head reached
the height of six feet. It was not a little remarkable that the mother,
though not unkind to her offspring, yet refused to suckle him; a misfor-
tune, however, which seemed to have been got over by the young animal
imbibing with avidity warm cow’s milk from a bottle, For the first few
days of its existence it appeared very healthy, occasionally uttering low,
gentle bleatings, like a fawn or calf. It died in about a week; an event
which has been attributed to the strange conduct of the dam, and the dis-
agreement of the cow’s milk.

We now return to the interesting work of Captain Harris, and will
supply a few additional extracts :—

Hunting at Meritsane, South Africa.—Crossing a river, we took anorth-
westerly direction through a park of magnificent camel-thorn trees, many
of which were groaning under the huge nests of the Social Grosbeak:
whilst otlers were decorated with green clusters of misletoe, the bright
scarlet berries of which were highly ornamental. We soon perceived
large herds of Quaggas and Brindled Gnoos, which continued to join
each other until the whole plain seemedalive. The clatter of their hoofs
was perfectly astounding, and I could compare it to nothing but to the
din of a tremendous charge of cavalry, or the rushing of a mighty tem-
pest. I could not estimate the accumulated numbers at less than 15,000 ;
a great extent of country being actually chequered black and white with
their congregated masses. As the panic caused by the report of our
rifles extended, clouds of dust hovered over them; and the loug necks of
troops of Ostriches were also to be seen, towering above the heads of
their less gigantic neighbours, and sailing past with astonishing rapidity.
Groups of purple Sassaybags, (Acronotus lunatus,) and brilliant red
Hartebeests, (Acronatus Caama,) likewise lent their aid to complete the
picture. The savages kept in our wake, dexterously dispatching the
wounded Gaoos by a touch on the spine with the point of an assagai,
and instantly covering up the carcasses with bushes, to secure them from
the voracity of the Vultures, which hung about us like specks in the fir-
mament, and descended with the velocity of lightning, as each discharge
of our artillery gave token of prey. As we proceeded, two Elands (Bo-
selaphus Oreas) made their appearance, the sayages at the same moment
exclaiming with evident delight, Zmpoofo, Impoofo, and pressing-our horses
to the utmost speed, we found ourselves, for the first time, at the heels
of the largest and most beautiful species of the Anteiope tribe. Notwith-
standing the unwieldy shape of these animals, they had at first greatly the
speed of our jaded horses, but being pushed, they soon separated; their
sleek coats turned first blue, and then white with froth; the foam fell from
their mouths and nostrils, and the perspiration from their sides. Their
pace gradually slackened, and with their full brilliant eyes turned implor-
ingly towards us, at the end of amile, each was laid low by a single ball.

In size and shape, the body of the male Eland resembles that of a
well conditioned Guzerat Ox, not unfrequently attaining the height of
nineteen hands, and weighing 2000 lbs. ‘The head is strictly that of an
Antelope, light, gracetul, and bony, with a pair of magnificent straight
horns, about two feet in length, spirally ringed, and pointed backwards.
A broad and deep dewlap, fringed with brown hair, reaches to the knee.
The colour varies considerably with the age, being dun in some, in others
an ashy blue, with a tinge of ochre, and in many also sandy grey, ap-
proaching to white. The flesh is esteemed by all classes in Africa above
that of any other animal; in grain and colour it resembles beef, but is
better tasted, and more delicate, possessing a pure game flavour, and the
quantity of fat with which it is interlarded is surprising,—greatly exceed-
ing that of any other game quadruped with which I am acquainted.

The female is smaller, and of slighter form, with less ponderous horns.

The stoutest of our savage attendants could with difficulty transport the
head of the Eland to the waggons.

Tue Warer Buck (Agocerus ellipsiprymnus) is about the size of an
Ass, and of somewhat browner colour. The hair is coarse, like that of
the Indian Rusa Stag, and in texture resembles split whalebone. The
appearance of the male animal is stately ; the eyes are large and brilliant ;
the horns ponderous, three feet in length, white-ringed, and placed al-
most perpendicularly on the head, the points being curved to the frond;
a mane encircles the neck, and an elliptical white band the tail, which
is tufted at the extremity. The female is similar, but hornless, and rather
smaller, The flesh of both is coarse, and so highly ill-favoured that even
savages are unable to eat it. On cutting off the head, the effluvium liter-
ally drove me from the spot. Mr Stedman had the merit, a few years
ago, of bringing this Antelope under the observation of the scientific world,
and Dr Smith brought down other specimens with the late expedition.
It is gregarious, and found only on the banks of rivers near the tropic,
the Limpopo and Marigua especially.

FichT BETWEEN PaRTRIDGES AND THE Carrion Crow.—‘‘ A person
engaged in a field, not far from my residence, had his attention arrested
by some objects on the ground, which, upon approaching, lie found to be
two Partridges, a male and female, engaged in battle with a Carrion
Crow; so successful, and so absorbed were they in the issue of the com-
bat, that they actually held the Crow till it was seized, and taken from
them by the spectator of the scene. Upon search, the young birds (very
lately hatched) were found concealed among the grass. It would appear,
therefore, that the Crow, a mortal enemy to all kinds of young game, in
attempting to carry off one of these, had been attacked by the parent
birds, and with the above singular success.” —Selby on British Birds.

Vanity oF THE Peacock.—The late Baron Ternaux, says an anony-
mous writer, decorated his grounds at St Ouen, near Paris, with splendid
looking-ylasses, which reflected the varied landscape, and produced a very
fine effect. One day the gardener found one of the Peafowls before the
glass, with its tail displayed, and apparently contemplating itself with
great satisfaction. ‘The gardener let it remain there until he went round
the grounds; he returned in a few hours, and found the Peacock still be-
fore the glass. He now drove it away, but it as constantly returned.
He at length took it tothe aviary; but the Peacock, as soon as it could
get out, went back to the mirror, refusing all food for the delight of be-
holding itself in the glass. The Baron at last suffered it to remain, order-
ing food to be placed before it near the glass; but it did not touch it; and,
on the third or fourth day, the bird of Juno was found lying dead vefore
the glass. A second Peacock, which had never seen the mirror, was
brought, that it might be observed whether the effect would be the same;
when it was found that it was as proud of viewing its own image as its
predecessor ; and, to prevent its meeting a similar fate, it was not allowed
access to the grounds. The above anecdote was communicated to the
narrator by the Baron himself, on his last visit to London. The same
phenomenon has been observed in other kinds of birds, as Goldfinches,
Turkeys, &c.; in some cases the idea of the presence of a companion
must be the dominant feeling.

BOTANY.
GREAT GIANT GOLIATH RHUBARB.

In the market gardens round London, a large species of rhubarb is ex-
tensively cultivated, with which the excellent markets of the metropolis
are well supplied; but beyond the range of a few miles, the particular
kind to which we would direct attention is comparatively little known;
the generality of country gardens being disgraced with a root or two of
docklike plants, with stalks no thicker than a finger, fibres like a whip-
cord, and little or only a bad flavour. No wonder so few persons thus
possessed should not like rhubarb tarts. The noble plant which we would
recommend to every living being who owns a patch of garden-ground, is
as superior to the old-fashioned nauseous plant just mentioned, as our
cultivated celery to the rank weed of the same name growing by muddy
ditches. One would be Jed to suppose that, from the rarity of the giant
rhubarb, it was difficult of cultivation, tender, and troublesome to manage :
whereas it is as easily propagated as any other perennial vegetable; is so
hardy, that no degree of frost which we have ever experienced will injure
it; and of all esculents for pies and puddings, it is the most readily pre-
pared. It is so prolific, that half a dozen roots would keepa small family
constantly supplied during four months of the year, from the beginuing or
middle of April, until the beginning or middle of August. We have known
instances of this fruzt (must we style it?) being preferred to a!! athers for
the purpose of pastry, throughout the summer, even where fruits of every
kind abound. We bave known stalks of this rhubarb measure six inches
in circumference, and nearly two feet in length; so delicate and soft too
is its texture, that as soon as it arrives at the boiling point, it becomes a
fine pulp, and is already sufficiently cooked. As a gaiden production for

24 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

culinary purposes, it is certainly invaluable ; being in perfection when ap-
ples become tough, and before gooseberries have made their appearance.
Its flavour is so delicate, that it ought not to be mixed with any other in-
eredient than sugar; and on no account should it be peeled.

This rhubarb may be propagated either by sowing the seeds, or pur-
chasing young roots of one year’s growth, and planting them during the
spring months in a good rich soil. In the former case, they are to be
transplanted in a few weeks, and in the following year their stalks will be
large enough to pull. Ifthe roots obtained be planted in March, the plot
will be available in a month or six weeks. No further care is requisite
than to manure the bed in autumn. As soon as the growth becomes
vigorous, each root sends up a flower-stalk, which will readily be distin-
guished from the leaf-stalks; these must be pulled away, and only one
left, (if it be intended to procure seed,) and this plant should be used little
or none during the season. The leaves are enormous, many being four
feet long and three and a half wide. The roots, too, are gigantic,—so
large, that in the course of three or four years, a single root will fill a
wheelbarrow; hence the plants require a wide space—say five feet apart
each way.— Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, §&c. June 1839.

ELECTRICITY.
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING.
In a late Number we supplied an extract from M. Arago’s most interest-
ing Treatise on Thunder and Lightning, promising to return to the sub-
ject. Strongly would we advise those who have it in their power to re-
fer to the more original sources, whence they wil! derive much informa-
tion and amusement. We have room for only one short extract, which
will be devoted to the question—

“* Does Lightning strike before it becomes visible 2—1 much question,”
says the illustrious Frenchman, ‘‘ whether any natural philosopher has,
for some years, hazarded publicly to propose the question at the head of
this section. During this period it has been supposed that nothing could,
by possibility, be more rapid than Light. A well determined velocity
of eighty thousand leagues a second appeared so astonishing, that the
imagination never ventured to think of going further. The experiments,
however, of Mr Wheatstone will probably effect a change upon this point.
These have, in truth, I will not say demonstrated, but they have at least
led us to conceive the possibility of even greater velocities than that of light;
and that in a substance, whose identity with Lightning a hundred com-
parisons tend to establish. The suspicion, then, announced at the head
of this chapter, merits investigation in a theoretical point of view. Me-
teorology must gain by the inquiry ; and I imagine the problem has a re-
lation, on some points, to physiology. Finally, it appears to me that
many timid individuals will be spared many poignant moments during
Thunder-storms, were it proved that nothing is to be apprehended when
the flash has been seen.

‘© Mr Thomas Olivey, a farmer in Cornwall, who was knocked un-
conscious to the ground by a fearful thunderbolt, on the 20th of Decem-
ber 1752, so little heard the noise, or perceived the light of the meteor,
that in coming to himself at the end of a quarter of an hour, his first in-
quiry was, Who had struck him? A man was struck with Lightning near
Bitche, on the 11th of June 1757. After being for a time asphyxiated,
he was asked, on returning to consciousness, by the Abbé Chappe, What
had been the nature of his sensations? when he answered, I heard no-
thing, I saw nothing. The rector of Saint-Keverne, in Cornwall, Mr
Anthony Williams, was struck on the 18th of February 1770, by the
same thunderbolt which did so much damage in the parish church. On
recovering, after having been long in a fainting state, he declared he had
neither seen the Lightning nor heard the Thunder. Mr Luke Howard in-
terrogated one of two gardeners who were thrown unconscious to the
ground, in a country house in the neighbourhood of Manchester. This
individual, George Bradbury, positively declared that he had neither heard
the Thunder nor seen the Lightning at the moment of the accident. On
the 11th of July 1819, a thunderboit broke upon the church of Chateau-
neuf-les-Moutiers, near Digne, in the Department of the Low Alps; it
killed nine and wounded eighty-two persons. Among these last was the
curate of Moutiers ; he was taken up completely asphyxiated ; his surplice
was in flames. He revived two hours after the accident, and declared
‘ that he had heard nothing, and knew nothing of all that had passed.’
Mr Rockwell, who was struck with Lightning in August 1821, had neither
seen the Lightning nor heard the noise. H. N. Reeves, a workman, who,
in June 1829, was labouring on the steeple of Salisbury, fell down uncon-
scious immediately after a vivid flash of Lightning: when he awakened
from his deep unconsciousness, he'stated that he did not perceive the Light-
ning at the moment of his fall.” —Hdinburgh New Philosophical Journal,
January 1839.

GEOLOGY.
GroLoGy as PROSECUTED IN Russia.—Some idea of the activity of the
Russians in pursuit of Science, and especially that of Geology, may be

gathered from the following statements. The inspector-in-chief of the
mines, the Count Cancrina, has for several years obtained His Imperial
Majesty’s permission to make geological and mineralogical researches in
various parts of this vast empire, and a scientific committee has been estab-
lished to superintend the publication of a work entitled «¢ Annals of the
Russian Mines.” M. Parrot, professor at the University of Dorpat, was
ordered by the Russian Government to explore Armenia and Transcau-
casia, and he placed his barometer at the top of Mount Ararat, which he
found to be of volcanic formation. M. Kupffer has determined the height
of Elbrous, the culminating point of the Caucasian chain, and is at this
moment making meteorological and magnetic observations throughout the
empire. Baron de Humboldt and M. Rose have traversed the northern
mountains. M. de Pusch has described the chalk formation in the
south of Poland, M. Pander those of the neighbourhood of St Peters-
burgh; M. Dubois de Montpereux has for years been devoted to the same
researches in Caucasia, the Crimea, and Podolia, and M. de Verneuil has
also visited the Crimea. M. de Semenoff, principal engineer of mines,
has described the geological formation of the northern part of the Altai
Mountains, the central crest of which is composed principally of granite,
and granitoid syenite, which are often at the base adjoining to mica slate,
The lower regions are marly and covered with forests, which disappear in
the regions of eternal snow, and from the alluvial soils which load the
shallows and beds of the rivers, gold is now plentifully extracted by wash-
ing. M. Amixine has thrown light on the western ramification of the
chain of the Jablonowoé, in Eastern Siberia, in which granite and mica
slate predominate, and a formation of porphyry of fifteen square leagues
is on all sides surrounded by granite mountains of great elevation. In this
same chain M. Fileff also found red sandstone, diorite, and a trachitic for-
mation. The Altai and Aral seem, however, to have been most explored,
from the rubies which they present. Not only have they rich veins of
gold, but lead, and garnets, tourmalines, topazes, amethysts, aquamarines,
and the finest emeralds. On the coust of the Caspian Sea are hills, which
contain an abundance of fossil shells, and strata of gypsum and rock
salt. A great extent of coal is found in the chain of Donetz, and in the
government of Karkoff.—Atheneum, April 1839.

SupTerranean Caverns aT CuupietcH.—A curious discovery of a
range of caverns was made last week in Chudleigh Rock, in conse-
quence of a Terrier Dog getting into a fissure in pursuit of a Rabbit.
The Dog was heard at various times to bark for more than a week; and
as it was almost impossible to extricate him, it was attempted to destroy
him by burning brimstone. On the fifteenth day after the Dog’s entomb-
ment, his moans were plainly heard by many persons, when a further en-
deavour was made, in vain, to extricate him. A lad on the following
day had the courage, with a rope affixed to him and two lanterns, to en-
ter the chasms; and after two hours, working a passage of twenty feet, he
descended into a dry chamber, about thirty feet square and sixty-three
feet below the opening, where he found the Dog dead, but still warm.
From an aperture in this cavern gushed a stream of air leading into an-
other cavern, which is supposed to be still deeper, as the boy had not
rope enough to descend. This range of caverns is beneath those where
Professor Buckland many years since discovered some extraordinary ante-
diluvian remains.

MISCELLANIES.

Ontcrin or LiruocrapHy.—Fifty years ago, there lived at Munich a
poor fellow, by name Aloys Senefelder, who was in so little repute as an
author and artist, that printers and engravers refused to publish his works
at their own charges, and so set him upon some plan to do without their
aid. In the first place, Aloys invented a certain kind of ink which would
resist the action of the acid that is usually employed by engravers, and
with this he made his experiments upon copper-plates as longas he could
afford to purchase them. He found that to write upon the plates back-
wards, after the manner of engravers, required much skill and many trials,
and he thought that were he to practise upon any other polished surface
—a smooth stone, for instance, the least costly article imaginable—he
might spare the expense of the copper until he had sufficient skill to use
it. One day, it is said, that Aloys was called upon to write—rather a
humble composition for an author and an artist—a washing bill. He had
no paper at hand, and so he wrote out the bill with some of his newly
invented ink, upon one of his Kilheim stones. Some time afterwards he
thought he would try and take an zmpression of his washing bill—he did,
and succeeded. Senefelder invented lithography.— Westm. Rev.

EpinsurcuH: Published for the Proprieror, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Lonpon: Smiru, Exper, and Co., 65, Cornhill. Gtascow, and the West of
Scotland: Joann Smita and Son; and Joun Macteop. Dusiin: Grorcs

Younc. Panis: J. B. Batxtrere, Rue de l’Ecole de Medecine, No. 13 bis.

THE EDINSUREH PRINTING COMPANY.

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

THE PHYSICAL

SCIENCES.

AUGUST, 1839.

DESCRIPTION OF THE APPARATUS BY WHICH THE TONGUE IS EXTENDED IN
THE FAMILY OF WOODPECKERS.

Tur singular apparatus by means of which the Woodpeckers are enabled
to secure their prey has often been described, but generally in an imper-
fect, and often, in some respects, in an erroneous manner. Having re-
cently examined individuals of several species, we are enabled to present
a detailed account of the subject. In the first place, let us take the Ivory-
billed Woodpecker, Picus principalis, one of the largest species known.

Fig. 1 represents—The
upper and lower mandibles,
ab, the tongue, cd, the ter-
minal barbed portion, c, the
fleshy part, d, the orbit and
eye, e, the salivary gland of
the right side, f, the hyoid
bones, gg, the neck, hh, the
furcula, iz, the cesophagus,
jj, the trachea, f, its lateral
muscles, //, the cleido-tra-
cheal muscles, m m. In fig.
2 are seen — The lower
mandible, 4, the salivary
glands, ff, the hyoid bones,
gg, the cesophagus, 7 7 j,
the trachea, #, the lateral
muscles, / 7, the cleido-tra-
cheal, mm, the glosso-laryn-
geal, x n, the muscles by
which the tongue is exserted,
00.

The bill of this species,
Fig. 1, a b, measures three
inches and two-twelfths from
the angle of the mouth; and
the tongue, cd, which les
in the broad groove of the
lower mandible, reaches to
two-twelftlis of the extremity,
but at the will of the bird may be exserted so as to extend 3} inches
beyond the point of the bill. The tongue itself presents the appearance
of a slender worm-like body, having a middle longitudinal groove on its
upper surface, which is transversely wrinkled, and terminated by a slender
tapering bony point, of which the margins and part of the upper surface
are covered with acicular prickles, which are in some degree moveable
and directed backwards, but not capable of being bent outwards, much
less in the direction of the tip of the tongue. The length of this organ is
apparently twa inches eight-twelfths ; but if measured from the base of the
basi-hyal bone, only one inch eleven-twelfths ; its breadth at the base two
and one-half-twelfths, slightly tapering to the end of its fleshy part, where
it somewhat suddenly contracts, so as to have a breadth of little more
than one-twelfth. The length of the horny tip is nine-twelfths. The
tongue at the base is entirely destitute of the lobes and papillae which in
other birds give it a sagittate appearance ; and there is no uro-hyal bone,
which in them slips into a groove along the front of the thyroid bone of
the larynx. The mouth is of moderate width, its breadth being, as al-
ready montionsts eleyen-twelfths, it being in this respect very. different

from that of Flycatchers, Goatsuckers, Swallows, and such birds as
seize on living insects while on wing. The lower mandible is deeply con-
cave within, wider than the tongue, and covered with mucous membrane

until one inch five-twelfths from the point, beyond which it is horny, with
a median groove, near the commencement of which is a small aperture
for the ducts of the salivary glands. The tongue is capable of being re-
tracted ten-twelfths of an inch from the tips of the mandibles, and is then
seen to slide into a sheath, formed by an induplication or intussusception
of the membrane covering it, and having two freenula of elastic tissue in-
serted into the angle of the jaw. Here it may be proper to state, that in
birds generally the bony elements of the tongue are seven, as may be re-
presented by the accompanying diagram, in which the

first or upper piece is named the glosso-hyal, the next

the basi-hyal, the third, in the same line, the uro-hyal ;

the two coming off from the base of the second piece or

basi-hyal, are the apo-hyal, to each of which is appended f
another, the cerato-hyal. The tongue itself is in no de- %

gree extensile or contractile, but has for its solid basis a '

very slender basi-hyal bone, one inch two and one-half-

twelfths in length, terminated by a glosso-hyal bone half f \
an inch in length, but, as already said, has no basal or

uro-hyal bone, which, on account of the unusual extent of its motion,
would form an impediment.

From the base of this basi-hyal bone there proceed, backwards and
slightly diverging, two slender apo-hyal bones one inch one-twelfth in
length, each of which is continuous, with an extremely elongated cerato-
hyal bone, four inches and one-twelfth in length, three-fourths of one-
twelfth in breadth at the commencement, gradually tapering to a
blunt point, convex on its lower surface, concave or channelled on the
upper, passing under and internally of the articulation of the jaw, and
curving upwards along the occiput, until the two meet on the top of the
head, at the level of the posterior margin of the orbit, in the median line
of the cranium, which is much depressed, whence they proceed in mutual
contact, inclining slightly to the right side, and terminate a little before
the anterior margin of the orbit, half an inch behind the right nostril, and
a quarter of an inch from the base of the bill. These prolongations of
the os lhiyoides, being of an osseo-cartilaginous nature, are possessed of
much elasticity, so as in some measure to resemble a curved spring.

From near the angle or point of union of the two crura of the lower
mandible internally, there proceeds on each side a slender muscle, oo,
which, running backwards, comes in contact with the prolongation of the
hyoid bone, at the joint between the apo-hyal and cerato-hyal portions,
and is thence continued along the whole extent of the latter, og, eg, run-
ning chiefly along its upper side, but partially inclosing it, and bound to
it by asheath of cellular tissue, which allows it considerable motion.
The bone and muscle together are inclosed in an extremely delicate, trans-
patent, tenacious sheath, moistened internally with a serous fluid, and
terminating at the end of the bone, where it is attached by elastic tissue
to the cellular substance and periosteum near the base of the bill. This
delicate sheath, perfectly smooth and lubricated on its inner surface, is on
the outer attached by delicate filaments to the dense cellular tissue which
forms a kind of external sheath. It is fixed in its place, and the hyoid
bone, with its muscle, gg, slides backwards and forwards in it.

The entire length from the tip of the tongue, c, to the tip of each pre-
longation of the hyoid bone at e, is seven inches two-twelfths. The pro-
trusion of the tongue is effected by the contraction of the slender muscle
above described, 0, which having a fixed basis in the lower jaw near its

26 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

angle, and acting upon the tip of the hyoid bone, which is in this bird
situated anteriorly to the eye, on the forehead, near the base of the upper
mandible at c, causes the hyoid bone to glide within its sheath until its
tip has moved backwards over the forehead, the crown, and occiput, and
then advanced forwards until beneath the articulation of the lower jaw,
thus traversing a space of three inches and a half, so that the tongue is
protruded to three inches and four-twelfths beyond the tip of the bill.
When the muscle is relaxed, the parts regain their ordinary position by
the aid of the elasticity of the prolongation of the hyoid bones, and the
action of another pair of muscles, to be presently described.

The tongue, d, is covered externally with a dense sheath of fibrous
tissue. On its lower surface is seen on each side a very slender muscle,
commencing at the extremity of the glosso-hyal bone, and running along
the whole length of the basi-hyal bone, as well as of the apo-hyal, to be
inserted into the cerato-hyal, at the distance of one inch from its base,
on the outer edge. The action of this muscle, which has a strong tendon
in its whole length, is to bend the tip of the tongue downwards, or to move
the horn of the hyoid bone outwards. It may be called the glosso-hyal.
It has another tendon running parallel to that mentioned along its upper
edge, of which the action must be to bend the tongue upwards upon the
apo-hyal. Besides these muscles, there is another pair, forming the greater
part ofthe fleshy portion of the tongue. They commence at the tip of
the basi-hyal bone, or, at d, proceed along the upper surface of the tongue,
and, after running a course of two inches and three-fourths, pass along
the anterior surface of the thyroid bone, wind along its edge, and are in-
serted near the middle surface of the trachea, about its tenth ring. The
action of these muscles, alluded to at the end of the last paragraph, and
marked nz, is to retract the tongue, when extended, as well as to pull
forward the larynx. Another pair of very slender muscles, mm, commence
upon the edge of the thyroid bone externally of those last described, se-
parate immediately from the trachea, pass directly down the neck in front,
under the subcutaneous muscle and skin, to which they are firmly attached
by cellular tissue, and are inserted into the furcular bone about the middle
of its length. These muscles, the cleido-tracheales, are not peculiar to
Woodpeckers, and have nothing particular to do with the movements
of the tongue in those birds.

Parallel to the lower edge of the jaw, and extending from four-twelfths
anteriorly to its articulation to the junction of its crura, is, on each side,
an elongated salivary gland, ff; attached to the jaw by cellular tissue. It
is of a yellowish colour, internally parenchymatous, and sends off a duct,
which enters the mouth by the aperture already mentioned, at the com-
mencement of the groove, in the horny part of the lower mandible. The
fluid which it secretes is a glairy mucus, of a whitish colour, which, being
poured forth around the tip of the tongue, covers it with a glutinous sub-
stance well adapted for causing the adhesion of any small body to it.

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker, then, having discovered an insect or
larva in a chink of the bark, is enabled, by suddenly protruding its
tongue, covered with thick mucus, and having a strong, slender, sharp
point furnished with small reversed prickles, to seize it and draw it into
the mouth. These prickles are of special use in drawing from its retreat
in the wood those large laryze, often two or three inches in length; but
it does not appear probable that the bristly point is ever used to transfix
an object, otherwise, how should the object be again set free without
tearing off the prickles, which are extremely delicate, and not capable of
being bent in every direction ?

The trachea, kh, is five inches four-twelfths in length, considerably flat-
tened, nearly of the uniform breadth of three-twelfths throughout. The
aperture of the glottis is four-twelfths long, with a posterior flap of several
series of papille. The rings of the trachea are very strong, firmly ossified,
92 in number. At the upper part three are incomplete, the last entire
ting is very broad and bipartite, and there are two additional dimidiate
rings. The bronchi are short, of twelve half rings. The lateral or con-
tractor muscles, //, commence in front, at the base of the thyroid bone,
diverge, presently become lateral, and thus proceed until four and one-
half-twelfths from the extremity, when they terminate partly in the sterno-
tracheal, but also send down a very thin slip, which is inserted on the
first dimidiate ring.

The explanation of the mechanism by which the tongue is protruded
as above given, differs materially from any of those to be found in English
works at least, in some of which there is a very unnecessary prolixity as
well as ambiguity. It does not appear that hitherto the real sheath in
which the horus of the hyoid bone, with its muscle, move, has been ob-
served, and the two very slender muscles which run from the sides of the
thyroid bone to the furcula, are common to almost all birds, although
they have been supposed to be peculiar to Woodpeckers.

THE SPANISH BLOOD-HOUND.
In our last Number we gave an interesting and somewhat minute account
of the differences which distinguish the African and Spanish Blood-
Hounds, supplied by an anonymous correspondent to one of the Dublin

Medical Journals. That interesting communication was terminated by an
anecdote, which the author assures us is both authentic and original, illus-
trative of the courage, strength, and sagacity of the latter animal. We
enrich our pages with an abridged account of it. ‘* One morning the sub-
ject of this anecdote left home, and proceeded alone ona shooting excur-
sion. Ishould scarcely, however, be justified in asserting that he went
forth absolutely alone, for two powerful Tiger-hounds followed closely at
his heel. His favourite Blood-Hound howled Jong and plaintively for
permission to join the party, but his master was inexorable ; he was tied
up and left behind. Indeed, even the two Dogs he took with him were
more as companions than from any idea he entertained that their services
would be called into requisition. Had he expected danger, it was not on
them he would have relied, but on the noble animal whose courage and
fidelity he had so often proved, and who was now left at home.

«« The day passed over without any remarkable encounter, and Mr A.
was on his return home, his game-bag laden with feathered spoil, and a fine
buck suspended from a projecting branch of a marked tree, awaiting the
morning’s sun till a slave should be sent for it. He had now nearly reached
the outskirts of the wood, when he suddenly perceived in the thicket, on
one side of the path through which he must pass, two small faint and twink-
ling lights, like that of a pair of Glow-worms ; his practised eye instantly in-
formed him that this appearance proceeded from nothing but the malevolent
eyes of a wild beast—whether Cougar, Puma, Jaguar, he hesitated not to
determine; one thing was certain, retreat was fatal, and to advance was ap-
parently equally so. The sportsman’s first action is to throw the barrel
of his piece, unfortunately only a smooth bore, across his left arm, the
thumb of his right hand cautiously and noiselessly cocks the gun, and the
fore-finger of the same hand feels the trigger. Mr A. steadily advanced ;
he was not suffered to remain long in suspense; he -had proceeded but
three paces when with a terrific cry the Cougar (for such it was) sprung
from its lair and dashed upon him. He fired, but apparently without
effect; where were now his hounds? They had fled at the first glimpse
of the furious beast, and rent the woods with their cowardly wailings !
He struck indeed a few blows with the butt-end of his piece, but the rob-
ber of the forest was too nimble for him; a momentary struggle and he
was upon his back. The ferocious Cougar was standing or rather crouch-
ing over him; one paw was upon his broad chest, and each protruded
talon, penetrating his clothes and flesh, caused a stream of blood to trickle
down his side ; the other paw grasped his skull, and he felt as if each claw
penetrated to his brain; his senses reeled, and his blood suffused his eyes
and nearly blinded him: still, however, this heroic American fainted not,
nor ceased struggling manfully for the victory. His vigorous arms were
extended, and his hands grasped the monster’s throat, thus keeping him
for a time from bringing into play those rapacious jaws, which, as the
hunter’s strength declined, were gradually advancing into a closer proxi-
mity with his face; such a fearful struggle could not be of long continuance.
The burning eyeballs of the Cougar glared nearer, and more near still, as
they looked into the bloodshot orbits of the prostrate but still fearless
victim ; their owner was forced to turn them aside from the encounter, as
if conscious of the dastardly nature of his attack, and the superior bravery
though inferior strength of the man upon whom he couched. The
powers of the man relaxed; Nature had done her utmost, she was at
length exhausted. The darkness of despair was on the point of plunging
his senses in unconsciousness, and death was about to seize upon his vic-
tim, when the brushwood behind him crashed and yielded before a heavy
weight; the bay of a Blood-Hound awoke him to consciousness and hope,
a large animal bounded upon his merciless foe, the shock hurled the de-
stroyer from its prey, and the brave hunter felt that he was saved.

«* An American hunter, whether a native of the Northern or Southern
division of that vast Continent, rarely, if ever, loses his presence of mind.
The prostrate and much-lacerated man tottered to his feet, and recovering
his hunting-knife, which he had lost in the struggle, staggered forward,
and at imminent further hazard to himself, plunged it repeatedly between
the ribs of his late conqueror, who, although he had well-nigh mastered
the Dog, (for such was his deliverer,) was still too firmly fixed in the
Blood-Hound’s gripe to foresee or evade his avenging thrusts. It then
fell backwards and released its courageous opponent, who, however, de-
spite his wounds, maintained firm hold of his throat until Mr A. had re-
loaded his gun, and, applying it to the monster’s ear, put it out of pain,
and deprived it of the capability of doing further mischief.

“« Need I explain the occasion of this truly providential and almost mira-
culous rescue? The favourite Blood-Hound which, on quitting home, he
had left behind him, had continued howling all day as if possessing a sort
of prophetic prescience of the accident, by which his owner's life would
be placed in such extreme danger, and having at length broken loose, had
gone forth in quest of his missing master, and found him in time, but only
just in time, to save him from one of the most horrible of deaths.”

Tur Doc anv Boa.—Lieutenant C. had asingular adventure near this
place. He entered the jungle in search of game, preceded by a fayour-
ite powerful Dog, that had courage to seize any thing. The Dog ran a

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 27

little a-head, and suddenly made a noise as if choking. ‘‘Run, Master,
a Cheetah has caught your Dog,” said the natives. Lieutenant C. ad-
vanced cautiously, and saw a large heap just the colour of a Royal Tiger,
black and orange. In a few minutes he beheld the head and neck of an
enormous Boa Constrictor, slowly uncoiling itself and gliding towards
He waited until half of the Snake was out of its coil or lump, and
One ball entered immediately behind the eye ;
the other about four inches from the head. The whole coil immediately
fell, and revealed the poor Dog crushed to death within its folds. In the
meantime all Lieutenant C.’s followers fled, and he was forced to go to a
village for assistance. Having with some difficulty mustered a little band,
he returned and brought out the Snake, the Dog, and a Spotted Deer
that the Snake had killed. The Boa was twenty-three feet eight inches
long, and about six feet in circumference. There was a large cake of fat
inside, all the way from the head to the tail; and of this the natives
showed great anxiety to obtain possession, declaring it was an infallible
cure of all diseases.— Thirty Years in India. By Major Bevan.

Tue Swattows anp Cat.—One evening last week, while the wind
was from the south, and blowing with sudden gusts, a Swallow’s nest in
the corner of a window in Maybole (Ayrshire) was blown down, and the
scarcely fledged young, six in number, were thrown tothe ground. Two
of them were secured by the humane gentleman, the corner of whose
windows the old ones had tenanted for many a year; three others were
afterwards found on the street, and the five were lodged in a wooden dish
in a garret room, where, the window being left open, the old birds en-
tered, and converted the dish into a nest. The sixth, however, was still
missing, nor was it discovered till an hour afterwards, when it was seen
on the green sward, behind the house, in an imminently dangerous predi-
cament. A Cat had marked it for her prey, and would have devoured it
instanter, but that almost all the Swallows about Maybole had come to its
rescue, screeching their bitter war-cry, were swooping at her in dozens, and
whisking the hair out of her head at such a rate, that poor Grimalkin ran
a great chance of being pecked to death! Fairly routed, Puss beat a
speedy retreat, when, unprecedented though the incident may appear, the

- young Swallow was raised by about half a dozen of its brave defenders,
carried up, not without difficulty, to the garret window, and restored to
its place among the rest of the brood, all of which are now fully feathered,
and will be soon on wing.—(Newspaper Paragraph.)

him.
then fired both barrels.

METEOROLOGY.

Errects oF THE Hurricane or January 7, 1839, In IRELAND.—Under
the above title, in a valuable communication from William Thomson,
Esq., of Belfast, we find the following interesting particulars, Ina letter
from Viscount Cole, dated Hazelwood, Jan. 14, 1839, is the following
passage :—‘‘ 1 mention underneath a curious fact hardly to be believed, but
which two decent men would testify by affidavit—that on the morning
after the hurricane a great quantity of Perch fry were found thrown up
high and dry two yards, and some more, on the grassy shore of Church
Island in Lough Gill or Hazelwood Lake, in the county of Sligo.” Ina
note with which I was subsequently favoured, Lord Cole remarked, that
he had “ heard” of several Roach being thrown up onan island in Lough
Earn on the night of the great storm. On the 24th of January, Robert
Ball, Esq., wrote me from Dublin to the effect—that after the late hurri-
cane, the dead bodies of Rooks, to the amazing number of 33,000, (as a
matter of curiosity the number was reckoned by some boys,) were picked
up on the shores of a lake some miles in extent, and with extensive rook-
eries on its borders, in the county of Westmeath; and that in the same
locality numbers of Perch were thrown to some distance into the fields.
The almost incredible mortality of Rooks induced me to make further in-
quiry, when I was informed that Dean Vignolles (on whose property the
circumstance occurred) states that the number of these birds above men-
tioned were certainly destroyed. This gentleman likewise submitted to
Mr Ball's inspection a more than ordinarily strong panel of a new window
shutter which was driven in and broken through by a Rook dashing, or
perhaps rather from being dashed against it on the night in question. He
further mentioned that some of the Perch were found as far as fifteen
yards from the edge of the lake.— Ann. of Nat. Hist., May 1839.

Mergoric PaPer WHICH FELL FRoM THE Sky.—The celebrated Profes-
sor Ehrenberg has lately supplied the following information.—On the
8lst January 1687, a great mass of a paper-like black substance fell with
a violent snow-storm from the atmosphere near the village of Rauden in
Courland ; it was seen to fall, and after dinner was found at places where
the labourers at work had seen nothing similar before dinner. This me-
teoric substance, described completely and figured in 1686, was recently
again considered by M. v. Grotthus, after a chemical analysis, to be a me-
teoric mass ; but M. v. Berzelius, who also analysed it, could not discover
the nickel said to be contained in it; and Von Grotthus then tevoked his
opinion, It is mentioned in Chladni’s work on Meteors, and noticed as
an aérophyte in Nees yon Esenbeck’s valuable Appendix to R. Brown's

«« Botan. Schriften.” I examined this substance, some of which is con-
tained in the Berlin Museum, (also in Chladni’s collection,) microscopi-
cally. I found the whole to consist evidently of a compactly matted mass
of Conferva crispata, traces of a Nostoc, and about twenty-nine well-pre-
served species of Infusoria, of which three only are not mentioned in my
large work on Infusoria, although they have since occurred living near
Berlin. Moreover, of the case of Daphnia Pulex2 Of the twenty-nine
species of Infusoria, only eight have silicious shields, the others are soft
or with membraneous shields. Several of the most beautiful exceedingly
rare Baccillarie are frequent in it. These Infusoria have now been preserved
152 years. The mass may have been raised by a storm from a Courland
marsh, and merely carried away, but may also have come from a far dis-
tant district, as my brother Carl Ehrenberg has sent from Mexico forms
still existing near Berlin. Seeds, leaves of trees, and other things of the
kind scattered through the mass, were, on the examination of larger por-
tions, easily visible. The numerous native Infusoria and the shells of
the common Daphnia Puler seem to speak thus much for the substance,
that its original locality was not the atmosphere nor America, but most
probably either East Prussia or Courland.—Ann. of Nat. Hist., May
1839.

HYDROGRAPHY.
SUDDEN DRYING UP OF SEVERAL OF THE PRINCIPAL RIVERS IN SCOTLAND.

A VALUABLE paper concerning the drying up of the Rivers Teviot, Clyde,
and Nith, and their tributaries, on the 27th of November 1888, was last
session read by David Milne, Esq., advocate, to the Royal Society of
Edinburgh, of which we supply the following summary :—‘‘ It appears
that, betwixt 10 p.m. on the 26th. November, and 6 a.m. on the 27th
November, the channels of the Teviot, Clyde, and Nith, became nearly
dry for a great part of their course, so that scarcely any current flowed in
them. All the mills on the Clyde, as far down as several miles below
New Lanark, were stopped from want of water. The Nith was nearly
dry as far down as Enterkinefoot ; and the mills on it, and on its tribu-
taries, were stopped, This was the case also on the Teviot. The phe-
nomenon was most strikingly manifested in the higher parts of the rivers,
near their sources. The small streams from which they derive their sup-
plies were in general completely dried up. The rivers, in the lower
parts of their course, were not entirely deprived of their current ; nor
were the rivulets, which there supplied them, nearly so much affected as
the rivulets in more elevated districts,

“* The desiccation continued all the morning, forenoon, and part of the
afternoon of the 27th November. When the current was restored, it
returned not with a sudden rush, but gradually ; nor, when the current
was restored, did the waters rise much above their ordinary level.

«« With reference to the cause of the phenomenon, some persons had
attributed it to the high wind obstructing the flowing of the current; others,
to the frost in forming barriers of ice on the caulds or dam-heads ; others,
again, had suggested that the phenomenon might be connected with an
earthquake. In support of this last theory, it was mentioned, that Pro-
fessor Phillips had, in a recent work on Geology, attributed to this cause
the drying up of the English Rivers Trent and Medway, in the 12th cen-~
tury.

‘© Mr Milne stated that he adopted none of these views, and that he
thought the phenomenon might be accounted for by the united action of
the frost and wind which prevailed during the night of the 26th Novem.
ber. After four o’clock that afternoon, the thermometer all over the south
of Scotland sunk to 26°, at which point it remained for several hours.
Accompanying this frost, there was a gale of wind from the east, which
had the effect of very rapidly reducing the temperature of exposed and
unsheltered spots. In this way the small and shallow streams flowing in
open drains and riyulets, or oozing through mosses and marshes in the
hills, were soon frozen and arrested. But, on the other hand, larger bodies
of water flowing rapidly in the main channels, at a lower level, and shel-
tered by high or wooded banks, could not in the same space of time lose
enough of their temperature to be frozen. The waters thus ran off, with-
out the usual renewal of supplies from the sources, so that the channel
or bed of the river became speedily drained.

“ The reason of this phenomenon not happening more frequently appears
to be, that there is very seldom a gale of wind in this country accompanied
by a severe frost; and even on this occasion, the frost was not equally
intense over the whole island. When a severe frost sets in, there is
usually but little wind, so that the water in the upper parts of the river
is not liable to be cooled more rapidly than in the lower and more shel-
tered parts of its course. Though the sources will, in that case, to a
certain degree, be frozen, and so, part of the usual supply cut off, the
main body of the stream is frozen likewise, whereby the velocity of its
current is diminished, by the obstruction of the ice at the bottom and at
the surface of the current. So that, if only half the usual supply is furnished,
to the river from its partially frozen sources, there will be no diminution,

28 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

in the quantity of water flowing in the main bed of the river, if it flows
off with half its usual rapidity. This is the ordinary way in which frost
acts on the rivers in this country. But when, as on the night of the
26th November, the frost is accompanied with a strong and keen wind,
which lasts for only a few hours, it freezes the water in the small rivulets
near the sources of the rivers in high and exposed situations, whilst it
has not time to freeze even the surface of the deeper and more rapid
currents flowing in the lower parts of the rivers.

«The easterly gale which, by its low temperature, produced this phe-
nomenon, continued to blow until about 7 or 8 a.m. on the morning of
the 27th November. ‘The temperature of the atmosphere then under-
went a sudden change, as indicated both by the barometer and the ther-
mometer. This change was brought about by the advent of two storms,
which came from southern latitudes, and one or perhaps both of which
had, on the morning of the 27th, begun to affect the upper regions of the
atmosphere, and load them with warm vapour.”

PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES.

Linna@an Sociery.—On the anniversary of the birth-day of Linneus,
the meeting was held at the rooms of the Society in Soho Square, the
Bishop of Norwich, President, in the chair, when the annual report of
the auditors was read, and Dr Boote, the Secretary, read a biographical
list of the members who had died the previous year. The members after-
wards dined at the Freemasons’ Tavern, and the Bishop of Norwich gave
a conversazione in the evening at his house in Lower Brook Street.
Amongst various illustrations in Natural History, the most important was
a portable machine for artificial incubation, from Mr Bucknell. There
were exhibited birds in every stage of progression, from the embryo to
the perfect, living, liberated, and healthful animal. A fresh egg was first
broken to show the germ or ciatricula of the future being, and afterwards
twenty-one eggs in succession, to show the process of development to
maturity. Not one of tlie entire series was a failure, the whole possess-
ing life and animation. Under a glass cover warmed artificially were
about a dozen birds that had come into existence within a few hours,
which displayed great vivacity ; and in asecond were placed eggs in which
the birds were attempting to liberate themselves from their shells, which
they perform in a curious manner, by making circular openings with their
bills. The most wonderful phenomenon was the pulsation of the heart
and the circulation of the blood, which in a living specimen continued
the whole of the evening, without apparently suffering in the slightest
degree from exposure to the light and air.— Naturalist, July 1839.

Epinzurcu Society or Arts.— Observations on Boots and Shoes, with
reference to the Structure and Action of the Human Foot. By Mr
James Dowiz, M.S.A. Published in Edinburgh Philosophical
Journal, April 1838.

More Comrorrasie Boors anp SHors.—This announcement will, we
are persuaded, give joy tomany. Learned treatises have been written on
this subject by great philosophers before this time ; and we wish we could
say that these treatises had rendered others unnecessary. The communi-
cation before us is penned by a respectable and practical tradesman, which,
in our apprehension, greatly enhances its value, and ensures regard. The
experience of too many sufferers proves that we ought not to be satisfied
with the “do well enough” principle, and we are confident, that skill and
genius would meet an ample compensation by being directed to this sub-
ject. We trust that this has been the happy experience of our author,
who seems to have been at the expensive vexation of taking out a patent.
The paper dwells first on the defects of the common shoe, and then on
the advantages of the patent one, which we have never seen. We can
afford room only for two sentences of this respectable communication.
“Some of the defects arise from ordinary leather not possessing that de-
gree of pliability and elasticity which is requisite to admit of the natural
action of the foot. Another important fact is, that the foot, when under the
pressure of the body, is elongated. ‘This principle of elongation seems to
have been long admitted, inasmuch as boots and shoes have been hitherto
made a little longer than the foot of the wearer; but it rarely happens
that sufficient allowance is made, and many persons can scarcely even
obtain shoes large enough for their feet. Ibelieve I have remedied these
defects by making those parts of the shoes immediately under, on each
side of the principal arch of the foot, of an elastic material. This is com-
posed of caoutchouc and animal skin, so manufactured, as to bestow on
the fabric the elasticity of the caoutchouc, while it retains the tenacity
and durability of leather. The introduction of this elastic substance allows
considerable changes to be made in the form of the boots and shoes, and
gives the wearers the free use of their feet and ankle-joints in walking
to a much greater extent than any hitherto in use.” Our notice of this
paper is the more virtuous, because we are quite satisfied with our own
boots and shoes, and have no intention of withdrawing from the obliging
tradesman who supplies them; at the same time, if Mr Dowie can furnish
comfortable shoes to those who now find them the reverse, we are sure
he merits a civic crown.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE.

Tue Fruit, Frower, anv Kircuen Garven.—Being the Article Honri-
cuttune of the Seventh Hdition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. By
P. Nem, LL.D., F.R.S.E., Sec. C.H. Soc.

Tuis elegant little volume, as its title bears, is one of the many admir-
able dissertations of the current edition of the Encyclopedia Bri-
tannica, which the spirited publishers have reprinted from the goodly
quarto, and presented to the public, at a moderate price, as a con-
venient sized ‘“‘ Hand Book.” The name of the author, who has now,
we believe, for nearly thirty years been the assiduous Secretary of the Ca-
ledonian Horticultural Society, is alone the most satisfactory guarantee of
the excellence of the performance ; and his past experience in this kind of
composition must have gone far to make it well nigh perfect; for to say
nothing of Dr Neill’s other well known works on this particular subject,
he many years ago prepared the article Horricurture for Sir D. Brew-
ster’s Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and some sixteen or seventeen years ago
gave an account of the principal advances of the art during the ten or
twelve preceding years, in the Supplement of the sixth edition of the En-
cyclopeedia Britannica. The plan of the Work appears simple and na-
tural, and therefore excellent ; treating first of the general properties and
appendages of the Fruit and Kitchen Garden; of the Propagation, Plant-
ing, and Training of Fruit-trees; of the Culture of the Hardy Fruits, and
the Small Fruits, of the Forcing Garden, and all its luscious sweets, the
Kitchen Garden, and all its useful supplies ; and, finally, the Flower Gar-
den, with its more showy and modest beauties ; the whole being concluded
with an original and useful Calendar, and illustrated with numerous ex-
cellent Wood-cuts. Nothing more, then, we are satisfied, is necessary
to recommend the Work to the general attention of those interested in
the subject. We cannot afford room for extracts, but ina single sentence
we shall convey one sentiment of the author, which our own observation
has sometimes verified, but by no means so universally as we have wished.
«* All circumstances being favourable, a British Garden is perhaps unri-
valled in fertility by any cultivated spot in the world. A copious supply
of esculents flows into the Kitchen at all seasons; and, after a rich abun-
dance of fruit has been afforded during summer and autumn, the winter
stores may be easily prolonged till the early forced fruits come again to
the table.”

MISCELLANIES.

Screntiric Mertinc av Pisa, porinc tot Autumn 1839.—The in-
fluence and example of the great scientific meetings held annually in Ger-
many, (where they originated,) France, and England, have at length
reached Italy, and it has been resolved to establish an Italian Association
for the Advancement of Science, to assemble in the autumn of this year
at Pisa, Circulars, announcing the meeting and inviting co-operation,
have just been received by many distinguished individuals, signed by
Prince Carlo L. Buonaparte ; Chev. Vicenzio Antinori, (Director of the
Imperial and Royal Museum of Natural History in Florence,) &c. The
fcllowing is a translation of so much of the circular as will interest the
scientific men of this country :—‘* Following the advice of many, and
the approbation of others, and in conformity with the successful practice
in Germany, we have now to announce, that from the Ist to the 15th of
October will be opened in Pisa, the Association of the Professors and
Cultivators of the Physical Sciences in Italy, including Medicine and
Agriculture ; and we hasten, consequently, to make this known to Pro-
fessors of the above-mentioned sciences in the several Universities of the
Italian States, and to the Presidents of the most celebrated Academies of
Europe, requesting them to communicate this notice to their various
members, who will be honourably received amongst us. It will devolve
on the senior Italian Professor, who may be present at Pisa on the first
day of October, to open the meeting, of which he shall remain Director
throughout its proceedings. It will be for him also to select a Secretary
from among the Professors of the University of Pisa. The general as-
sembly will, on the second day, divide itself into as many sections as may
be requisite for the interest of the various branches of science; and the
members of each section will elect an Italian President and Secretary.
The General Assembly will decide, on the seventh day, when and where
the Association shall meet in the following year. At the commencement
of the month of August, circular letters will be sent, in which the local
arrangements will be indicated, not only for lodgings, but for every thing
that regards the accommodation and the agreeable quiet residence of all
those who may be pleased to attend.” Atheneum, April 1839.

Published for the Proprieror, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Loxnon: Smiru, Exprr, and Co., 65, Cornhill. Grascow, and the West of
Scotland: Joun Smiru and Son; and Jcun Macteop. Dusiin: GEORGE
Panis: J. B. Baturere, Rue de l'Ecole de Médecine, No. 18 bis.

Epinpurcu :

Younc.

THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY.

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

THE PHYSICAL

SCIENCES.

SEPTEMBER, 1839.

BRITISH MAMMALIA.—THE WEASELS.

Tur Mammiferous Animals which occur in Britain being, on account of
their habits, less subject to observation than Birds, and therefore more
neglected, it is our intention to present a short account of them in con-
nection. The number of ascertained species (not including the Cetacea)
at present amounts to fifty-two ; but it is probable that several remain to
be discovered of the smaller kinds, such as Mice, Shrews, and Bats. Of
these fifty-two species, fifteen are cheiropterous, eight insectivorous, thir-
teen carnivorous, fourteen belong to the order Rodentia, and two to the
Ruminantia. As the Carnivora seem to merit the same pre-eminence
which among Birds is accorded to the Raptores, we shall commence with
them. They may be primarily divided into such as are Digitigrade, or
walk on their toes; Plantigrade, walking on the entire sole of the foot;
and Pinnipede, or with feet adapted for swimming. The Digitigrada are
formed of five genera, of which the first is that composed of the Weasels.

I. Musrera, Weaset.—Four grinders above, five below, on each side ;
the body elongated; the feet short ; the toes not webbed, the claws acute;
the tongue rough, with sharp prominent papilla. Of this genus three
species are found in Britain.

1. M. Putorius, Polecat, Foumart, or Fitchet.—This species, which is
about seventeen inches in length, is of a slender form, with the head of
moderate size, oblong, the muzzle rather rounded; the ears short and
rounded ; the neck of moderate length, but nearly as thick as the body,
which is very long, and nearly of uniform girth throughout ; the feet short
and strong, as in the other species ; there are four toes on the fore-feet,
five on the hind. ‘The hairis rather long, the pile rather coarse, smooth
and glossy, the under fur very soft and woolly; the general colour dark
brown, the long hairs being brownish-black, the under fur yellowish, and
more apparent on the sides ; the lips and tips of the ears are white, and
there is a brownish-grey patch between the eye and the ear.

The Polecat generally resides in woods and thickets, on the sides of
hills, forming a burrow in the soil, or finding a secure retreat among blocks
of stone, or in acrevice. When its settlement is in the neighbourhood
of a farm-house, it is apt to commit depredations among the poultry, not
only sucking eggs, but destroying chickens, and even grown-up fowls of
the different kinds reared. It is not always content with obtaining enough
of prey to satisfy its hunger, but frequently destroys all within its reach,
biting into the brain of its victims, and, it is said, sucking or lapping their
blood. Its great agility, cunning, and ferocious disposition, render it very
destructive to game of all kinds: it destroys the eggs, often surprises the
birds on their nests, seizes the young ones, catches Leverets, and hunts
down Rabbits, which, on being pursued by it, seldom betake themselves to
their holes, knowing by instinct that they have a better chance of escape in
the open air. It also appears to feed occasionally on reptiles and fishes.
The Ferret is supposed to be a domesticated variety of the Polecat, which
it certainly much resembles in form and size, and with which it breeds.
The Foumart produces five or six young ones in the beginning of summer.
It is generally distributed in Britain, but is now nearly extirpated in many
of the lower and more cultivated tracts. The fur, which is darker and of
finer quality in winter, is held in considerable estimation, but is scarcely
an object of traffic in our country, which is supplied from the north of
Europe.

2. M. Erminea, Ermine or Stoat.—The Ermine is much smaller than
the Polecat, its length being about fifteen inches, with the body much
elongated in proportion to its thickness ; its neck rather long, and almost

as thick as the body ; its head oblong, with a rather short muzzle; the
ears rather large, broad, and rounded ; the tail about a third of the entire
length. The pile is shortish and soft, the under fur very soft and woolly.
In winter the colour is yellowish-white, in summer brownish-red, on the
upper parts ; but at all seasons the terminal half of the tail is black. It
appears that the change from brown to white at the beginning of winter
is not caused by the bleaching of the hairs, but by the substitution of
white for coloured hairs. This very beautiful and lively animal is similar
in character to the Polecat, to which it does not yield in agility, address,
or ferocity. It frequents stony places and thickets, usually forming a sub-
terranean retreat for itself, but sometimes taking possession of a Rabbit’s
burrow. Its food consists of birds of various kinds, including Grouse and
Partridges, young Hares and Rabbits, Rats, Moles, Mice, and eggs. It
has been known also to commit depredations on domestic poultry. Its
motions are extremely elegant, and in activity it certainly is not surpassed
by any of our native animals, its bounds being of surprising extent; but
although capable of great speed, it seldom trusts itself in an open place,
its first object when pursued being to obtain the shelter of some bank or
thicket. This species, to which the name of Club-tailed Weasel is some-
times given, is not uncommon in most parts of Scotland, but in England
is seldom met with. Its fur, which is well known to be highly valued,
is not with us obtained for sale, but is imported from the northern parts
of the Continent.

3. WM. vulgaris, Common Weasel.—This species is much smaller than
the Ermine, from which, moreover, it is readily distinguished by its hay-
ing the tail proportionally shorter, less bushy at the end, and without
black, it being of the same colour as the body, of which the upper parts
are brownish-red, the lower yellowish-white. It does not undergo a change
of colour, like the Ermme, which it otherwise, however, resembles in form
and disposition. It is generally distributed in England and Scotland, and
appears to be more common in the cultivated districts, it being one of
those small animals, which, finding more food in the vicinity of man, are
enabled by their instinct to secure themselves against his animosity. This
the Weasel can well do to a great extent, its extreme agility and slender
form procuring safety for it where a larger animal would have little chance
of escape. In barns and out-houses its presence is beneficial, for it de-
stroys Mice and even Rats, which it can pursue into their holes; but it
sometimes sucks the eggs of poultry, devours chickens, and even, small
as it is, has been known to destroy full-grown poultry. Young Hares
and Rabbits, young birds and eggs, Field Mice and Voles, form its ordinary
food. None of our native animals appears to possess the courage of the
Weasel, which, when its nest is plundered, has been known to spring
upon the Dogs, and even to attack Men. It is said to produce five or six
young ones, two or three times in the year.

Tue Vamrire.—A great deal of curiosity was excited last week in St
Katharine Docks, by the report of the arrival of a living Vampire. The
vessel was crowded during the day, until its removal to the Surrey Gar-
dens, to which establishment it was consigned. It is the Sumatran species,
and the first living specimen ever seen in England. It is of the most
horrible aspect, and well deserves the name of Vespertilio spectrum, given
to it by Linnzeus, remaining constantly suspended to the roof of his cage
by the immense hooks at the edges of his wings, his head hanging down-
wards, and his eyes glistening with the most vivid brightness. It was
mentioned by one of the persons on board, that during the whole voyage
the Vampire had never been seen at the bottom of the cage.— Times,

30 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

TEETH OF THE FLYING LEMUR.

In the accompanying wood-cut, we supply a representation of the curious
dental system of the Red Flying Lemur, that singular animal, about the
size of a Cat, provided all round with a regular parachute which sup-
ports it in the air, and enables it to take immense leaps, though it can-
not fly like the Bats. These sketches were supplied by Audebert, in his
great work upon the Monkeys, and were taken from a stuffed specimen,
in which the whole of the mouth could not be examined. Figure A shows
the incisors of the lower jaw, of their natural size. In figure B these are
magnified, to show their singular pectinated appearance. The foremost
tooth in figure C is a profile view of the last of the incisors of the upper
jaw ; the next is regarded as the canine, and the third, very much of the

same shape, is the first molar, which is followed by four others, of the
same general appearance, though somewhat less in size. The teeth are
thus in many ways anomalous, as is the strange animal to which they
belong.

Tue Hippopotamus, (Hippopotamus amphibius.)\—This animal
abounds in the Limpopo, dividing the empire with its amphibious
neighbour the Crocodile. Throughout the night the unwieldy monsters
might be heard snorting and blowing during their aquatic gambols, and
we not unfrequently detected them in the act of sallying from their reed-
grown coverts, to graze by the serene light of the moon; never, however,
venturing to any distance from the river, the stronghold to which they
betake themselves on the smallest alarm. Occasionally, during the day,
they were to be seen basking on the shore, amid ooze and mud; but shots
were most constantly to be had at their uncouth heads, when protruded
from the water to draw breath ; and, if killed, the body rose to the surface.
Vulnerable only behind the ear, however, or the eye, which is placed in
a prominence, so as to resemble the garret window of a Dutch house,
they require the perfection of rifle practice, and ufter a few shots become
exceedingly shy, exhibiting the snout only, and as instantly withdrawing
it. The flesh is delicious, resembling pork in flavour, and abounding in
fat, which in the colony is deservedly esteemed the greatest of delicacies.
The hide is upwards of an inch and a half in thickness, and being scarcely
flexible, may be dragged from the ribs in strips like the planks from a ship's
side.

Of all the Mammalia, whose portraits, drawn from ill-stuffed specimens,
have been foisted upon the world, Behemoth has perhaps been the most
ludicrously misrepresented. I sought in vain for that colossal head—for
those cavern-like jaws, garnished with elephantine tusk—or those pon-
derous feet, with which ‘‘ the formidable and ferocious quadruped ” is
wont ‘‘to trample down whole fields of corn ina single night !” Defence-
less and inoffensive, his shapeless carcase is but feebly supported upon
short and disproportioned legs, and his belly almost trailing upon the
ground, he may not inaptly be likened to an overgrown Pig. The colour
is pinkish-brown, clouded and freckled with a darker tint. Of many that
we shot, the largest measured less than five feet at the shoulder.— Capt.
Harris’ Narrative.

Tue Arrican Evepaant.—Much has been said of the attachment of
Elephants to their young, but neither on this, nor any subsequent occa-
sion of hunting that animal, did we perceive them evince the smallest
concern for their safety; on the contrary, they left them to shift for them-
selves.—Ibid.

Tue OsrricH.—Miserably mounted as we were, any attempt to over-

take this gigantic bird would have been vain, but a shot couid always be
obtained at arm’s length, by galloping to a point in the course it had se-
lected, and from which it rarely swerved. The male bird often measures
nine feet at the crown of the head, and exceeds 300 lbs. in weight—the
thigh being equal in size to the largest leg of mutton. Excepting the
costly white plumes, so prized by the fair sex, and which are chiefly ob-
tained from the wing, instead of from the tail, as generally imagined, the
colour of the body is the deepest black in the male bird, and in the fe-
male a dingy brown. While running, the wings are raised above the
back ; and the clatter of the feet, which are only provided with two toes,
resembles that made by a horse in trotting. The puny Bushman avails
himself of the disguise afforded by its skin, to mix with a troop of wild
animals, and select his victim. At the twang of his tiny bow, away scours
the herd in dire consternation, and, more alarmed than all, off scuds the
impostor with them, again propelling a shaft as soon as the panic has sub-
sided. The destruction committed in this manner is incredible, —a slen-
der reed, only slightly tipped with bone or iron, but imbued with a subtle
poison, and launched with unerring dexterity, being sufficient to destroy
the most powerful animal.—Jdid.

BOTANY.
FOOD FROM SEA-WARE.

A FEw years ago a Paper, by Mr J. Brown, junior, of Haddington, was
read to the Society for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts in Scotland,
concerning a vegetable principle, which, it was maintained, could be ex-
tracted from the common sea-ware growing so abundantly on the British
coasts, and which, by a little ingenuity, might be converted into invalu-
able food for cattle and mankind. This proposal created a considerable
sensation at the time, and was favourably reported of by a respectable
committee of the society ; and, as it must be universally a subject of re-
gret, that a really useful prospect should be blighted and forgotten, we
shall now endeavour to restore the one in question to popular attention,
and promote, if possible, its practical application.

That these sea-wares (fuci—tangles) luxuriate in the richest abundance
in almost every part of our rocky shores, is a fact too generally known to
be insisted on ; andit was a circumstance which our ancestors did not fail
toimprove. From them our soda, chlorine, iodine, and kelp, used formerly
to be procured, and from this last article especially, till obtained more
readily from other sources, there flowed much wealth to the manufacturer,
and large fortunes to the proprietors. Were Mr Brown’s anticipations
to be realized, our sea-weeds, as they are designated, would yet become
more profitable to their owners, and more useful to the community, than
they have hitherto been.

Various circumstances lead to the supposition that the fuci might con-
tain the elements of wholesome and substantial food. Our Irish brethren
eat their Carrageen, and Scotchmen their Dulce ; and the former of these,
F. endeviefolius, is now well known over the country by the name of ‘ Irish
Moss,” as a nourishing and easily digested food forinvalids. As to cattle,
again, we are told that in Orkney they are in the habit, of their own ac-
cord, of descending to the sea-side for the purpose of devouring them;
and in some parts of our coasts, it is a common practice to mix tangle
with their ordinary food. It, improving upon these hints, we appeal to
chemical analysis, we are speedily instructed that sea-ware contains, in
large quantities, a vegetable principle of deservedly very high estimation.
This ingredient by some chemists has been regarded albumen, (a familiar

instance of which is exhibited in the white of the egg,) and by others as _

vegetable jelly, (gelatine ;) but Mr Brown, following in the footsteps of
others, has very successfully shown that these opinions are erroneous,
and that the principle is identical with the MZucilage contained in the roots
of the marsh-mallow, or the pericarp, or seed-vessel of linseed. Mucilage,
we may here remark in passing, is very generally regarded as a mere wa-
tery solution of gnm-arabic. But this appears to be a mistake, for the so
designated mucilage of the chemist and pharmacopolist quickly acidifies
and moulds, whilst true mucilage has the valuable property of never doing
so. As to the quantity of this principle, Professor John states that one
of the tangles, 7. vesiculosus, contains 780 parts in every 1000; a state-
ment Mr Brown considers exaggerated ; whilst, according to his own re-
searches, another kind, the F. salmatus, yields, by infusion, about half its
weight of the principle in question. Some, it is ascertained, supply more
than others; but such large proportions in so exuberant a production,
procurable at a cheap rate, is invaluable.

As good mucilage suitable for feeding cattle, the food should be prepared
onan extensive scale, as follows :—Let the tangle-ware be bruised by some
rude machine; macerate a day or two in water acidulated by vitriol, wash
well with cold water, boil some hours in three or four times its own bulk
of water ; strain, evaporate the decoction to a thickish ropy consistence ;
mix with bran, and put up incakes. These cakes, after being dried, keep
for any length of time, and may be given to cattle in the same way as
linseed cakes, broken and mashed with warm water. The decoction
might also be evaporated to dryness, and transported, in the form of

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 31

cakes of mucilage, or it might be dispersed from the manufactory as
««dreg” is from distilleries. :

A second proposal is, that the mucilage should be converted into gum-
arabic, and applied to the purposes for which this substance is employed.
To procure the mucilage in a perfectly pure unmixed condition, the fol-
lowing formula will be found adequate: Bleach some of the fuci by ex-
posure to the sun—bruise them—macerate a day or two in often-changed
acidulated water—boil half an hour in an extremely attenuated aqueous
solution of sulphuric acid—agitate the decoction with animal charcoal, a
little carbonate of baryta, and a little litharge. Filter and evaporate over
a warm bath. After powdering the mass obtained in this way, and wash-
ing it with alcohol, fine mucilage is procured; and this, when boiled long
with sulphuric acid, becomes similar to, or rather identical with, gum-
arabic.

Gum procured in this way would serve all the purposes of foreign
gum-arabic, and, from its cheapness, might be applied to a host of others.
This substance would then, probably, not be so little used as an article
of diet in this country, seeing its nutritious qualities are so well attested
by the fact that the Moors of the deserts subsist upon six ounces a day
for weeks together. Why then should so many of our countrymen bear
the signs of famine in their eyes, and be continually exposed to the temp-
tation of moral and political defection, while treasures of such wholesome
food lie scattered in such kind profusion on our shores? We can per-
ceive no reason why advantage should not be taken of this mucilaginous
matter growing indigenously and so abundantly in our island; we might thus
saye another of its native products from the obloquy of uselessness, create
another object of industry for some of its unwilling idlers, and erect an-
other defence against the melancholy invasion of scarcity and famine.

METEOROLOGY.

SHOOTING OR FALLING STARS.

A warce share of attention has within these few years been directing to
the occurrence of shooting or falling stars, as they are called, which has
been much augmented by M. Arago having lately made the phenomenon
the subject of his contribution to the Annuaire du Bureau des Longitudes,
the authoritative nautical almanac of the French government. The dis-
tinguished philosopher states, that these stars have most frequently at-
tracted attention in the months of April and November ; and particularly
requests that all observers throughout the world, on sea and land, would
particularly watch the celestial phenomena on the nights between the 10th
and 15th of November, signalizing this period, if we remember right, from
the supposition that at that time our globe, in her annual circuit, ap-
proximates a region where these singular luminaries are especially rife.
A time intermediate between the two just specified, namely, the 10th of
August, has long been signalized in Germany, as remarkable for this ap-
pearance, and to some of the particulars observed at that date, in the
current year, we shall now shortly advert.

On the 14th of August last, M. von Boguslowski, of Breslaw, supplied
the following particulars to the Prussian State Gazette. The night of
the 10th of August was particularly propitious for observing the falling
stars. An extraordinary fall was noticed as soon as the dark permitted.
Fifteen individuals, who assembled in the observatory, and occupied six win-
dows, began their observations at 6” past nine o'clock. Till 14” past
three, when the dawn put a stop to their labours, they noticed 1008 falling
stars, not including numbers which must have been overlooked on account of
the insufficient numbers of observers, The courses of 977 of these were
marked upon the star maps, with all the circumstances relating to them.
Five stars appeared as bright as Venus, 14 as Jupiter, 238 as stars of the
first magnitude, 354 of the second, 257 of the third, and 101 still smaller,
were reckoned. Next night three individuals engaged in the same task,
and, though the sky was partly clouded, saw 323 falling stars ; and in the
night of the 12th, one gentleman counted 103 from ten p.m. to 45’ past
one. The following paragraph, copied from a recent Brussels Paper, throws
additional light upon the phenomenon. During the night of the 9th and
10th of August, the heavens were bestrewed with falling stars of extra-
ordinary brightness. Mr Forster counted above 600 of them. It is not
a little singular, that the peasants of Franconia and Saxony have believed
for ages past that St Lawrence weeps tears of fire, which fall from the sky
every year on his feast-day, the 10th of August. And, finally, we may
notice that Professor Powell, at the late meeting of the British Associa-
tion for the Advancement of Science, at Birmingham, stated that, on the
10th of August, he saw at Tunbridge Wells, a very brilliant exhibition of
these meteors; they averaged from 15 to 20 in the quarter of an hour;
they all left trains of light after them; and the motion of all was from
north to south.

At this same meeting, Mr Addison mentioned, that having on one oc-
casion been surprised by observing, through a break in the clouds, soine-
thing like a shower of stars, he ascended the neighbouring Malvern Hills,
to a height suificient to raise him above the clouds, when a spectacle was

unfolded to his view such as he never expected again to behold; the
number of shooting stars or meteors was so great, that he could compare
it to nothing so well as to a shower of fire : each star as it fell seemed to
leave a long train of fire after it for some seconds. He had his seconds
watch, and was thus able to count 48 in a minute flitting about. This
was on the 15th of November 1832, a season more favourable than the
10th of August, and one which we know is watched by many observers.

In connection with this interesting but still very obscure subject, we
are solicitous to record a remarkable appearance lately noticed in London.
At two o'clock on Wednesday morning, September 4, the whole of London
was illuminated as bright as noon-day, and the atmosphere was remark-
ably clear. The southern hemisphere, although unclouded, was very
dark ; but the stars, which were innumerable, shone beautifully. The
opposite side of the heavens presented a singular but magnificent contrast,
It was clear to the extreme, and the light was very vivid; and there was
a continual succession of meteors, which varied in splendour. They ap-
parently formed in the centre of the heavens, and spread till they seemed
to burst; the effect was electrical: myriads of small stars shot out above
the horizon, and darted with that swiftness towards the earth that the
eye scarcely could follow the tract. They seemed to burst also, and throw
a dark crimson vapour over the entire hemisphere. Nothing could be
more magnificent than the colours which wereseen. At half-past two o’clock
the spectacle changed to darkness, which, on dispersing, displayed a lu-
minous rainbow in the zenith, and round the ridge of darkness then over-
hanging the southern portion of the country. Soon afterwards, columns
of silvery light radiated from it, they wonderfully increased, intermingled
with crimson vapour, which formed at the same time, and which at full
height displayed a sublime spectacle. Stars were darting about in all di-
rections, and continued till four o'clock, when all died away.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

Principles of General and Comparative Physiology, intended as an Intro-
duction to the Study of Human Physiology, and asa Guide to the Philo-
sophical Pursuit of Natural History. By W. B. Carrentsr, Memb.
Roy. Col. of Surgeons, Lond. &c. Lond. 1839.

We are solicitous to recommend this volume to the notice not only of

the professional student, but also to the general reader who is interested

in the subject; and especially to the intelligent youth of both sexes, who
delight in the fascinating science of physiology. The author was led to
undertake the Work from experiencing the want of one on a similar plan,
during the course of his own studies, and he seems assiduously to have
mastered the subject, and, with peculiar tact, to haye made it patent and
agreeable to others. It is now generally allowed that Physiology can
only be properly studied by a constant reference to the comparative struc-
ture and functions of many different classes of animals; and, in most of
the recent works on this science, an outline of the development and ac-
tions of each system in the inferior tribes is prefixed to the details relat-
ing to its condition in Man. This outline is filled up in the present vo-
lume, not only by amplifying the portion of it which relates to the Animal

Kingdom, but also by the introduction of a similar view of the compara-

tive structure and functions of vegetables, which is here shown to be go-

verned by the same laws. This constitutes the peculiar feature of the
work; and we believe is the first attempt in this country to form any thing
like a systematic comparative Physiology of Vegetables.

The treatise is accordingly divided into three parts. The first compre-
hends organized structure in general, and branches out into elementary
vegetable structure, and animal structure, and the transformation of tis-
sues, to which succeeds a general view of the vegetable and animal king-
doms. A Book then follows on General Physiology; and another, the
last, and by much the longest, on Speciai and Comparative Anatomy. It
is quite beyond our power to convey within our limits any adequate con-
ception of the varied merits of this volume. With the studies akin to
Physiology, the author seems most familiar, more especially with Botany
and Chemistry, and he evidently has drunk deep at the streams of the in-
ductive philosophy. He is, moreover, a skilful draughtsman, and has il-
lustrated his statements with several hundred very elegant and expressive
engravings and wood-cuts. The tone and style of his writing also are ex-
cellent; in proof of which, we must make room for one characteristic
extract. ©‘ There is another set of changes in which vital actions would
seem yet more intimately concerned, but which still appear to be zmmedi-
ately dependent upon the same laws which regulate inorganic matter.
These consist in the production, from the alimentary materials, of organic
compounds, either such as gum, sugar, albumen, gelatine, &c., which are
destined to be still further organised, or such as urea, cholesterine, &c.,
which are to be thrown off from the system. This process must not be
confounded with that of organization, since it only prepares the materials
upon which that is concerned. It will be hereafter shown, that the nu-
tritious elements contained in the food do not serve for the support of the
structure, until they have been united into new combinations ; and there
appears good reason to believe that these preparatory changes are of a

32 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

strictly chemical nature, since many of them are imitable in the laboratory
of the philosopher. There may be recognised in them, more or less dis-
tinctly, tke action of physical laws operating under those peculiar condi-
tions which the living organism alone can perfectly supply ; and, in so far
as the skill of the chemist can imitate those conditions, he may hope to
produce similar combinations, as to a small extent has already been ef-
fected. But no one can ever hope to effect the organization of such pro-
ducts, or their conversion into living structures ; since it is unquestionably
an action of a strictly vital character, and, as far as we at present know,
is dependent upon the previous existence of some other organised body.”

The author has commenced his public career under very flattering cir-
cumstances. The work before us embraces the substance of an Essay on
the ‘* Laws regulating Vital and Physical Phenomena,” to which, in the
year 1837, was adjudged the Annual Student’s Prize, by the Medical
Faculty of the University of Edinburgh; and also, of an Essay on some
Departments of Vegetable Physiology, which received the First Prize
given by the Professor of Botany in the year 1836. Dr Carpenter is
now, we observe, connected as a Teacher with the Medical School of
Bristol. This city is honoured by the residence of Dr Prichard, one of
the chief ornaments of science of whom Britain can now boast; and we
cannot indulge a more appropriate wish than that our author, proceeding
as he has commenced, may follow the footsteps, and imitate the career,
of his illustrious fellow- citizen.

A History of British Birds, Indigenous and Migratory, including their Or-
ganization, Habits, and Relations, &c., illustrated by numerous Engrav-

ings. By Witiiam MacGittivray, A.M., F.R.S.E., &c. &c. Vol. IL.

Ir would be an act not only of fastidiousness on our part, but of in-
justice to our Readers, were we not to intimate the appearance of the

second volume of our excellent associate’s History of British Birds. It:

contains descriptions of the British species of birds constituting the or-
dinal group which the author has named Cantatores or Songsters, dis-
posed into the Seven Families of the Myrmothering, Antcatchers and
allied species,—the Ywrdine, Thrushes and allied species,—Alaudine,
the Larks,—the Motacilline, Wagtails,—the Sazricoline, Stonechats,
—the Sylviane, Warblers, and the Parine, Tits and allied species;
in all twenty-one genera and fifty species, together with two ‘‘ Lessons,”
as they are called, of Practical Ornithology; the former chiefly upon the
Organs of Respiration, and Voice of Birds, and the latter being an ac-
count of an Ornithological Excursion in the Environs of Edinburgh, in
which Mr Audubon was one of the party. The volume is illustrated with
four plates, containing about fifty figures, and ninety wood-cuts, mostly,
if not all, from preparations and sketches made by the author.

To this simple intimation we shall subjoin the few extracts our limits
will allow. From the first lesson we copy the following sentences :
‘© We have thus traced eleven pairs of muscles belonging to the trachea :
five pairs being appropriated to the larynx, two pairs to the tube of the
trachea, and four pairs to the syrinx, as I have called it, or inferior la-
rynx. You will find the number stated in books to be much less; but
we take our lessons from Nature, and regard no other authority. It is by
these muscles that the different parts of the air-tube are stretched and
relaxed, opened and closed, so as to produce modulated sounds ; and all
this complex apparatus is necessary to enable a Rook to emit its va-
rious cries, which, however, are much more numerous than is generally
supposed, and fully as diversified as those of the Blackbird, although it
has not the faculty of emitting them in continuance, so as to form what
is called song. * * *.The modifications of these organs, presented by the
different species of this order, are slight, and, in all those which I have
examined, I have found the same parts, and the same number of muscles.
The peculiar songs of different species must depend upon circumstances
beyond our cognition, for surely no one could imagine that the Raven,
the Hooded Crow, and the Rook, require as complex an apparatus to
produce their unmusical cries, as that which the Blackbird, the Song
Thrush, the Nightingale, and the Linnet, employ in modulating their
voice, so as to give rise to those melodies which are so delightful to us;
and yet the knife, the needle, and the lens, do not enable us to detect any
inferiority in the Warbler over the Crow.”

The following we extract from the account of the Pied Wagtail.—
‘The places usually frequented by this beautiful bird are the margins of
streams, ditches, pools, and lakes. Towards the end of July, when the
cares of rearing their young are over, they betake themselves in great
numbers to the mouths of rivers, especially such as have marshy meadows
along their sides, or muddy expanses to which the tides have access.
Often one may see them wading in shallow places in quest of insects and
worms, carefully holding up their tail, to prevent its being drageled. If
you watch the motions of an individual just coming up to join the party,
you see it alight abruptly, twittering its shrill notes, and perching on a
small stone, incessantly vibrate its body, and jerk out its tail. It now
perhaps walks out into the water, and searches for food, or, finding none,
flies to the shore, and runs along with great rapidity, stopping and stoop-

ing now and then to pick up a tiny wormlet, and momentarily spreading
out its ever vibrating tail. * * * Now it runs into a meadow in pursuit of
a fly, which it has no sooner caught than it spies another. The lazy
geese, which have nibbled the grass bare, allow it to pass in the midst of
them without molestation, or, if some malicious Gander or foolish Gosling
attempts to seize it, they find they have given themselves too much cre-
dit for dexterity. There the Cows are grazing, in the midst of a swarm
of Gnats and other insects, and the Wagtail has arrived in the vicinity.
Running forward, it catches a small fly, bends to one side to seize an-
other, darts to the right after a third, and springs some feet into the air
before it secures a fourth. While in pursuit, it encounters another of
its own species; but they quarrel not, no doubt aware that there is room
enough for them in the world, or even in the meadow, which we now
see to be covered with Wagtails, all busily occupied, some walking, others
running, a few flying off, and many arriving. You may walk in among
them ; they are not very shy, for they will allow you to come within fif-
teen yards, or sometimes less ; and you may shoot as many as you please,
for although some will fly off, others will remain.”

MISCELLANIES.

_ Gatvanic TeLecrarH.—This Telegraph, quick as Light, we are glad
to learn, is in actual operation, and succeeding to a wish. It is in daily
use on the Great Western Railway from Paddington, as far as West
Drayton, a distance of about fourteen miles, between which places an
answer can be asked and answered in about two minutes; and it is the
intention of the Company to carry it forward as far as Bristol. The wires
communicating with each end pass through a hollow iron tube not more
than an inch and a half in diameter, which is fixed about six inches above
the ground, running parallel with the railway, and about two or three
feet distant from it. The space occupied by the machinery, which stands
upon a table, and can be removed to any part of the room, is little more
than that required for a hat-box. The Telegraph is worked by pressing
small brass keys, (like those of a keyed bugle,) by means of galvanic
power, upon various hands placed upon a dial plate at the other end of
the telegraphic line. These point to every letter of the alphabet, to the
numerals, and all the various points used in writing or printing. There
is also a sign for a mistake haying been made—when an erasure must be
made. The numerous benefits which may result from this simple appar-
atus cannot easily be predicated.

Antarcric Expepirion.—The Council of the Royal Society have now
finished the Report they were requested to draw up for the guidance of
the scientific expedition about to proceed to the antarctic regions under
the auspices of the British Government, and the command of Captain
James Clark Ross. Among the individuals of eminence who assisted in its
construction were the Marquis of Northampton, Sir J. F. Herschel, Dr Fa-
raday, Professors Grant, Lyell, &c. The expedition, which is abundantly
provided for, is to conduct its observations in concert, on the most exten-
sive scale; and several of the leading members of the Royal, the Geo-
graphical, and the Zoological Societies, have signified their intention of
joining it.

Suower or Burrerriizs.—Captain Fitzroy, in his late interesting
Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of the Adventure and the Beagle, re-
cords the following strange phenomenon as having occurred on the coast
of South America :—‘ The horizon was strangely distorted by refraction,
and I anticipated some violent change. Suddenly, myriads of white But-
terflies surrounded the ship, in such multitudes, that the men exclaimed,
‘It is snowing Butterflies.’ They were driven before a gust from the
north-west, which socn increased to a double-reefed top-sail breeze, and
were as numerous as flakes of snow in the thickest shower. The space
they occupied could not have been less than 200 yards in height, a mile
in width, and several miles in length.”

We are sorry to observe that ‘‘ The Naturalist” of this month con-
tains the intelligence, that the existence of this respectable and amusing
periodical has come to a close. The editor, Mr Neville Wood, well
known as azealous Zoologist, and especially for his acquirements in Orni-
thology, ascribes its want of success to its having been printed in the coun-
try; and, unquestionably, a metropolis affords many advantages for the con-
duct of a periodical. We lament the event for our own sakes, having
often received gratification from its pages ; but trust_the cause will not
long suffer from its suspension. The late editor well merited the appro-
bation of the Naturalist for his services, and we shall hail the day, when
the opportunity offers for his executing his present purpose, of still further
promoting the interests of Natural History.

Published for the Proprirror, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.

Smiru, Exper, and Co., 65, Cornhill, Giascow, and the West of

Joun Smitn and Son; and Jonn Macteop. Dusiin: GEoRGE

Paris: J. B. Batters, Rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, No. 13, bis. ,
‘THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY.

EpInBURGH:
Lonpon:
Scotland :
Youne.

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

Tabi edshre iG Ales © Ibid Obs

NOVEMBER,* 1839.

BRITISH QUADRUPEDS.—THE MARTEN AND OTTER.

A GENUS very intimately allied to that of the Weasels, and indeed scarcely
separated from it on sufficient grounds, is that formed by the Martens,
which have the same slender form, and the same number of toes, which
are not webbed, but differs in having one grinder more on each side, and
an elongated bushy tail, while the tongue, in place of being scabrous, Is
smooth. Only one species occurs in Britain.

Martes foina.—The Common Marten. Considerably larger than the
Polecat ; grevish or yellowish-brown above; the feet and tail chocolate-
brown; the throat yellow in younger, white in older individuals ; the tail,
including the hair, as long as the body, exclusive of the head. The head
is rather flattened above, somewhat triangular, and tapers to a rather
sharp muzzle; the eyes rather small: the ears short, broad, and rounded ;
the limbs of moderate length. The fur is dense, rather long, and soft,
more elongated on the hind parts, and especially the tail; the under fur
thick and woolly.

Two species of Marten figure in most works on the Mammalia of this
country :—The Beech Marten, AZartes fagorum, and the Pine Marten,
Martes abietum ; the former with the throat white, the latter with that
part yellow; but, on comparing specimens, it has been found that the
form and proportions are the same, that individuals intermediate in co-
lour are seen, and, besides, that at one season the throat of the same in-
dividual may be yellow, and at another white.

The Marten, although found in woods, nestling sometimes in deserted
nests of rooks or hawks, and climbing trees with the greatest facility, is
not essentially sylvicolous, for it occurs in the outer Hebrides, which are
totally destitute of wood, and all over the Highlands its residence is among
loose blocks or stones on the sides of the hills. In other parts of the
country it is oceasionally met with in woods, but more frequently in rough
or stony ground, on the sides of valleys overgrown with bushes. Some-
times it takes up its abode in ruined buildings, and can ascend a wall with
the greatest agility. It is one of the most graceful, active, and lively of
our native Quadrupeds, runs with great speed, and has been known to
perform very surprising leaps. Its food consists of the flesh of small
Quadrupeds, and of Birds of all kinds, being very destructive to feathered
game. Now, however, it is of very rare occurrence, owing to the hos-
tility of gamekeepers and shepherds, and for every Marten killed in the
country there are at least ten Polecats. The fur is valuable, and is im-
ported in great quantity from the northern parts of the Continent, where
it is very abundant.

The Otters differ from the Weasels and Martens in having the feet
short, the toes webbed, the body very long and cylindrical, and the tail
long, tapering, and a little flattened. They live chiefly on fish, and re-
side on the banks of rivers and lakes, as well as the shores of the sea.

Lutra vulgaris.—The Common Otter. This species varies in size and
somewhat in colcur, some individuals measuring four feet in length, while
others are half a foot shorter, and the colour being of various shades of
brown. Its body is very long and cylindrical, the neck thick, the head
depressed and broad, the muzzle short, broad, and rounded; the eyes
very small, as are the ears, which are broadly rounded. The legs are
shert, very muscular, and exceedingly flexile; the feet with five toes con-
ected by membranes extending to three-fourths of their length, with na-
ked soles and acute claws. The fur is short, the long hairs flattened and
acuminate, the woolly hairs extremely fine. The colour of the upper
Parts is dark brown, sometimes blackish-brown, or greyish-brown; the

sides of the head and the fore part of the neck brownish-grey ; the lower
parts not much lighter than the upper.

The Otter lives almost exclusively on Fish, which it pursues not only
on rivers and lakes, but also in estuaries, bays, and even the margins of
the open sea on the most exposed headlands, It has been thought that
from this difference of habits, two species occur in Britain; but skins of
Otters from Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebrides, differ in no essential
respect from skins of Otters killed on rivers in the south of Scotland and
in England. On shore the Otter runs with considerable speed, but not
with a hounding or leaping motion, like the Martens and Weasels. In
the water it moves with astonishing ease, switnming with a speed equal
to that of many Fishes, Although capable of remaining immersed a
considerable time, it cannot eat a Fish under the water, but brings it on
shore, usually to the nearest point, and, commencing at the shoulders,
devours it downwards, leaving the head and tail. It is said to destroy
great numbers of Salmon in rivers and estuaries, and for this reason is
proscribed. Along the coast it finds a retreat in caves, or among blocks,
whence it is huated by small Terriers. On rivers and lakes it retreats to
holes in the banks, or beneath the roots of trees. Although properly
piscivorous, it sometimes attacks young domestic animals, and has been
known to devour earthworms and larva. The number of young is said
to be from three to five. When taken young, the Otter may be tamed,
and even taught to fish for itself and return to its home.

ON THE HABITS OF A NEWLY DISCOVERED SPECIES OF LONG-SNOUTED MOUSE.

M. Dovernoy, in a late volume of the Memoirs of the Strasburg Natural
History Society, supplied the first description which has appeared of the
Macrocelides, which he has designated from its discoverer MZ. Rozeti ;
and Dr Moritz Wagner has still more recently, in Wiegman’s Archives,
1839, supplied some observations concerning its habits. This curious small
Insect-eater, he observes, inhabits the western portion of the Province
of Algiera, and has hitherto been discovered only in the neighbourhood
of the towns of Oran, Tlemsan, and Arzew, and is obtained with much dif-
ficulty even there. Captain Rozet, who first sent it to France, procured
it in a rocky mountain to the west of Oran, whose summit is crowned by
a Marabut temple and the Spanish fort of St Cruz. The animal lives
there among the cavities formed by large fragments of rocks. It seeks
out natural places of concealment, and does not excavate holes; the fe-
male, however, forming a nest for her young amongst the most dense
thickets of the dwarf palm. In the early hours of the day the animal
quits its hiding-place, and picks out a sunny spot; and during the middle
of the day, lies in the shade, among the shrubs, there lurking for its prey
—the Insects which settle on the lower plants. It prefers Insects, Larve,
Grasshoppers, and especially Snails, in fact, all small soft animals. In-
capable of breaking the hard house of the Helix lactea, it thrusts its re-
markably prolonged narrow mouth into the aperture, and generally tears
away a portion of the Snail before it has time to draw itself completely
into the interior of its shell. Dr W. kept twelve animals for some weeks
alive in his lodgings, and fed them on small Orthoptera. They would
not touch bread, maize, or sugar, although Captain Rozet states that he
supported his on bread. They are exceedingly gentle animals, never biting
even when tormented. They do not go on the hinder-feet, like the ge-
nus Dipus, or Jerboas, but always on all-fours, and when running, the
length of their hind-limbs is not perceived. On the other hand, when
sitting on a rock, they are frequently in the attitude of a Rabbit, either

Fa SN a ee A BO re os
* Ocrozer 1839.—We have this month the pleasure of announcing that we have prepared a SurpLemENTARY Numser of the Journal, consisting of Titles, Preface,
Lists of Plates and Woodcuts, and a copious Index to the First Volume of our Work. ‘To this we have added two Plates : one, the Rhinoceros, wholly new, derived from
sources which were not in existence when our former Plate appeared; and the other, of the Camels, greatly altered and improved, For the valuable figure, No. 1. of the
Rhinoceros Plate, we avail ourselves of this opportunity of tendering our thanks to D. A. Smith, the distinguished Naturalist, so well known as connected with the Cape,
for the permission he kindly granted to copy one of the series of his beautiful ‘* Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa,” now in course of publication. Our Readers,
in binding their copies, will have the kindness to substitute these plates for the former ones of the same animals,

9

34 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

watching their pursuers or looking for their prey. When catching In-
sects on the wing, they hide themselves among the dwarf palm, and ge-
nerally endeavour to catch their prey with a long spring, in which the
length of their hinder-feet is of great service. During the hot months, and
in rainy days, they disappear ; and the best time to procure them is spring
and autumn. The soldiers found the very small young of this Long-snouted
Mouse in the month of February, consequently the pairing-time must be
the winter. When imprisoned, they give out a very peculiar and strong
exhalation. A single individual, which had been confined for some days
in a large case, left an odour which the box retained for several weeks.
Among themselves they are very mild, and not quarrelsome, and are not
observed to fight even about their food.—Ann. of Nat. Hist.

Agrriat Voyaces or Sprpers.—The power of certain Spiders to make
long aérial voyages must be pretty generally known, but seldom has it been
more strikingly illustrated than in the following interesting narrative of a
recent intelligent traveller. ‘‘ One day,” says Dr Darwin, ‘‘ the weather
having been fine and clear, the air was full of patches of the flocculent
gossamer web, as on an autumnal day in England. The ship was 60
leagues distant from the land, in the direction of a steady though light
breeze. Vast numbers of a small Spider, about one-tenth of an inch in
length, and of a dusky red colour, were attached to the webs. There
must have been, I should suppose, some thousands on the ship. The
little Spider, when first coming in contact with the rigging, was al-
ways seated on asingle thread, and not on the flocculent mass. This
latter seems merely to be produced by the entanglement of the single
threads. The Spiders were all of one species, but of both sexes, together
with young ones. The little aéronaut, as soon as it arrived on board,
was very active, running about ; sometimes letting itself fall, and then re-
ascending the same thread ; sometimes employing itself in making a small
and very irregular mesh between the ropes. It could run with facility
on the surface of the water. When disturbed, it lifted up its fore-legs
in the attitude of attention. On its first arrival it appeared very thirsty,
and with exserted mamille drank eagerly of the fluid. Its stock of web
seemed inexhaustible. While watching some that were suspended by a
single thread, I several times observed that the slightest breath of the air
bore them away out of sight in a horizontal line. On another occasion,
under similar circumstances, I repeatedly observed the same kind of small
Spider, either when placed, or having crawled, on some little eminence,
elevate its abdomen, send forth a thread, and then sail away in a lateral
course, but with a rapidity which was quite unaccountable.” Voyages of
the Adventure and Beagle.

CRANIUM OF THE DINOTHERIUM GIGANTEUM.

Tue accompanying engraving, (which is an accurate copy of one in a late
volume of the Magazin de Zoologie,) representing the cranium of what
has been called the Dinotherium giganteum, belongs to one of the most ex-
traordinary extinct animals with which we have been made acquainted
by the discoveries of fossil Zoology, and well merits attentive examination,

.

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air,

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Wy yh y rg

This great mass is between three and four feet long.
It seems to have belonged to the pachydermous or thick-
hided animals, the fossil remains of most of which, ac-
cording to M. Jacquemin, are found in the ancient ter-
tiary strata of our globe. The great tusks of this enor-
mous head, which, with the jaw, measure four feet, re-
call to our recollection those of the gigantic Elephant
and Walrus; but they possess this remarkable pecu-
liarity, that, instead of starting from the upper jaw, as in
these last named animals, they proceed in what appears
a far more anomalous manner from the lower, the tusks

and their sockets describing a complete semicircle as the shaft is prolonged
downwards, No disposition similar to this is found in any of the existing
races of animals, nor, so far as we are informed, in the extinct. Many
other remains of this animal have at different times and places been dis-
covered, so that a complete conception has been formed, not only of its
skeleton, but also of its softer covering and general lineaments. These we
may on a future occasion represent, when it will be seen that, furnished
with a great proboscis, it must have possessed a general resemblance to
the Elephant of the present day, and still more to the larger Mastodon of
a former period.

This cranium was discovered under the auspices of Dr Kaup, keeper
of the Museum at Dramstadt, by a gentleman named Klipstein, whilst
making a drain on his property near Eppelsheim, a small town on the left
bank of the Rhine, in the grand duchy of Hesse. It was raised froma depth
of 18 feet, where it lay imbedded in marly clay, and required nosmall care lest
it should be injured. It was cautiously freed from the surrounding soil,
and all beneath was removed save ten columns, which were allowed to
remain, and on which it reposed. For these natural columns, artificial
ones of gypsum were substituted, and finally it was made to rest upon
a firm slab of this gypsum; beneath this bars of iron, terminating in
strong rings, were placed, and a dozen of men elevated it by pulleys
safely to the surface, amid the acclamations of a crowd of curious spec-
tators : it was then carefully conveyed in a carriage to Dramstadt, a dis-
tance of 40 miles.

Dr Kaup conceives that the Dinotherium was a terrestrial animal which
frequented the banks of rivers, and fed upon the roots, &c. which grew
upon its banks, uptearing them with its tusks, and conveying them to its
mouth with its trunk ; and M. de Blainville states, that he considers that
this animal of the ancient world is a lost link intermediate between the
Elephants and herbivorous Cete, including the Dugong, Manatus, &c.
This opinion is favoured by Dr Buckland’s remark that the cranium has
a strong resemblance to those of the order Cetacea.

ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

We derive the following particulars concerning this interesting expedition
from a correspondent of the ** Literary Gazette,” who accompanied it at
starting. ‘‘ The Erebus, Captain James C. Ross, and Terror, Captain
Crozier, seem to be twin ships, alike in build, in colours, in masts, and
rigging, and, indeed, in every external appearance. An inexperienced eye
could not tell the one from the other. The Erebus is about 370 tons, the
Terror 340. In each the full complement of officers and men is 64—128
in all. Nothing that the art of the shipwright could accomplish has
been omitted to fit them for their perilous undertaking. * * * They
are victualled with fresh provisions for three years ; and pemmacan and
prepared meats in cases are stowed away in the least possible compass.
The provision of scientific instruments, under the superintendence of the
Royal Society, is very complete ; and double sets, to supply the loss of
any which may be broken or rendered useless, seem almost to furnish the
commander’s cabin. In this respect the Admiralty has been most liberal ;
and indeed we may say, that, after the first official difficulties were got
over, the Government has taken up the expedition with the most com-
mendable spirit, and done every thing that can contribute to its successful
issue. The phenomena of terrestrial magnetism will be independently
observed throughout the voyage, and also in connection with the new
observatories about to be established at St Helena, the Cape, Van Diemen’s
Land, &c. The declination, inclination, and intensity of the magnet will
thus form tables of the utmost importance towards solving this grand
problem ; there are besides dip circles, transits with azimuth circles, and
chronometers of the most approved construction. There are also pen-
dulums for ascertaining the true figure of the earth, thermometers for de-
termining the temperature of the sea at given depths ; photometric sensi-
tive paper for experiments on light ; barometers; glasses for sideral ob-
servations ; drawing utensils; repositories fer geological, botanical, and
natural history specimens ; hygometers ; and, in short, such means to em-
ploy, and so much to be done, that there will be no great leisure for our
enterprising countrymen when all these instruments are put in requisition,
and their results are regularly chronicled for the information of the world.

The earlier proceedings of the voyages will lead them to St Helena,

where Lieutenant E. Wilmot, Royal Engineers, will be left in charge of —

the new observatory. Next, at the Cape, another officer will be landed
for a like purpose. The vessels then make their way across the ocean,
touching at and examining Kerguelin’s Land, Amsterdam, and other
islands. Arrived at Van Diemen’s Land, the instruments, &c. for the ob-
servatory will be sent ashore, and, whilst it is erecting, they will cruise
to various points where the scientific pursuits of the expedition are most
likely to be advanced. On their return they will start de novo in a direct
southern course, towards the antarctic pole. How far they will pene-
trate is in the hands of Providence. They will afterwards circumnavigate
the pole, and try in every quarter to reach the highest point, whether

\

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 35

near Enderby’s Land discovered in 1832, or by Captain Weddell’s furthest
reach, about 73°, in 1823. It is between Sabrina Land and Balleny Isle,
to the northward, and in about 50° und E. long. 140°, that it is expected
the south magnetic pole will be found. Strange if he who discovered
either that of the north, or so near an approach to it, as Captain James
Ross did, should also ascertain this long sought phenomenon. We had
forgotten to mention, that the vessels are constructed on the plan which
divides them into three compartments ; so that either extremity or the
middle might be stove in, and yet the remainder be a safe hold for the

crew.

CHEMISTRY.

ROCK-SALT CONVERTED INTO A DUCTILE THREAD,

M. Gaupin, one of the employés of the Observatory of Paris, has just
submitted to the Academy of Sciences a process for converting Rock-salt
into ductile thread. You must not shake your head at this, M. Gaudin
isnoquack. The Academy, at any rate, received his memoir with marked
favour. Every body knows that glass, when in a state of fusion, may be
drawn out into very slender threads ; and M. Gaudin having succeeded
in melting down Rock-salt, discovered that it was susceptible of the same
modifications as vitreous substances—that it could be wound round a
bobbin, or converted into a solid tissue at will. But of what use, you
may say, is this discovery? According to M. Arago, there are various
ways of turning it to good account. The torsion balance, which in the
hands of Coulomb has proved so useful, is rendered uncertain by the va-
riable elasticity of the wires which support the electric or magnetic needle.
To remedy this defect, there can be no surer way than to substitute Rock-
salt threads for the metallic wire now employed. There are other appli-
cations equally interesting. For instance, something is still wanting to
give to the oscillations of the pendulum a mathematical certainty. It is
hardly necessary to allude to the multitudinous uses of pendulums: yet,
when the wire of a pendulum is metallic, we cannot say what modifications
it may experience in length during an operation ; but if we substitute M.
Gaudin’s Rock-salt thread, the results, there is room to hope, will be more
conclusive. The importance of M. Gaudin’s discovery, so far as the
Chemical sciences are concerned, is also great. There isa class of phe-
nomena—those that have reference to the internal organization or mole-
cular juxtaposition of bodies—with the nature of which we are still im-
perfectly acquainted. The modern discoveries respecting light and co-
lours show that certain effects result from the properties of molecules
themselves, others from their agglomeration: it is more than probable
that this discovery will throw further light on the subject.— Correspondent
in the Atheneum.

GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY.

NATURAL EXHALATION OF CARBURETTED HYDROGEN GAS.

In the vale of Crowdare, near the village of Aberdare, Glamorganshire,
there is a waterfall, which has, latterly, become an object of peculiar in-
terest, in consequence of a phenomenon, hitherto unnoticed, and probably
altogether new in character. It consists of an extraordinary exhalation
of gas, spontaneously issuing from the bed of the stream, and which, be-
ing ignited, continues to burn, without intermission, with a yellow co-
loured flame, interspersed with streams of vivid white, orange, purple,
and blue. There are more than twelve apertures through which the gas
escapes beneath the water, (causing it to rise and bubble :) others in the
dry banks, which increase daily in size. One of the apertures is consi-
derably larger than the rest, the flame from which burns about two feet
in length, and a foot and a half in width; at times it burns considerably
higher. The soil consists chiefly of argillaceous schist, or fire clay, suffi-
ciently hot to burn the hand. Fish caught in the stream have been boiled
upon it; and the friends who accompanied me to the spot prepared a good
supper of broiled bacon for ourselves and the spectators. My first im-
pression was, that this phenomenon was occasioned by an escape of car-
buretted hydrogen from a coal level, but, from its distance from a mine,
and the occasional appearances in the flame, I do not think the idea can
be correct : most probably it is a mixture of gases. The water has been
observed to bubble for many years by the peasantry, but not to any ex-
tent, until within the last two months, when the attention of a Stafford-
shire miner was attracted by the noise and height of the bubbles, and,
subsequently, by the application of a fire. I had an opportunity of wit-
hessing this wonderful appearance by night, and regret my inadequacy to
describe a sight so interesting. There were not less than twelve large
bodies of brilliant flame, of great illuminating power, issuing from the bed
of the stream, and underneath the rock which forms the waterfall; the
rich glare of variegated light cast upon the trees and surrounding objects,
the noise of the waterfall of the stream, and the reflection of the whole
in the water, afforded one of the most imposing sights I ever beheld. I

collected two quart bottles of the gas, and have given them for analysis
to my friend Mr Mougham, of the Gallery of Practical Science, Adelaide
Street, who will furnish you with a Paper on the results.—Yours, &c.
ALexanper Byane. (Correspondent in the Atheneum.)

ARBORESCENT OR DENDRITIC FIGURES IN MINERAL FORMATIONS.

IN many cases the progressive influence of physical causation are more
apparent in mineral bodies than in the complicated and living structures
of animals and vegetables ; and these examples of resembling figures will,
therefore, commence with minerals which present dentritic figures, unin-
fluenced by the disturbing actions of vitality.

The most simple, and one of the most common examples of dendritic
figures occurs in the manufacture of the cheapest sorts of ornamented
pottery ware, termed the ‘‘ Mocha pattern.” These picturesque figures
are made by children who are entirely ignorant of the art of design.
While the vessel is in the unglazed state called Biscuit, it is daubed in
given places with a liquid pigment which runs by descent, as the surface
of the vessel is inclined, and thus it instantly spreads from trunks into re-
gularly subdivided branches ; the rough surface of the biscuit, and the
gradual thickening of the liquid pigment, producing these appearances.
Streamlets similarly divaricating appear on the sea-shore where little pools
of water remain embanked by sand. The water, oozing through the sand,
issues in streams, and these subdivide, according to the declivity, into
arborescent streamlets, which sometimes again reunite into larger branches,
as in the anastomoses between arteries and veins of animal structures.
The same appearances often occur upon clayey or muddy declivities, over
which streamlets of water flow. Dendritic figures are also common in
many stones which were formerly regarded as petrefactions of previously
organized structures. In the compact marly limestone called lithographic
stone, these figures often occur, and generally on surfaces of laminz, by
which it would seem that the ochry pigment had percolated and spread
in the same manner as that described respecting pottery. The moss-agate,
certain marbles, and mocha-stone, exhibit similar dendritic figures. The
entire bodies of certain corallines assume an arborescent character, as in
the Corillina muscosa of Ellis. —Sir ANtHony Car iste, in the Edin. New
Phil. Journal.

PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES.

BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE.—SKCT. IX.—MECHANI-
CAL ScIENCE.—Paving Streets and Roads with Blocks of Wood.

Mr J. I. Hawkins made a communication on paving roads and streets
with blocks of wood, placed with the grain in a vertical position. The
subject, he observed, has latterly become one of considerable interest.
Although some patents have been taken out in this country within less
than twelve months, there is no specimen of the pavement calculated to
afford the means of forming a sound public opinion on the subject. He had
attentively watched, from 1827 to 1831, the effect of much travelling over
wooden pavement, well executed, in the principal thoroughfare of Vienna,
and observed that it appeared to wear away Jess than any other kind of
paving material whatever. In his opinion he was confirmed by inquiries
which he made relative to the condition of a piece of wooden pavement
laid about three years in the Broadway of New York; and he had been
informed by one gentleman that he saw a stone of nearly 20 tons weight
drawn on a carriage over it without appearing to make the least impres-
sion. From these circumstances he considered that roads formed of sound
wood, with the grain vertical, might be made so even as to constitute a
sort of universal railway, on which carriages might be drawn by a small
proportion of horse-power, and on which steam-carriages might run as
safely and almost as fast as on railways. The directions to be attended
to in the formation of efficient and durable roads on this principle, which
the author gave, were comprised under the following heads:—1. The
wood must be chosen from the heart of sound trees. Larch and other
resinous firs offer excellent materials at moderate prices. 2. The blocks,
which are to be laid contiguously, must be cut to an exact guage, so as to
fit closely and evenly together, and no block must be higher than another.
3. The depth of the blocks should be at least that of a breadth and a half,
a firm lateral support being found necessary to stability. Each block,
when rectangular, is supported by four others; and, when formed into
hexagonal prisms, which appears to be preferred, each block is supported
by the six surrounding ones. 4. The blocks must be laid on a bed firmly
made with gravel, shingle, hard rubbish, or other material, well rammed
down, and made even, previously to laying the blocks. 5. A thin layer of
only an inch of fine gravel must be spread evenly over the levelled surface at
the time of laying the blocks, to favour their adjustment. 6. The blocks must
be laid so as to present an even upper surface before they are rammed, in
order that the ultimate making them level shall not depend so much on
the effects of the rammer as on the evenness of the bed. ~ It is essential

36 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

that the blocks be cut from dry wood, and used soon after being cut, lest
their figure vary by warping.

LINN@AN socteTY.—A Plant producing perfect Seed without any apparent
Pollen or Stigma.—By Mr Joun Smitu, A.LS.

Tue subject of the present notice belongs to the natural family of Ew-
phorbiacee, and has been cultivated for several years in the Royal Botanic
Garden at Kew, under the name of Supiwm aquifolium. It is a native of
Moreton Bay, on the east coast of New Holland, where it was discovered
by Mr Allan Cunningham, who sent three plants of it to Kew in 1829.
A short time after their introduction the plants flowered, and they proving
to be all females, they were naturally passed over as belonging to a dice-
cious plant, until Mr Smith’s attention was particularly drawn to them by
the fact of their producing perfect seeds. They have annually flowered
and matured their seeds since; and, notwithstanding the most diligent
search and constant attention, no male flowers or any pollen-bearing or-
gans have been detected. Young plants have been raised, at different
times, from the seeds, and they bear so close a resemblance to their pa-
rents that it is scarcely possible even to suspect the access of pollen from
any other plant. Mr Smith considers the plant as the type ofa new genus,
which he names Celebogyne. It forms an irregular branched, rigid, ever-
green shrub, of about three feet in height, with alternate, petiolate, ellip-
tical, mucronate, coreaceous leaves, having three large spinous teeth on
each side, and furnished with two small subulate persistent stipules.
The paper was accompanied by a young plant raised from seed produced
at Kew, and by a beautiful drawing of the parts of fructification from the
pencil of Mr F. Bauer.

THE PLANS AND INFLUENCE OF THE HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
OF SCOTLAND,

Tue labours of the Society have been productive of much good, were it
only by having banished all political discussions from the meetings, and
taught the agriculturists of Scotland that in the Hall of the Society they
could meet as brethren. Nor has this beneficial change extended only
to the proceedings of the Society, or told within its walls; for, as the page
of history narrates how a wicked monarch and a dissolute court spread
the rivers of a moral pestilence throughout the fated land, till every in-
habitant in the darkest cave and lowest cottage was inoculated with the
soul-destroying plague ; and, turning to the bright side of the picture, a
good king and a virtuous queen are found, not only making a healthier
atmosphere in the court itself, and throwing an aroma (as it were) of
purity around their own exalted sphere, elevating the tone of morals
throughout the land; so, in like manner, has this now powerful body
given the tone to all the local associations throughout Scotland, so that
in the business as well as social meetings of every one of them, nothing
but harmony and unanimity is to be found. Again, in the days of its
youth and feebleness, the Highland Society sent the leaven of the turnip
husbandry into all the glens and straths of the north, by offers of small
prizes to certain Highland parishes, and the same may be said as to the
growth of clover and the finer grasses. As it advanced in strength, (as to
numbers and cash,) attention was turned to premiums for stock; then
came offers of reward to men of science to discover better implements
and machines to diminish friction, and consequently draught, such as in
the thrashing-mill, and other parts of agricultural machinery. Still advanc-
ing in the scale of intellect and of science, premiums were offered for essays
to bring to light the facts connected with chemistry and natural philo-
sophy; and under the auspices of the Society was set up the Quarterly
Journal of Agriculture, a work which kas been the vehicle of conveving
so much useful information to the agriculturist that, we humbly venture
to say, it ought to appear on the table and hook-shelf of every farmer's
parlour. After this the great stock-shows were resolved upon, as another
link of union between the Society and the practical farmer; at the same time
throwing aside all paltry feeling, and making them open to stock from
both sides of the Tweed. How well they have succeeded let the last one
at Glasgow bear witness. Nor has the Society forgotten the beauty of
the country, as the premiums offered in regard to planting trees and such
like subjects fully testify ; and, to sum up all, it may be said, the High-
land Society bas been a‘ point d’appui,” a rallying point, to which the
agriculturists of Scotland might look, and a fostering mother to all who,
although strong in talent, were weak in interest to make it public. An
ardent lover of the plough, and all that can speed it, the writer would
do what he can to advance the delightful science, the culture of the
fields.

Se ee eee Bhekmen

Whom Nature’s works can charm, with God himself

Hold converse ; grow familiar day by day

With His conceptions; act upon His plans,
And form to His the relish of their souls.”

Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, June 1839,

MISCELLANIES.
s

SreREoGRAPHY.— We must direct the attention of our readers to the
specimen of the art we liave just named, as exhibited in page 34, mure
especially as the representation of the Dinotherium would appear to a
casual observer as nothing more than an ordinary wood-cut.

The inventor of this new art, to which he has applied the name SrrreEo-
Grapny, an old if not very familiar word, is our ingenious fellow-citizen,
Mr William Howell. He was occupied with it, together with others,
and chiefly Mr Daniel Somerville, drawing-master in Edinburgh, some
twenty years ago, the last gentleman especially producing many creditable
specimens ; but all, at the time, failed in bringing it to any practical bear-
ing or general application. About four years ago Mr Howell again turned
his attention to the subject, and ever since, under many discouragements
and sacrifices, has devoted much time and labour in advancing its progress.

The process he pursues, stated in general terms, is, we understand,
the following :—He prepares a tablet of artificial stone of the required
size, asif for lithography. Upon this the subject to be cut is drawn with a
pencil. Thisdrawingisthen carefully scratched, and the stone thus scratched
forms a mould whence the cast is taken, in the same manner as common ste-
reotypes would be. It is in the method of preparing the stone that Mr
Howell's claims of merit chiefly rest, it being of a nature to resist injury
from the contact of the heated metal; and also in the manner in which
he produces light and shade, which he keeps a secret. The great object
and the great difficulty in all attempts of this kind, has been to produce
cross lines, or hatching, as it is called, in the style of ancient wood en-
graving, and all endeavours at this have usually been failures. A glance,
however, at our figure will at once show that this obstacle has at length
been effectually overcome.

In the Scotsman of the 25th September last we find the following ob-
servations from the pen of our ingenious artizan :—‘* In stereography, as
in lithography, it is the original lines that give the impression, but, unlike
it, the design does not require to be reversed, while no more care is re-
quired than with drawing paper, and alterations can be made with facility.
The size of the drawing causes no more difficulty than in the present

mode of stereotyping, with this advantage. that it is not subject to break _

in casting. Of the immense number I have cast I have never lost one.
The plate can be of any dimensions, by being joined, as stereotype work
is at present. When injured, it can be easily repaired, or altered, if re-
quired, casts can be taken to any amount, and the expense is small.”
We have had the pleasure, at the University Press, (where Mr H. has
introduced important improvements in the art of stereotyping, of examin-
ing the specimens above referred to, and have no hesitation in saying,
that they merit the high commendation of being striking resemblances of
the copies they are designed to represent, a remark which pre-eminently
applies to our own specimen. We at the same time learned, that accu-
rate copies of all kinds of wood-euts can, by this method, be easily ob-
tained ; and, moreover, that fac-similes even of copperplates, such, for
example, as maps, can be obtained in the same way ; and that from these
stereograph blocks hundreds of thousands of impressions may without de-
triment be thrown off. Lastly, we learned that the expense of this art in
comparison of wood-cutting, from the great saving of time and trouble, is
at areduction of between 20 and 30 per cent. of the present price of wood-
cutting. In conclusion, jet it be noted that this art is stillin its infancy, our
present specimen being the second that has been published.

INTERESTING DISCOVERY IN VACCINATION.

Mr CEEty, Surgeon, of Aylesbury, has demonstrated the important fact,
that small-pox and cow-pox have the same origin, the latter being small-
pox communicated to the Cow.

Mr C. inoculated Cows with small-pox matter; the vesicle produced
in the animal had every appearance of the vaccine pock. ‘To ascertain
the point, children were inoculated with matter taken from the Cow thus
artificially infected ; the result was, a fine genuine vaccine vesicle. To
establish the fact satisfactorily, these children were submitted to small-
pox inoculation, and found to be protected from the disease. Twenty-
five successive inoculations have now been performed with this new virus,.
which may truly be named Vuriola vaccina, and it continues to produce
the most satisfactory vesicles ; the matter has been employed in Bristol
with perfect success, The importance of this discovery cannot be tco
highly appreciated. Small-pox often breaks out. in countries where cow-
pox cannot be procured ; now it is only necessary to inoculate a Cow
with the small-pox, and that virulent, morbid poison, so fatal to humam
life, will be converted by this useful animal into a mild fluid capable of
protecting all inoculated with it from that dreadful malady the small-pox-
— Bristol Journal.

EpinsurcH: Published for the Proprietor, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Lonpon: Smiru, Exper, and €o., 65, Cornhill. Grascow, and the West o£
Scotland: Joun Smire and Son; and Joun Mactrop. Dustin: Greorce
Younc. Paris: J. B. Banuizre, Rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, No. 13, bis.

THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY.

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES.

DECEMBER, 1839.

BRITISH QUADRUPEDS.—THE COMMON FOX.
Tue next animal that comes under consideration is the Fox, of which
several varieties occur in Britain, aluhough only one species is found there.
The Foxes are characterized by their compressed body, moderately long
and slender limbs, elongated bushy tail; narrow muzzle, large, erect,
and pointed ears and elliptical pupil. They have six grinders above,
ind seven below, on each side.

Tue Common Fox, C. (Vulpes) vulgaris.—Most of the varieties of this
species agree in being yellowish-red above, white beneath, with the ears
black behind, the tail dusky towards the end, its tip usually white, and
the feet black. In its general form it approaches to that of the shepherd’s
Dog. The head is of ordinary size, with a slender muzzle, the neck of
moderate length, the body rather long, compact, and compressed, the
limbs rather slender, with fiye toes on the fore feet, and four on those be-
hind, the tail long and bushy. The fur is rather soft, moderately long,
of two kinds, fine woolly hairs, and long hairs of a stiffer quality. On the
‘face and limbs it is shortish and firmer, and the soles are covered with
jair, unless on the prominent parts. The general colour is yellowish-red,
nixed with white hairs ; the snout and lips blackish, the outer part of the

_ vars black, the tail pale red, with tips of the long hairs black, and the ex-
remity white. The lower part of the cheeks, the neck in front, the
sreast and abdomen, with the inner part of the thighs, a narrow line down
he fore part of the hind legs, and the hind and inner parts of the fore-
egs, white. The fore part of the feet is black, the hair on the soles deep
.ed. But several remarkable varieties occur in Scotland. ‘The largest
:ind, or that found in most parts of the Highlands, has the fur of a stronger
exture, and of a lighter tint, there being more white hairs on the back
and hind quarter, and at least two inches of the end of the tail white.
In the Low Country, the Foxes are considerably smaller, more slender,
of a lighter colour, with the tail also white at the end. Individuals of a
still smaller size, with the fur of a darker red, the lower parts dusky, or
Jull brownish-white, and with little or no white on the tip of the tail, oc-
eur in the hilly parts of the southern division. The Fox resides in bur-
‘ows which it excavates for itself in sequestered places, remaining con-
sealed all day, and coming forth in quest of food towards evening. It
preys on small quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles, frequently seizes poultry,
and is very destructive to game, especially Pheasants, Grouse, and Par-
“ tridges. The Highland Foxes often devour Lambs, and sometimes attack
even Sheep. On the other hand, crabs, mollusca, insects, and worms,
are occasionally had recourse to, when nothing better can be obtained.
The cunning of the Fox is proverbial, and, although its sagacity has been
greatly exaggerated, there can be no doubt that its intellectual faculties
are of a higher order than any other of our native Quadrupeds. When
obtained young, it may be domesticated in some degree, but never shows
an approximation to the confidence of the Dog. It lives in pairs, and
the female produces from three to five cubs in the end of spring.

ANECDOTES ILLUSTRATING THE HABITS, &C. OF ANIMALS.

In our Number for September last, we commenced a series of papers on
the Mammiferous animals which occur in Britain, and have given a short
description of those found in the divisions Mustela, Martes and Lutra,
With these we would now connect a few anecdotes calculated alike to
enliven and illustrate the classical details.

Weasets arrackinc Man.—In a late Number, (see p. 29,) we re-
mark, “ None of our native animals appears to possess the courage of the
Weasel, which, when its nest is plundered, has been known to spring up-

10 5

' part of the Carpathians.

on the dogs, and even to attack men ;” and in conformity with this is
the remark in a late Volume of the Naturualist’s Library, (Mam. vii. 164.)
‘* The stories which haye been told of troops of Weasels attacking men
and women seem to require confirmation.” The following narratives may
so far be considered as supplying the desideratum. We extract the fol-
lowing from the Dumfries Courier: A young woman was walking from
the town of Kirkcudbright to her father’s house, a few miles distant, and
after travelling for some time, she struck off the public road, and took a
‘near cut,’ and while crossing a boggy piece of low lying land, at a dis-
tance from any house, her attention was attracted to certain shrill shrieks
proceeding from the bottom of a dyke over which she was climbing. Be-
ing a little alarmed at this, she hastened a few steps forward, and upon
looking back, she observed two Weasels running after her, while imme-
diately afterwards upwards of a dozen more issued from the bottom of the
dyke, joining the othersin pursuit. Being greatly agitated, she set off at full
speed to reach another dyke, over which she jumped, hoping thereby to
find a barrier between herself and pursuers, but to her great surprise, they
came bolting through the holes of the second dyke also, chasing her ap-
parently with the most determined fury. Upon this the poor girl ran on,
until, to use her own words, ‘ her heart was like to burst, and her legs
to fall under her.’ For upwards of a quarter of a mile the furious crea-
tures continued close belind, and it was not till she reached a piece of
rising ground, on the other side of the bog, that she fairly outstript them.
There can be no doubt that had she fallen or fainted from fright, the con-
sequences might have been of the most serious nature. The young wo-
man reached home safely, deeply thankful for her escape. Several years
ago, in another district, a farmer, while riding on horseback through boggy
land, over which he could make but little speed, roused by accident up-
wards of twenty Weasels, also from an old dyke, in which they had bur-
rowed. They sprang up upon the horse’s legs, and the boots of the rider,
and though he defended himself dexterously with his whip, what with the
jumping about of the terrified animal he rode, and the agility of his assail-
ants, he declared ‘* he fought as for his life to beat them off.”

Account or a TaMeE Marren.—In June 1836, says St K. Von Sie-
muszova Pietruski, I obtained a very young Pine Marten, which, in a
short space of time, became so domestic that he attracted the admiration
ofall who saw it. It went freely through all the rooms in the house,
without doing harm to any one, played in the court-yard with my Danish
dogs, often sprang upon their backs, and rode frequently on these patient
animals after the manner of monkeys for a good while, and in a very co-
mical style. The dogs, too, were very fond of the Marten, and never
showed the slightest signs of animosity towards it. In time it became so
much attached to my person that it followed me everywhere, even into
the neighbouring villages as a dog would do. In these walks it was very
interesting to observe how he was able to overcome his natural propen-
sity to climb trees; for it very frequently happened that the desire seized
him, but as soon as he had perceived that J had gone on, it hasted after
me immediately. Even upon long excursions to the old forests of the
Carpathian mountains, at a distance of twelve or eighteen miles, the Mar-
ten was my faithful companion ; he swam through rivers and brooks with
perfect ease like an otter. The most remarkable circumstance was, that
he never went far from me; the following occasion, however, I well re-
member. In the month of August he had followed me into Potoninen, a
I was then busied in collecting the beautiful
Carabus Sacheri, and quite forgot my Marten, which had been busied in
devouring a nest of young blackbirds. 1 then wished to climb a lofty hill

38 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

called Paraska, missed the Marten. and continued my way without him.
How great was my joy, upon my return, after eight long hours, to find the
sensible animal again in the very meadow where I had lost him. If I
were absent from home this animal would take no food the whole day
Jong, and when I returned he showed his joy by merry leaps and caresses.
It ate every thing that came to table, bread, fruit, cheese, and milk, but
was fondest of raw flesh ; he drank wine with great relish, and plentifully.
This even hastened his death, for once he drank so much, that, on the
following day, he was found dead on the floor.—( Abridged from Wieg-
mann's Archiv.)

An Orrer Hont.— Every minute increased his distress ;
he could no longer keep under water, but swam uv and down gasping,
and gnashing his white fangs above the surface, in the utmost fury of rage
and despair. When overtaken or met by any of the hounds, he would
for a second conceal himself beneath, but, being unable to remain, he
would again rise above, and bite and grapple with them with the deadly
fierceness of a Serpent. Twice in this manner he swam the length of the
pool, followed by the whole pack baying at his tail, and hailed by the
united thunder of some fifty gazers. At last S. , thinking it time to
close the scene, in order to spare his Dogs, advised every body but him-
self to fall back from the lower shallow. ‘The poor wretch soon discovered
the deserted quarter, and made towards it. But, before he could escape,
he had to clamber over the top of the net, which extended across the river
at this poitit, sank to the bottom by heavy leads, and attached to each of
the banks. A ‘moment after, in making this endeavour, he was raised
from the stream to writhe upon the barbed spear. There he ‘hung,
wriggling and ‘twisting, and his eyes flashing the red sparks of rage, until
all the party had collected round him ; he was then cast into the mids¢ of
the hounds, upon whom having wreaked his vengeance by the infliction
ofsome fearful 'gashes, and, in return, having every bone within him
ground and smashed almost into pulp, he, Otter-like, without a cry, without
a groan, returning wound for wound, and torture for torture, at length
yielded his life, but not, however, tll his enemies had paid for it a most
costly price. The aboveiis extracted from ‘‘ THe Sportsman ;” and our
readers, we are assured, without any prompting from us, will feel indig-
nant at such cruel sport enjoyed at a price so agonizing and protraeted.

se

THE UNITY OF SPECIES IN THE DIFFERENT RACES OF MANKIND.

M. Frourens has, within these few months, published some observations
in the Annales des Sciences Naturelles, December 1838, on the Natural
History of Man, from which (recommending them to the attention of
those who can ‘refer to them) we now supply a’few extracts. With his
introductory remarks ‘we ‘entirely concur. The study of Man, he ob-
serves, viewed in the light of Natural History, has a peculiar importance,
to which no other branch of this science can pretend. The physical
characters which distinguish the human races from one another, constitute
the circumstance of Natural History whict) has at all eras most excited
general attention. The astonishment of the first Portuguese who, in the
fifteenth century, penetrating into the interior of Africa, and there found
Men perfectly black, ‘with curled hair, flat noses, and thick lips, is well
known. This/astonishment: was renewed at the epoch of the discovery
of the New World. Historians mention that, on the first return of Co-
lumbus, the Europeans conld not withdraw their eyes from the unknown
plants and animals he had. brought back, and, above all, from the Indiaris,
who were so different from ‘all the Races of Men they had ever beheld:
Blumenbach, as is well known, fixes the number of the human races
at five, viz the Caucasian, the Mongolian, the Negro, the American, and
the Malay. Cuvier, again, reduces them to three: the White or Cazca-
stan, the Yellow or Mongolian, and the Negro or Ethiopian, at the same
time confessing that /neither the Malays nor the Americans can be clearly
referred to any of the others. More lately, Mr Prichard, regulating him-
self by the form of the cranium, raises the number of the human races
to seven, adding to Blumenbach’s four, that of the Hottentots and Boschis-
mans. the Papuans, the Polynesians with curly hair, and the Alfourans and
Australians. Lastly, M. Flourens considers that he can establish ten dis-
tinct forms or types from the human cranium: these are the Caucasian type,
the Mongolian, the Negro, the American, the Malay or Javanese, the Hotten-
tot, the Boschisman, the Papuan, the Alfourou, and the Zealandic. The
Caucasian type is distinguished chiefly by the oval head, the height of the
cranium, the prominence of the forehead and nose; the Mongolian type
by the lateral prominence of the cheek-bones, and the square form of the
cranium ; the Negro by the compressed forehead, flat nose, and oblique in-
cisor teeth; the American by the prominence of the nose, and the width
between the orbits; and the Malay by the projection which the very large
parietal protuberances make behind, and the manner in which the occi-
pital bone is abruptly flattened below these protuberances. The cranium
of the Hottentot evidently forms a type distinct from that of the Negro ;
it is long and narrow, but is proportionally very elevated, and by this
is clearly distinguished from that of the Boschismans, which is singularly
flattened, and as it were crushed from above downwards. The Papuans,

carefully described by Messrs Quoy and Gaimard, and the Alfourous by
M. Lesson, form two distinct types. The Papuans are remarkable for
the flatness and depression of the forehead and the face; whilst the Al-
fourous have a long and narrow cranium. Finally, the last of M. Flouren’s
types is the Zealandic, marked by the height and narrowness of the cranium,
especially in front, by the extent of the temporal fossa, and by the an-
terior prominence of the apophysis of the chin.

The observations of M. Flourens, as tending to show the variations of
the crania among the several races of mankind, are doubtless possessed
of much interest ; but, considered as a system for classifying the families
of the human race, they are eminently defective, and open to some ob-
jections, which a more careful attention to the labours of his predecessors
on this subject might have spared him. Indeed, this could not fail to be
expected, as M. Flourens has attempted to arrange the races simply ac-
cording to the forms of the crania, omitting all other considerations, such
as language, stature, hair, or colour, and we have elsewhere shown (Ani-
mal Kingdom, vol. I. p. 144) that the characters of any ove particular
structure are not sufficient of themselves to establish the differences of
races. In which of these races would M. Flourens place the Caffres—
a race of sen very different from the Negroes? or does he eonfound the
Esquimaux (Hyperboreans) with the Chinese? The term Zealandic, by
which M. Flourens probably means the Polynesian, is no improvement in
the nomenclature of Virey, Bory St Vincent. or J. B. Fischer, whose la-
bours in the subject have been so singularly unnoticed by M. Flourens.

His cencluding remarks seem to imply that the distinction between
genus and species, as applied to Man, possesses much of a conventional
character.

I cannot, he says, conclude this article without adverting to the much
controverted question, — Whether the different races of men form a single
species ; and if, forming different species, they constitute what is called
in Natural History a genus? A simple glance.at the correct definition of
the word species will remove all difficulty on this point. Buffon de-
fines species to be ‘‘ a succession of similar individuals which reproduce
each other.” Cuvier defines it ‘‘ the union of individuals descended from
each other or from common parents, and of those which resemble them
as much as they resemble each other.” Now, both of these definitions
are complex, uniting two distinct facts, viz. the fact of reproduction or suc-
cession, and the fact of resemblance. The fact of resemblance, however,
is completely subordinate to that of succession ; and Buffon and Cuvier
agree in this. ‘¢ The comparison of the resemblance,” says Buffon, ‘‘ is
only an accessary idea, and often independent in the other.” ‘ The ap-
parent differences of our domestic species,” says Cuvier, ‘‘ are stronger
than those of any sayage species of the same genus.” The fact of the
succession, therefore, and of the constant succession, constitutes alone the
unity of the species. Then, unity, absolute unity of the human species,
and variety of its races-as a final result, is the general and certain concln-
sion of all the facts acquired concerning The Natural History of Man.

LONDON EGG-HATCHING EXHIBITION.

We have taken frequent opportunities of alluding to this truly interesting
exhibition, and now avail ourselves of some curious particulars commu-
nicated by an intelligent correspondent in a recent. Number of Cham-
bers’ Edinburgh Journal. The superintendent of the oven politely ex-
hibited a compartment in which, the eggs,were chipping. Some had
chipped the day before, others that day, and some would not be chipped
till the morrow ; in a few cases we observed the beak of the ehick boring
its way through the. shell, and getting itself emancipated. When the
little creatures are issued into the world, they are not immediately removed
out of the oven, but are allowed to remain for a few hours till they be-
come dry; they are then removed, and put) into the glass-case on the
table at the end of the room. This case is, very shallow, and the glass
cover can be easily pushed aside, to permit the superintendent handling
them if required. -They are here for the first time, fed, though not for
twenty-four hours after being hatched; the material scattered amongst
them is small bruised grits, or particles little larger than meal ; these they
eagerly pick up without any teaching. their instinctive desire for food be-
ing a sufficient monitor. After the brood has been kept in the glass-case
(which is partially open) for two or three days, and been thus gradually
accustomed to the atmosphere, they are removed to one of the divisions
in the railed inclosure on the floor. Here hundreds are seen running
about, uttering peepy cries, picking up grits, or otherwise amusing them-
selves, all being apparently in as lively and thriving a condition as if trot-
ting about in a barn-yard. At six in the evening they are put to bed for
the night in the coops, twelve together in a coop; these coops are small
wooden boxes, lined with flannel, and furnished with a flannel curtain in
front, to seclude, and keep the inmates as warm and comfortable as if
under the wing of a mother. At six or seven in the morning, they are
again allowed to come forth into the court-yard.

This exhibition, trifling as it may appear to some, is highly deserving

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 39

of public attention. Attempts to hatch eggs in ovens are of old date, but
have never succeeded on a permanent or large scale iu this country. In
Egypt the practice has been more successful; yet even there, with the
advantages of a superior climate, one of five of the hatched birds dies, and
many are deformed, doubtless from the unequal application of the heat. It
has only been by his Eccaleobion, as far as I can learn, that the birds
have been brought out with certainty, or been reared successfully after
being hatched ; every bird is perfect, and will grow to its full size. The
distinguishing characteristic of this invention is exact regulation of tem-
perature at different stages of advancement; for eggs, as is well known,
develope heat naturally in the course of hatching, and, consequently, the
artificial heat requires to be judiciously diminished as the natural heat in-
creases. By employing steam or hot water pipes, the temperature is not
only capable of being exactly regulated, but is diffused generally and
equably throughout the oven, and acts upon all sides of the egg alike.
Hence the eggs require no handling or turning during the process—there
is no fear of their being either roasted on one side or cold on the other.
Provided all is as fair as the proprietor describes, there can be no difficulty
in multiplying egg-hatching and chicken-rearing establishments all over
the country. Poultry is at present a dear article, on account of the very
limited and imperfect manner of its production; but this need not be
the case any longer. There is nothing to prevent every town in the king-
dom having its chicken manufactory as well as any other branch of busi-
ness. Wherever there are establishments with, steam-engines having a
small redundancy of steam, it would be the easiest thing in the world to
erect a fowl-producing apparatus in connection with the works. And if
this did not in some degree improve the resources of tle country, and the
condition of its people, | do not know what would.

BOTANY.
THE TEA PLANT IN BRITISH INDIA.

In the fifth volume of the Agricultural Society of India, there is a valuable
Report, on the Tea Plant of Upper Assam, to which we must advert.
It was not till near the end of 1834 that it was discovered that the genuine
Tea Plant was indigenous in Upper Assam; and, from the representations
of Captain Jenkins, the Government agent for the north-east frontier, it
was resolved that the districts, or rather tracts, producing the plant,
should be examined with care by a scientific deputation, consisting of Dr
Wallich, and Messrs Griffith and M‘Clelland. These gentlemen examined
the Tea Plant in its native state at five different places, where it was
found to grow abundantly. Two of these. which are in the Singhe
country, aud within the British territory, were Kufoo and Ningrew.
Nadowan and Tingrei are situated in the Bengmora country, which, al-
though it belongs to a nominally independent native Rajah, is consider-
ably within the control of the British authorities. Another locality was
Gulroo Purbut, within the territory of Rajal: Poorundur Singh; and various
others were shortly afterwards intimated and examined. These places are
comprehended in a tract of country situated between the parallels of 26°
and 27° N. lat. and 94° and 96° E. long. In all the above localities the
Tea Plant only occurs in patches of very limited extent, a circumstance
which points out the similarity of the Assamese and Chinese plants which,
according to Mr Ellis, ‘‘ always occur in small patches.” Those specified
are all in low spots, that at Gulroo being perhaps the only one which is
always exempt from inundation. All were characterized by excess of
humidity; and Kufoodoo alone had no stream near it. In every instance the
neighbourhood was clothed with excessively thick tree jungle; and such
shrubs and herbaceous plants as love shade were found abundantly inter-
mixed with the Tea.

In concluding his admirable Report, Mr Griffith states his convictions,
that the successful cultivation of the Tea Plant in Assam is certain, for
the following reasons :—1. That the plant is indigenous to, and distributed
extensively over, large portions of Upper Assam. 2. That there is a simi-
larity of configuration between the valley of Assam, and two of the best
known Tea provinces in China. 38. That there isa similarity between the
climate of the two countries, both with regard to temperature and humidity.
4, That there is a precise similarity between the stations of the Tea Plant
in Assam, and its stations in those parts of the provinces of China which
have been traversed by Europeans. And, 5. That there is a similarity
both in the associated and general vegetation of Assam and the Chinese
Tea provinces situated about the same latitude.

In a late Number of our Journal we took occasion to report, that a few
boxes of the Assam Tea had reached this country ; that trial parcels of
their contents had been somewhat extensively circulated over the country,
and had afforded general satisfaction. To this succeeded an arrival of
eight boxes, which were bought up at an enormous price; and we have
now to add that, during the current year, a company has been formed in
London for its cultivation ; and so great was the avidity to obtain shares,
that, before the projectors had time to call a public meeting on the sub-
ject, the whole of the shares had been subscribed for.

The late suspension of the trade with China, and the future difficulties
which appear to threaten it, confer increased importance upon this sub-
ject. The last notice from the country we have seen intimates that there
were plants in cultivation equal to the production of 100,000 pounds of
Tea, if the means of manufacture were procured Steps were being taken
to remedy the deficiency of hands, by procuring families in numbers, on
easy terms, to proceed and settle in the country, and a correspondence
was opened with Singapore to obtain Chinese artizans conversant with
the details of the preparation. As so large a quantity had in so short a.
time been procured, well-grounded expectations may assuredly be enter- .
taned, that, if the cultivation be prosecuted by private and public enter-
prise, a sufficiency of Tea will, in a very few years, be produced to render
this country entirely independent of the Chinese market.

GEOLOGY.

EARTHQUAKES IN SCOTLAND.

Iv may not be uninteresting to put on record in these pages, that the
month of October last was signalized in Scotland by the occurrence
of an Earthquake, more generally and severely felt throughout the coun-
try than any other since the year 1755, the time of the great Earthquake
of Lisbon. Nor ought we to speak of it as one Earthquake ; for, although
one was more violent than the rest, yet in various districts there were
many, and they continued, more or less, for weeks. The southern de-
clivity of the Grampian range, extending to the south-western parts of
Perthshire, appears to have been the locality exposed to the rudest shocks,
corresponding with the well-known fact, that the environs of Crieff and
Comrie have long been liable to these subterranean phenomena, With-
out farther preamble we shall now introduce the testimonies of various
competent witnesses, conveying far more vivid impressions than any ge-
neral statements can do.

Crrerr.—In one of the local newspapers we read—A series of Earth-
quakes took place last week (October 13—19) in Crieff and the
neighbourhood, with a violence which has not been felt for many
years past. One of these occurred about four o’clock on the morn-
ing of Thursday last, (the 17th,) and was distinctly felt throughout this
and the upper portion of Strathearn. The shock generally resembled a
smart but severe crash, accompanied with a tremulous motion, and Joud,
continued noise, not unlike distant thunder, but more hollow and deep
initstone. On Siturday, again, (the 19th,) no fewer than four shocks oc-
curred during the day, one of which, about 8 p M., was very violent; so
much so, that general attention was arrested by it, and many of the in-
habitants ran into the street. Considerable excitement prevailed in the :
town : in some of the shops the bottles and crockery were reeling in the
shelves, and in private houses similar effects among the furniture, &c.
were very apparent. To the west, we hear the Earthquake was also '
very forcibly felt, although in no instance any eruption or damage has as
yet been experienced.

As already hinted, however, the phenomenon was not confined to that ‘
locality, and the most widely extended shock having occurred a little after
10 p.m. on Wednesday the 23d, much general attention was directed to
the subject. On this occasion the shock was felt quite across the island,
from North-Berwick to Glasgow, and northward as far as Inyerness.

Epinsurcu ano Leira.—In Edinburgh and Leith the Earthquake was
but slight ; having excited the attention of comparatively but few, and
these residing principally in the northern and eastern parts of the city.
Notwithstanding, there were many who, on the morning of the 24th, were
full of the event, dilating upon the solemn impressiveness of the sensation,
and the astonishment and alarm it excited in themselves and families.
Here it was attended with little or no noise, and lasted but for a few se~
conds. In several instances it was accompanied witu the cracking of fur-
niture, and the rattling of crockery. 1n some parts of Leith, the bells of}
houses were set a-ringirg, aud the pictures on the walls were observed to
move like a pendulum: the vessels in the docks were also noticed by se-
yeral individuals to heave unusually.

Norta-Berwick.—From North-Berwick the following was transmitted
by a correspondent of the Scotsman newspaper,—On Wednesday night
last, about a quarter past 10 o’clock, a smart shock of an Earthquake was
felt by a number of the inhabitants. The doors were shaken on their
hinges, and the windows rattled, those who were in bed were moved as
by the rocking of a suspension cradle, and those who were sitting were
violently shaken, even the birds in the cages fluttered, and showed symp-
toms of alarm for a considerable time. A slight sensation was felt about
five minutes afterwards: the first continued about three seconds, the lat-
ter not so long.

Dottar.—The following interesting account is from Dollar in Clack-
mannanshire.—The Earthquakes that lave of late been agitating the
south-western parts of Perthshire have been extending their alarming vi-
brations to our Arcadian vale. Since Saturday the 12th, repeated shocks,
contemporaneous, I believe, with those at Comrie, have been felt, not only
in the valley, but along the southern acclivities of the Ochill-hills, Those

40 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

mountain masses, that form the northern barrier of the vale of the Devon,
seem to be light as a feather compared to the immense subterranean lever
that makes them simultaneously quiver throughout all their exent. The
most violent shocks we have here experienced took place on Wednesday
the 16th, at half-past 2 in the morning, and last night, (that of Wednesday
23d,) at about a quarter past 10 o'clock. ‘This last shock was the se-
verest and most alarming of all. Families were put into confusion by it.
and some left their houses in alarm. Sleep was banished for the night. To
the writer of this account the sensation seemed as if two strong impulses
upward—the second close upon but stronger than the firstwere given to
the ground, causing it to bound upward. The house seemed to reel, like
a vessel mounting a lofty surge coming suddenly upon it. Half an hour
afterwards a slighter shock was experienced.— We shall next quote from
the Perth Advertiser.

Prertu.—On Wednesday, between 10 and ]1 P.m., one of those convul-
sive movements of the earth, which have occurred at Crieff and elsewhere,
during the past fortnight, was distinctly experienced here, and continued
for nearly a minute. Our sanctum shook as if it were about to tumble
about our ears. Again, from

Monziz.—On Wednesday 28d, we had another Earthquake, more vio-
lent and alarming than any of the preceding. At 13 minutes past 10 p.m.,
we heard a sound like that of a numerous body of cavalry approaching at
full gallop along the grassy sward. When this had continued a few seconds
we felt two or more abrupt concussions, as if a solid mass of earth had strack
against a body more ponderous than itself, and rebounded. The rattling of
furniture, together with the subterranean thunder, and the reeling of what
we had hitherto deemed ¢erra firma, communicated at this moment a feel-
ing of the terrific that must have made the stoutest heart quail. The
sound passed off, as before, far to the East, carrying fear into other dis-
tricts. Ina number of houses the bells rang; one house of three stories,
situated in Crieff, has been rent from the chimney-top half-way down the
gable ; we have heard that a number of corn-stacks have been thrown
down. At Comrie, the consternation was such, that the people ran out
of their houses, and many went to the meeting-house, where they con-
tinued till three in the morning, engaged in religious exercises. There was
a second shock at 20 minates to 11 o’clock, and a third somewhat later,
but both inferior to the first. We read in the Herald of

ABerDEEN.—About half-past 10 on Wednesday night, a shock of an
Earthquake was felt in this city. The motion was not of that energetic
and irregular character which usually distinguishes volcanic action, but
‘of a gentle kind, producing a horizontal movement, not unlike the rolling
of a vessel in an easy sea-way. It continued for about four seconds,
and was attended with a low rumbling noise. From

InverNess.—On Wednesday night, about half-past 10 o'clock, there
was tie slight shock of an Earthquake here. It lasted only a few seconds
and produced no serious effect.

Grascow.— At the same hour, a slight shock was also felt in Glasgow,
particularly towards the west end of the town. In Elm-bank Place the
furniture in some of the houses was slightly shaken ; and at the Broomie-
law the vibration was in several places considerable. At Luss the shock
was also felt accompanied by a noise resembling thunder. In no place
did the shocks last more than a few seconds. Similar observations were
made at Appin, Montrose, Dunprer, Hunriy, Turrirr, Forres, &c.,
&c. :

The weather, during the period embraced by these Earthquakes, was
peculiarly wet, dull, and oppressive, and many entertain the idea that the
former phenomenon was somewhat connected with the latter. A still
stranger notion has gained ground in the localities principally involved,
namely, that, previous to the occurrence of the shock, an effect is produced
in the surrounding elements which tells upon the human frame so strongly
as to prove a warning of the coming event. There appears, however, to

these opinions.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION.

InrRopucTION or THE ALpaca Liama Into Briratn.—Samples and
manufactured specimens of Alpaca wool, in imitation of silk, and without
dye, as black as jet, were exhibited to the Zvological Section; and Mr
Danson stated, that the animal producing it ought to be propagated in
Great Britain and Ireland, especially in Scotland and Wales, being an
inhabitant of the Cordilleras, a mountainous district of Peru. Importa-
tions have already taken place, to the extent of one million of pounds,
and are likely to increase. There are five species of Llamas, of which
the Alpaca has fine wool, six to twelve inches long, as shown by the spe-
cimens exhibited. The Earl of Derby has propagated the Alpaca in his
private Managerie at Knowsley, and Mr Danson understood that Mr Ste-
phenson, at Oban, in Scotland, has a few of these animals. Their wool
would not enter into competition with the wool of the Sheep, but rather
with silk. It is capable of the finest manufacture, and is especially suited
to the fine shawl trade of Paisley, Glasgow, &c. The yarns spun from

it are already sent to France in Jarge quantities, at from 6s. to 12s. 6d.
per pound, the price of the raw Alpaca wool being now 2s. and Qs. 6d.
per pound,

Tue SaLrMonrip#—rTHeEIR VARIETIES, AND DIFFERENT STAGES OF
GrowrH.—Mr Relph, who has been more than fifty years engaged in the
Salmon-fishery, stated in a letter to the Section: ‘* That in May 1819,
there were 1700 fry marked at Kingsgate fishery, near Carlisle, and in
July and August following, a quantity of Whitings or Herling were ta-
ken, coming from the salt water, bearing the same marks. These marks
were made by cutting away the fin called the dead fin, just above the tail.
In September 1821, a Grilse was caught bearing the mark, and weighing
7 pounds 6 ounces; so that, from the time it was marked, its average
growth had been one ounce per week. There were also several Salmon
taken bearing the mark, and weighing from 10 to 16 pounds.

Growra or Sitk ar NorrincHam, MaDE IN 1839.—Samples of yellow
and pure white cocoons, forming a portion of the result of this attempt
at raising silk in England, were placed before the Zoological Section.
They were exhibited in an undisturbed state, (though the Chrysalises had
been killed,) upon the twigs where they had been spun by the Silk-worms.
The food supplied to the worms spinning the white silk, owing to the late-
ness of the mulberry tree, was lettuce-leaves, for the first three weeks after
hatching, and then they were fed entirely upon the mulberry leaf. Those
producing the yellow silk were hatched 14 days later, and were fed on this
latter food, which proved by much the most suitable, from the beginning.
The hatching was of eggs procured from Italy ; and this, and the subsequent
processes of feeding and spinning, were conducted in a warehouse in the
centre of the town of Nottingham, amidst the usual noise, bustle, and
activity of a wholesale business of cotton goods, where the air would be
in some degree tainted by the oily matter used in their fabrication; the
temperature was kept at from 70° to 55°. The number was 10,000 ; and,
owing to the very cold, late, and damp season, the circumstances were
very unpropitious. Upon the whole, however, Mr Felkin, who conducted
the experiment, considered it as perfectly successful; the cocoons placed
in contact with those of this year’s growth, received from the Milanese,
being but slightly inferior in size, weight, or compact formation. The ex-
periment shows, that the best silk may be procured wherever the worm
is of the suitable variety, and fed on its congenial food, combined with
ordinary skill and care in management. Whether this production can be
carried on to profit in England, or even in Ireland, is doubtful, labour and
land being probably too high, to compete with the present prices of silk ;
but that it could be so in the West Indies, and our new colonies in the
Pacific, is unquestionable. Still more is the fact established, that the
produce of this article might be greatly improved in quality, and indefin-
itely in quantity, in Hindoostan. There labour is cheaper than anywhere
besides, and land unoccupied and waste, but perfectly snitable, for the
mulberry is plentiful; so that, introducing it into uhe more elevated parts
of the country, the whole world might be supplied from India, with raw
silk, at half its present cost.

MISCELLANIES.

Lieuin Leatner.—A Dr Bernland of Larria, in Germany, is said to
have discovered a method of making leather out of certain refuse and
waste animal substances. A manufactory of this nature has been estab-
lished near Vienna. No part of the process is explained, only it is said
that the substance is at one time in a complete state of fluidity, and may
then be cast into shoes, boots, &c.—Bristol Mirror.

Boa Constricror.—The large Boa Constrictor at the Surrey Zoolo-
gical Gardens lately cast his skin for the first time since his arrival in
this country. It measured 22 feet in length, and 27 inches in circum-
ference, and was thrown off almost entire in one piece. He fed imme-
diately afterwards, and swallowed four Rabbits and a small Pig for his
meal! He had not previously eaten any thing for five months.

Dr Jounstonsis preparing for the press a ‘‘ History of the British Sponges
and Corallines,” to be printed and illustrated in the same style as his His-
tory of the British Zoophytes, to which this new work may be considered
as a supplement, and as completing his original design. It will contain a
very full account of all that has hitherto been written on the subject; and
an original figure of every species and remarkable variety will be given.
Dr Johnstone intends, at the same time, to avail himself of this oppor-
tunity of adding many new fizures of Zoophytes, contributed by his friends,
and acquired by himself, since the volume on British Zoophytes was pub-
lished.

Published for the Proprietor, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.

EpinsurcH:
Loxpox: Smiru, Enver, and Co., 65, Cornhill. “Grascow, and the West of
Scotland: Joux Ssuru and Son; and Joun Mactrop. Dustix: Grorce
Youxc. Panis: J. B. Barurere, Rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, No. 13, bis.

THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY,

THE EDINBURGH

f

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES.

JANUARY, 1840.

ZOOLOGY.
BRITISH QUADRUPEDS.—THE WILD CAT.

Tue genus Felis, which includes the Lion, Tiger, Leopard, and a great
number of animals of inferior size, among which is the Domestic Cat, is
characterized by four grinding teeth above, three below, on each side;
the tongue rough, having its upper surface covered with horny pointed
papille, directed backwards; the ears of moderate size; the body com-
pressed, the tail long and gently tapering; and the claws curved, much
compressed, very acute, and retractile. The Feline animals exhibit in
their structure a peculiar adaptation to a life of rapine, combining extreme
vigour with much patience and cunning. Their flexile spine, muscular
and supple limbs, hooked and contractile claws, short jaws, of which the
motion is exclusively vertical, long conical canine teeth, and thin-edged
grinders, readily distinguish them from all other quadrupeds. In Britain,
this genus is represented by a single species, much larger than the Do-
mestic Cat, but scarcely formidable to man,

The Common Wild Cat of Europe, Felis Catus of Linnzeus, in form
and colouring resembles a large individual of the domestic race, of the
grey striped variety, from which, however, it differs in having the body
more elongated, the limbs longer, and the fur thicker. Another character
resulting chiefly from the latter circumstance is presented by the tail,
which tapers less, being in fact nearly as thick at the end as at the mid-
dle. The head is short, broad, convex, anteriorly somewhat triangular,
with the snout small, the nostrils linear, the eyes large, the ears erect,
somewhat pointed, and of considerable size. The mouth is rather small,
and the palate is marked with eight transverse ridges. The incisors, six
in each jaw, are very small, nearly even, the lateral larger. On the fore-
feet are five, on those behind four toes ; the soles padded and bare; the
claws hook-shaped, and much compressed. The body is generally rather
slender, and compressed, the tail long. On each side of the mouth are
four rows of long mystachial bristles, which are white, with the exception
of some of those of the upper row, they being black. A little behind
the angle of the mouth is a pencil of smaller bristles, and a little above it
another. The fur is thick, rather long, and soft; but on the muzzle and
feet, as well as the ears, it is short. The teeth are white, the iris hazel,
the snout dark flesh-coloured, and the bare pads of the soles black. The
fur on the upper parts and sides is pale reddish-brown. Between the
eyes commence four tortuous brownish-black lines, which pass over the
occiput, and along the hind neck, gradually diverging and becoming
broader ; between the shoulder-blades commence three black lines, of
which the two lateral curve, and are continued over the sides, while the
other runs along the back, forming a broad undulating band, from which
proceed bars of the same colour descending along the side. On the tail
are nine blackish bands, the last much larger and darker. A narrow black
line proceeds from the posterior angle of the eye, and another from a
little beneath it, both terminating on the cheek a little behind the ear.
The lips are blackish, but the hair on them, as well as on the chin, is
yellowish-white ; the lower part of the neck pale reddish-brown ; then a
pure white spot; the breast white, with roundish black spots; the abdo-
men reddish, and spotted with black; its hind part pure white, the groin
and hind part of the thighs reddish. The fore and hind legs transversely
barred with black ; their hind part black; the claws yellowish-grey. The
under fur is pale reddish at the end, and most of the long hairs are white
at the base, then black, afterwards yellowish-red, with the tip black,
The male measures three feet and a half in length, of which the head is

1]

five, and the tail fifteen inches. The female is much smaller. The
colours vary considerably in different individuals.

This animal has long been extirpated from the cultivated parts of the
country, being now confined to part of Wales, the hilly tracts of the north
of England, the Highlands of Scotland, and some parts of Ireland, where
it resides in the thickets, making its retreat to the fissures of rocks, or the
cavities between fallen blocks of stone. It preys on Game, Hares, Rab-
bits, small quadrupeds, and birds of various kinds ; lives solitarily, or in
pairs; and, as it searches for food chiefly at night, is very seldom met
with. It scarcely ever approaches human habitations, and is thus less
destructive to poultry than the Marten or Pole-cat, although, on the
other hand, it is said sometimes to destroy young Lambs. When caught,
it exhibits the greatest ferocity, hissing and yelling like an enraged Do-
mestic Cat, and, however long it may be kept in captivity, never becomes
reconciled to it.

This species is by some supposed to be the original source of the do-
mestic kind, while others think it to be entirely different. Many indivi-
duals of the Common Cat can scarcely be distinguished from the Wild
in form and colouring, and, although the Tame Cat is never so large as
the Wild, this probably arises from its not being sufficiently supplied with
its natural food. In their anatomy the two kinds present much less dif-
ference than the Black-faced and Cheviot Sheep, or the West Highland
and Short-horned Cows ; and it is alleged that the Wild Cat sometimes
breeds with the Domestic, although no authentic instances appear to
have been adduced, in this country at least. The Wild Cat has {often
been called the British Tiger, but it merits no such distinction, being a
simple Cat, and in no respect to be dreaded by a person wandering in its
haunts, although, probably, if enraged, and prevented from retreating, it
might put to flight many who would face a more dangerous foe.

DIFFERENT STRUCTURES OF THE SKIN IN DIFFERENT RACES OF MANKIND.

In our last Number we gave the results of M. Flourens’ investigations
into the Natural History of Man, as it regards the different races of the
species which may be detected from the character of form, and which he
estimates at the number of ten. In the same paper (Ann. des Sciences
Nat.) he announces that he has made a discovery in the minute structure
of the skin, which, after all the labour previously bestowed, we had
thought was next to impossible, and which he maintains constitutes a
difference as a character of structure. Most of our readers will know that
the skin is usually described as consisting of three layers,—the innermost,
true skin, or dermis; the external, scarf skin, or cuticle ; and the inter-
mediate or rete-mucosum, which was supposed to be tlie seat of colour, and
which was stated to be scarcely distinguishable except in the black. M.
Breschet’s elaborate investigations, some three or four years since, whilst,
uponthe whole, confirming, somewhat modified these views. He maintained
that the rete-mucosum is only the newest and softest layer of the epidermis,
—that it is not strictly extra-vascular, as the absorbent vessels may be
traced to its outer layers, as well as the ducts which convey the perspi-
ration to the surface. He regarded the proper substance of the epidermis
as hardened mucus, and imagined he discovered the apparatus which
secreted the mucus, and the perspiration, sending out spiral ducts which
penetrated the surface. The organs forming the colouring matter of the
skin he distinguished from the other two sets of glands; and all these parts
from the nervous papillz, which are the organs of touch.

Dissatisfied with these views, we find M. Flourens making the following

42 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

statements :—‘‘ There are in the skin of the white race three distinct
laruinee or membranes—the derm and two epiderms; and in the skin of
tne black race there is, besides the derm and the two epiderms of the white
race, a particular apparatus—an apparatus altogether wanting in the man
of the white race—an apparatus composed of two layers, the external of
which is the pigmentum, or colouring matter of the Negroes. Hence, then,
there is in the skin of the black race an apparatus which is wanting in
that of the white race. The two races, therefore, form two essentially
and specifically distinct races. These two races are not only distinct by
a character of form, such as are the characters drawn from the cranium and
face ; they are so by a character of structure, by a special and very compli-
cated apparatus which exists in one of the two races, and is wanting in
the other.” The white and the black race, then, are two essentially dis-
tinct races. The same is true of the red or American race. Anatomy
discovers, under the second epiderm of the individual of the red, copper-
coloured Indian, or American race, (for this race is designated indifferently
by these names,) a pigmental apparatus, which is the seat of colour in this
race, as in the black. M. Cuvier says of the American race, ‘ That
although it has not yet been clearly reduced to any of the races of the
Old Continent, it does not possess at once a precise and constant character,
constituting it a particular race!’ He would assuredly have thought dif-
ferently had he known that the copper-red tint is owing to a special de-
terminate apparatus, distinct from all the other parts of the skin. In
considering, therefore, the characters of structure, there are three speci-
fically and primarily distinct races. The white or Caucasian, the Negro
or Ethiopic, and the red or American.”

These are strong statements, in which are included a distinct elaim to
an important discovery, and a bold inference, deduced from that alleged
discovery. It is with hesitation we demur at the conclusions of so dis-
tinguished a physiologist as M. Flourens, and yet we cannot help hesitat-
ing, especially after M. Breschet’s statements, expressing the opinions of
the best physiologists of the day, both as to the novelty of the discovery,
and the accuracy of the conclusion,

y
Ce

NOTICE OF THE CHIMPANSEE, AND OF A NEW SPECIES OF MACACO,

Av a late meeting of the Zoological Society, some interesting observations
were made on the habits of a Chimpansee captured in the Bullam country
by Lieut. Sayers, and on a new species of monkey, now, like the former,
in the Zoological Gardens, described by M. Ogilby under the name of
Papio melanosus, but which, in our opinion, is evidently a Macacus.
We shall supply a short summary of these communications. The Chim-
pansee, observes M. Sayers, on becoming mine, was delivered over to a
black boy, my servant, and in a few days became so attached to him as
to be exceedingly troublesome, screaming and throwing himself into the
most violent passion if he attempted to leave him for a moment. He
evinced also a most strange affection for clothes, never omitting an op-
portunity of possessing himself of the first garment he came across, when-
ever he had the means of entering my apartment, which he carried immme-
diately to the piazza, where invariably he seated himself upon it with a
self-satisfied grunt; nor would he resign it without a hard fight, and on
being worsted, exhibited every symptom of the greatest anger. Observ-
ing this strange fancy, I procured him a piece of cotton cloth, which,
much to the amusement of all who saw him, he was never without, car-
rying it with him wherever he went, nor could any temptation induce
him to resign it even for amoment. I adopted the following mode of
feeding him :—In the morning he received a piece of bread about the size
of a halfpenny loaf, steeped in water, or milk and water; about two, a
couple of bananas or plantains ; and before he retired for the night, a
banana, orange, or slice of pine apple. ‘The banana seemed to be his
favourite fruit; for it he would forsake all other viands, and if not grati-
fied, would exhibit the utmost petulance. On one occasion I deemed it
necessary to refuse him one, upon which he threw himself into the most
violent passion, and uttering a piercing cry, knocked his head with such
force against the wall as to throw him on his back. His actions so
alarmed me for his safety, that I gave up the contest: in the height of
his passion, however, I never observed any disposition to bite, or other-
wise ill treat his keeper or myself. Although he would never object to
be caressed even by a stranger, yet I never saw him evince the slightest
disposition to make the acquaintance of any other animal. At the time
hhe came into my possession, 1 had two Patas Monkeys, and thinking
they might become acquainted, I placed the Chimpansee in the same
apartment, where he resided for five months, yet I never saw the least
desire, on his part, to become even friendly ; on the contrary, he showed
evident anger and dislike at their approach. His cunning was remark-
able. On all occasions where he thought he was unobserved, he would
not fail to steal every thing within his reach, for no other apparent pur-
pose than to gratify a propensity for thieving. In his habits, unlike the
Monkey tribe, he was exceedingly cleanly. At the time of his purchase,
#his animal appeared to be about fourteen months old, and from what I

could learn from the natives, they do not reach their full growth till be-
tween nine and ten years of age. Their height, when full-grown, is said
to be between four and five feet; indeed, I was credibly informed that
a male Chimpansee, which had been shot in the neighbourhood, measured
four feet five inches in length. The natives say that, in their wild state,
their strength is enormous, and that they have seen them snap boughs off
the trees with the greatest ease, which the united strength of two men
could scarcely bend. They are gregarious, and the natives affirm always
travel in strong bodies, armed with sticks, which they use with much
dexterity : they are also exceedingly watchful.

Macacus metanorus.—M. Ogilby states that the specimen (Papio
melanotus, Ogilb.) in the Gardens was young, and said to have been
brought from Madras. It has a considerable resemblance to the common
Barbary species, (Macacus Inuus,) but differs in the blackish-brown shade
which covers the upper parts of the head, neck, shoulders, and back.
The tail is about an inch long, and perfectly naked. The individual has
all the liveliness, good nature, and grimace of the young Magot. Were
this animal really a Papio, it would form a singular exception, as the two
known species of Papio (Mandrills, Cuv.) are confined to Africa. We
have little doubt that it will prove on examination to be a Macacus.

PRACTICABILITY OF DOMESTICATING SEALS.

WueTuH_ER the Seal might breed in captivity, and remain reclaimed from
the wild state, is yet to be learned, probably in those excellent establish-
ments, the Zoological Gardens. Almost all the instances of tame Seals, of
which we have any account, belong to the vituléna species: the trials I
have made on the rearing and education have been equally numerous on
the Great as onthe Common Seal. By far the most interesting one I haye
ever had was a young male of the darbata species: he was taken by myself
from a cave when only a few hours old, and in a day or two became as at-
tached to me as a dog. The varied movements and sounds by which he
expressed delight at my presence, and regret at my absence, were most af-
fecting ; these sounds were as like as possible to the inarticulate tenes of
the human voice. I know no animal capable of displaying more affection
than he did, and his temper was the gentlest imaginable. 1 kept him for
four or five weeks, feeding him entirely on milk warm from the cow; in
my temporary absence butter-milk was given him, and he died soon after.
Another was a female, also of the Great Seal species, which we captured
in a cave when about six weeks old, in October 1830. This individual
would never allow herself to be handled but by the person who chiefly
had charge of her, yet even she soon became comparatively familiar. It
was amusing to see how she ascended the stairs, which she often did, in-
tent, as it seemed, in examining every room in the house; on showing to
her signs of displeasure and correction, she descended more rapidly and
safely than her awkwardness seemed to promise. She was fed from the
first on fresh fish alone, and grew and fattened considerably. We
had her carried down daily in a hand-barrow to the sea-side, where an
old excavation admitting the salt water was abundantly roomy and deep
for her recreation and our observation. After sporting and diving for
some time, she would come ashore, and seemed perfectly to understand
the use of the barrow. Often she tried to waddle from the house to the
water, or from the latter to her apartment, but finding this fatiguing, and
seeing preparations by her chairmen, she would of her own accord mount
her palanquin, and thus be carried as composedly as any Hindoo princess.
By degrees we ventured to let her go fairly into the sea, and she regularly
returned after a short interval ; but one day, during a thick fall of snow,
she was imprudently let off as usual, and, being decoyed some distance
out of sight of the shore by some wild ones which happened to be in the
bay at the time, she either could not find her way back, or voluntarily de-
camped. We had kept her about six months, and every moment she was
becoming more familiar; we had dubbed her Finna, and she seemed to
know her name. Every one that saw her was struck with her appear-
ance. The smooth face, without external ears,—the nose slightly aqui-
line,—the large, dark, and beautiful eye, which stood the sternest gaze of
the human, gave to the expression of her countenance such dignity and
variety, that we all agreed that it really was swper-animal.—(Dr Edmon-
stone's Obser. on Seals.

NOTICE CONCERNING A RAVEN.

As in one of the plates of the present Number, we have endeavoured
to represent the universally known Genus Corvus, (Crows,) we had in-
tended to have introduced some anecdotes illustrating their more remark-
able traits. Other and more important matter has interfered, and we
shall now restrict ourselves to the transcription of a few notes, kindly com-
municated bya correspondent, concerning a well known inhabitant of our
city, in the shape of a Raven, which stood as the original of our repre-
sentation. This bird goes under the appellation of Arthur, a name de-
rived from the great captain of the age. He belongs to Mr Johnston,

“AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 43

Hill-House, near Holyrood, who has reared him from the nest, whence,
near Inverleithen, he was taken upwards of twenty-three years ago. He,
like many of his captive brethren, is celebrated for his talking propensi-
ties, and especially for the distinctness with which, when interrogated
concerning the illustrious generals of our time, he pronounces the name
of his great name-father, not only in his native dialect, good broad
Scotch, but also, at the pleasure of his interlocutor, both in a pure En-
glish, and genuine Irish accent. We are likewise informed that he
barks so successfully that his voice can scarcely be distinguished from
that of a good watch-dog. He possesses, too, all the pugnacity of his
species. At one time an Owl was made the companion of his soli-
tude, which, after a few days endurance, he slew and devoured: a com-
mon Rook was next tried; and, fora few weeks, he seemed pleased with
his associate, but it soon also shared the fate of the Owl. He has this
peculiarity, that the second primary feather of both wings is of a pure
white colour, so that he is pie-bald, a trait not very uncommon in his
race, some of whom have been noticed wholly white. Another, and
what we should consider a far rarer peculiarity, is his having shed, three
years ago, the upper mandible of the bill. We are not aware that this
occurs naturally in any bird, and hence we should suspect it to have

been the result of some blow or bruise, often the occasion of such an oc-—

currence in the nail. Arthur, however, was not known to have been
the subject of such an injury. Whether his years will reach the limit of
a century, as some Ravens are recorded to have done, our posterity alone
are likely to ascertain. i

SUPPOSED FORM OF THE DINOTHERIUM AND MASTODON,

Many of our readers may be surprised to learn, that from such a cranium as
we represented in our last Number but one, and other fossil bones, any sa-
tisfactory conception could be formed of the general shape and appearance
of the whole animal. But wonders far greater than this have been ef-
fected in fossil geology, insomuch that the late Baron Cuvier, or any ac-
complished anatomist of his school, could from any of the small bones of
the body, or even from an insignificant fragment of one, ascertain what
the animal really was,—its genus,—species,—and, if it belonged to none
of the known ones, could, from these remains, form others new and dis-
tinct. This is, in fact, in the expressive words of Professor Whewell,
“the great Cuvierian maxim, that from the fragment of a bone we can re-
construct the skeleton of the animal.” This, however, is a wide field, on
which we must not expatiate; and, in illustration of our position, we
merely state, that the lineaments of the Dinotherium giganteum, and the
Mastodon, as represented by Professor Kaup, are received with con-
fidence by M. de Blainville and other Naturalists as close approxima-
tions to the truth.

Professor Buckland states, that the Dinotherium must have been the
largest of terrestrial Mammalia, and Cuvier and Kaup calculate it must
have measured 18 feet. With a sentence from the Oxford Professor's
Bridgewater Treatise, concerning the remarkable tusks of the animal, we
shall conclude this notice. ‘* It is mechanically impossible that a lower
jaw, nearly four feet long, loaded with such heavy tusks at its extremity,
could have been otherwise than cumbrous and inconvenient to a Quadru-
ped living on dry land. No such disadvantage would have attended this
‘structure in a large animal destined to live in water ; and the aquatic ha-
bits of the family of Tapirs, to which the Dinotherium was most nearly
allied, render it probable that, like them, it was an inhabitant of fresh-
water lakes and rivers. To an animal of such habits, the weight of the
tusks sustained in water would have been no source of inconvenience; and,
if we suppose them to be employed as instruments for raking and grubbing
up by the roots of large aquatic vegetables from the bottom, they would,
under such service, combine the mechanical powers of the pick-axe with
those of the horse-harrow of modern husbandry. The weight of the head,
placed above these downward tusks, would add to their efficiency for the
service here supposed, as the power of the harrow is increased by being
loaded with weights.”

ELECTRIC EEL AT THE ADELAIDE GALLERY.
Mr Braptey, Director of the Gallery of Practical Science, has lately
‘communicated the following letter to our contemporary the Magazine of
Natural History :—‘‘I feel persuaded that your readers will be interested
in hearing that the Gymmnotus I described on a former occasion is still liy-
ing and thriving. Kept in a room daily frequented by multitudes of per-
sons, with only a borrowed light from the sky-light, aud never feeling the
direct rays of the sun; confined in a vessel in which it cannot now
stretch itself out at full length; kept warm by water artificially heated,
and fed with fish not indigenous to the country it inhabits,—what must
be the power of adaptation to external circumstances possessed by the
animal, which admits of its not only living, but even growing and increas-
ing in strength, under such total change of habits, food, and climate !

I believe you remember that when we first began to experiment on its
electrical powers, we could only produce those phenomera which depend

on the tension of the electricity, as the spark, &c., by employing second-
ary currents; now, on the contrary, we have discarded Henry’s coil from
our apparatus, and invariably succeed, not only in obtaining a direct
spark, but even the deflagration of gold leaves, these being mutually at-
tracted from a sensible distance, and burning on coming into contact: if
this arise partly from increased skill in our mode of manipulation, it
must also be assigned, in an equal degree, to the increased power of the
Eel.

Nevertheless, convinced as I am that not even the vital power of this
animal can long withstand so total a change in its natural habits, I should
be very glad to transfer it to some institution, where, while it could enjoy
fresher air, and direct light, it would meet with attention to temperature
and cleanliness equal to what it has had from us; and in that case I see
no reason why it might not be kept alive for years.”

METEOROLOGY.
SHOOTING STARS OBSERVED, AUGUST 10, 1839.

In our Number for September last, we introduced the subject of Periodic

Shooting Stars to the atteution of our readers, and quoted certain obser-
vations made on the 10th—12th of August, by M. Boguslowski at Bres-
law, M. Forster at Brussels, and Professor Powell at Tunbridge- Wells. To

these we now add some interesting remarks published in November last by
our celebrated astronomer, Sir James South. ‘‘ The evening of the 10th

of August was fine, and for a considerable time the sky was cloudless.
Busied in my observatory, with my ordinary astronomical occupations,

whilst the twilight was yet strong enough to render the leading article of
the Times legible, though with some difficulty, a servant coming to me
from a distant part of the premises put an early period to my astronomical
work, by announcing that ‘ he had just seen the largest fire-ball that he
had ever seen in his life.’ A celestial globe being brought out on the
lawn for the purpose of tracing their tracts, and a loud beating clock
being set with that at the transit instrument, by which the instant of dis-
appearance of any of these bodies might be noted, between 22/ after nine
o'clock, and 2/ after midnight, 165 shooting stars were not only seen,
but their flight among the fixed stars, and their disappearance to the
nearest tenth of a second, registered. Between 5! after midnight, and
29’ after one in the morning, 150 were seen. Clouds, which continued
till day-light, prevented further observation. Of these the principal part
resembled stars of the sixth magnitude, stealing from one part of the
heaven to another. Many were as bright as stars of the first magnitude.
Several had a brilliancy many times surpassing that of the planet Venus,
whilst some few, apparently of a discal form, were not unlike the planet
Jupiter, as seen with a magnifying power of fifty or sixty. These, as well
as those of the two preceding classes, prior to their disappearance, fre-
quently burst into thousands of intensely luminous points, the light pro-
duced being such as to excite the attention of even the most careless by-
stander. The directions which these fugitives took were very various,
as was the extent of arcs they traversed; generally they took their
course from the zenith towards the horizon, but in several instances they
passed from horizon to zenith: some appeared when within ten or fifteen
degrees of the horizon, and disappeared in it. Every part of the heavens
teemed with them. The constellations, however, of Cassiopeia and Per-
seus, were most prolific.”

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

Remarks on the Development, Structure, and Diseases of the Teeth. By
Atexanper Nasmyru, F.L.S., F.G.S8., &c. London, Churchill,
1839, pp. 180, with seven plates.

Wirs much pleasure we hail the appearance of a work on the science of
Odontology, by Mr Nasmyth, who, after having for a number of years di-
rected particular attention to the subject, and contributed a number of ex-
cellent papers to various scientific institutions, is about to publish the
result of his labours in a systematic treatise.

The portion of the work before us consists solely of an Hisroricat
InrropucTion to the science, commencing with the earliest notices in the
writings of Herodotus and Hippocrates, and coming down to the present
day; the author herein following a prevailing fashion in the plan of
scientific works,—one which we regard as peculiarly open to criticism and
condemnation. Mr Nasmyth has, at the same time, executed his task
with ability, and manifests a thorough acquaintance with the subject.
After gleaning the observations to be found in the works of Aristotle,
Areteus, Pliny, and Galen, and supplying the details to be found in the
Arabian, and early Italian and French schools, including the doctrines of
Vasalius, Eustachius, aud Ambrose Paré, he proceeds to the new views
promulgated by Malpighi, Leawenhoek, Bertin, Winslow, and Hunter,
—to the modern anatomical era, commencing with Bichat and Blandin,
—to what has been done in Great Britain by Blake, Fox, and Bell; in
France, by Tenon, the Baron and M. F. Cuvier, De Seres, and Rousseau ;
and in Germany, by Webber, Schreger, and Wagner. Of the recent la.

44 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY. =

bourers in this field, Retzius of Stockholm is the most eminent ; though
Valentine and Raschkaw abroad, and Messrs Goodsir, Arnold, and Owen
at home, have likewise rendered good service. These gentlemen, along
with our author, by minute microscopic researches into the structure of
ivory enamel, and every part of the teeth, not in Man only, but in the whole
animal series, have opened up an entire new field of investigation, and
displayed wonders of which we had previously no conception. Sixty
pages of Mr N.’s volume are occupied with a summary of Retzius’ Treatise,
and twenty with a translation from Dr Raschkaw’s Thesis. It also con-
tains seven admirable plates ; the many figures in the three first, copied
from Retzius, and those of the others being original, and equally beautiful.
We have room but fora single extract, which, in the author’s words, will
throw some light upon his plan. ‘* Those who contemplate the teeth,”
he remarks, “‘ merely as ornaments, or consider them in no other light
than as the active agents at a feeding-trouch, or as the formidable wea-
pons of the wild tenants of the forest, will, doubtless, regard the details
of Retzius as irksome and tedious ; but he who, with ardour and admira-
tion, tracks the steps of Nature through the regions of Zoology, will wel-
come with delight a full description of those new researches ; he will re-
cognise at once their importance, and cannot fail to be struck with the
unostentatious manner in which a great mind has opened to the world a
new field of exertion, foreseeing its value to the student of Geology as
well as of Natural History. .But I have been still further induced to
publish the researches of Retzius, from having myself made numerous
observations and experiments on the same subjects, which I hope will be
found to illustrate some of them, and to carry out others to very interest-
ing and original conclusions. The importance of the study of Odonto-
logy in a Zoological or Geological point of view, has induced me to form
as complete a collection as possible of microscopic preparations of. the
teeth of the various classes, both living and extinct, of the animal king-
dom. From these I intend, in the course of the present work, when
treating of the structure of the teeth, to make a selection calculated to
serve as an index of the type of any animal. This part of the work I
think will prove of much use to the Geologist, in enabling him to state to
what class of animals any tooth, or fragment of tooth, belongs.”

Memoirs of the Wernerian Natural History Society for the Years 1831—37.
8vo, pp. 520, with 44 plates. Edinburgh, A. and C. Black, 1838.

Memoirs of the Wernerian Natural History Society for the Years 1837—38.
Part I. vol. viii. with five engravings, 8vo, pp. 163. Edinburgh, A.
and C. Black.

Havine been somewhat late in our notice of the former of these volumes,

we are glad to be urged to it by the appearance of the latter. The former

consists of only three communications ; the first two being. Prize Essays
of the Society, and the third a History of the Society from December

1831 to April 1838. The Prize Essays are most creditable to their re-

spective and very rising authors: the former is on the Geology of the Lo-

thians, with 35 coloured sections, and a geological map of the district, by

Robert J. H. Cunningham, Esq. ; the latter on The Fishes of the District

of the Forth, with 67 illustrations in 28 plates, by Dr Parnell. Both are

likewise published separately, and contain much information of a general
as well as local nature.

Part I. of vol. viil. contains the following communications:—1. Odbser-
vations on the Distinctions, History, and Hunting of Seals in the Shetland
Islands. By L. Edmonstone, M.D.—2. On the last Changes in the
relative Levels of the Land and Sea in the British Islands. By James
Smith, Esq., of Jordanhill.—3. On the Asteride of the Irish Sea. By Ed-
ward Forbes, Esq.—4. Meteorological Table for the Year 1838, kept in the
Parish of Abbey St Bathan’s, Berwickshire. By the Rev. John Wallace.
And, 5. On the Geognosy of the Isle of Higg. By R. J. H. Cunningham,
Esq. There is appended a list of the subjects proposed for honorary
premiums by the Wemerian Natural History Society.

We have room only for a single remark on the first of these communi-
cations. Dr Edmonstone’s paper is all that could be desired regarding
the history and hunting of the Shetland Seals ; his habits and opportuni-
ties affording him excellent occasions for investigation; but to his ob-
servations on their ‘* distinctions,” the first and not least important part
of the Essay, we regret we cannot extend the same remark. He informs
us there are only two species indigenous in Shetland,—the vitulina and
pbarbata; but concerning the specific characters of the latter he is wholly
silent. This is the more to be regretted, as recent investigations have led
many to the conclusion, that the Great Seal occurring on the coasts of the
British Isles is not the Bearded, but the Grey Seal,—not the barbata of
Fabricius, but his gryphus. Dr E. speaks somewhat disparagingly of
Fabricius as an authority; but that there is a distinction between these
two Seals, which Dr E. identifies, admits not of a doubt. Let us hope
that the intelligent author will supply this deficiency by personal exami-
nation, or by transmitting a few crania of the Haaf-Seal to our Museums,
where the problem will soon be ‘solved. On a previous page we have
given a short extract as a specimen of this excellent Essay.

The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, Oct. 1839.
Tuis number of the Philosophical Journal is peculiarly interesting, Its
chief articles are a Bibliographical Memoir of James Watt by M. Arago,
with Remarks on Machinery in relation to the Prosperity of the Working
Classes, characterized by the distinguished Editor as the most important
Eloge that Arago ever wrote; to this are added many Notes, and an
Historical Account of the Discovery of the Composition of Water, by
Lord Brougham;—the History of the Sternoptix Family of Osseous
Fishes,—their Anatomical Peculiarities, and a Description of the S. Ce-
lebes, a new species, by Dr Handyside, an admirably drawn paper ;
—an interesting Communication on the Geographical Distribution of
Plants ;—Two Papers by M. Flourens, the former on the Natural His-
tory of Man, the latter on Mucous Membranes ;—an Article, by Dr New-
bigging, on Certain Circumstances affecting the Colour of the Blood du-
ring Coagulation ;—On the Form of the Globules of the Blood in some
Mammals ;—a Curious Account of Violent Whirlwinds, resulting from
the action of Large Circular Fires, by W. C. Redfield, Esq. ;—on the
Reproduction of the Virgularia mirabilis, by Sir J. Dalyell ;—on Glaciers,
by M. Agassiz ;—Account of the Parallel Roads of Glen Roy ;—a De-
tailed Account of the Proceedings of that excellent Institution, the So-

; ciety for the Encouragement of the Useful Arts for Scotland ;—Notice of

New Publications, &c. &c.
sure and profit.

It cannot be perused without equal plea-

Historical Statement of Duty performed by the Steam-Engines of Cornwall.
By Tuomas Lean anp Broruer. London, 1839.

Tuts Treatise has been put forth at the request of the British Associa-
tion for the Advancement of Science, and has been drawn up by Mr
Lean and his brotiier, gentlemen admirably fitted to do justice to the sub-
ject. The vast difference between the common system of working steam-
engines and the Cornish system may be learned from the following state-
ment :—That five times as much work has been done by a Cornish steam-
engine as by an excellent Boulton and Watt’s engine on the common sys-
tem; orthat the same amount of work is done with one-fifth part of the
expense of fuel ;—a statement almost incredible, yet perfectly true.

The amount of work done by a steam-engine is called by engineers its
“* duty,” —a term first introduced by. Mr Watt, in ascertaining the compara-
tive merit ofsteam-engines, when he assumed one pound raised one foot high
for the dynamic unit! Now, by this criterion, it has been found, that where-
as one bushel of coals, in one of Boulton and Watt’s engines, wrought in the
common way, raised 20,000,000 of pounds one foot high, an engine on
the Cornish system now raised with each bushel of coals 125,000,000 of
pounds to the same height. The results of such improvements may be
easily conceived. The saving of coal alone amounts, in the County of
Cornwall, to L.80,000 per anuum.

The means by which all this has been accomplished in Cornwall, and
may be accomplished elsewhere, are the following :—By working the steam
expansively to a degree unheard of elsewhere. This system was first in-
troduced, in its fullest extent, in 1814, by Woolf, and the duty immedi-
ately rose from 20,000,000 to 50,000,000 of pounds. 2. By the intro-
duction of the system of the conservation of heat; in 1827, from this
cause, the duty rose to 67,000,000 of pounds; in 1828, the enormous
duty of 87,000,000 of pounds was obtained; in 1832, so much as
91,000,000 of pounds of water were raised one foot high by a bushel of
coals ; and, in 1835, the careful application of the conservation of heat,
and the expansion of the steam, raised the duty of Austin’s engine to
125,000,000. Such results may prove an example to all practical en-
gineers. Of the advantages to be derived from such a system, every one
may be convinced who will take the trouble to examine this unpretending
collection of valuable facts.— Atheneum. :

MISCELLANIES.

Wuo would conceive that Saw-dust is susceptible of conversion into a
substance bearing no remote analogy to bread : and, though certainly less
palatable than that of flour, yet no way disagreeable, and both wholesome
and digestible, as well as highly nutritive? This discovery, which ren-
ders famine next to impossible, deserves a higher degree of celebrity than
it has obtained.—Sir J. F. W. Herschel’s Disc. on the Study of Nat. Phil.

Deatu or ALtLan CunnincHam, Esg.— Many of our readers will regret
with us the death of the above named botanist and traveller, who died at
Sydney, New South Wales, on the 27th of June, in the 48th year of his
age, after a lengthened illness, contracted in New Zealand in 1838, during
a botanical excursion, previous to his intended return to England with
the results of many years’ journeyings.

EpinsurcH: Published for the Proprietor, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Lonpon: Smiru, Exper, and Co., 65, Cornhill. Gxiascow, and the West of
Scotland: Jon Smirn and Son; and Joun Mactrop. Dustin: GEORGE
Younc. Paris: J. B. Batwiere, Rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, No. 13, bis.

THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY.

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES.

FEBRUARY, 1840.

EDINBURGH ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.

WE are happy to observe that the arrangements which have so long been
pending in reference to the establishment of a Zoological Garden in Edin-

burgh are now on the point of being brought to a satisfactory issue, and -

that the Directors of the Association have found at Broughtcn Park a
site which, from its vicinity to the city, exposure to the South, elevation,
extensive view, abundance of water, and sufficiency of inclosure, pre-
sents many facilities towards its becoming a considerable ornament to the
city, and a fashionable place of public resort.

Those who have witnessed the impulse which has been given to Zoolo-
gical Science by the institution in Paris, at the Jardin des Plantes, and
examined the accurate drawings and descriptions made from the animals
there by MM. Geoffroy-St-Hilaire and Frederic Cuvier, or who, in our
country, have rambled with delight over the extensive establishments of
the Zoological Society, London, or of Mr Cross on the Surrey side, will
require no encomium on our part in favour of these institutions. In fact,
they are indispensable to Zoology, whether we regard the improved know-
ledge we thence obtain of the forms, dispositions, habits, distinctions, or
structure of the several animals, or of the economical purposes to which
these objects may, by domestication, become subservient. The number
of distinct forms in the Animal World is so inconceivably great, so much
obscurity attaches to specific distinctions in general, and so little pains
have been taken, except at a very recent era, to develop those qualities
which may become useful, agreeable, or ornamental to man, that a wide
field yet remains open for investigation and enterprise. The Llama and
Vicugna, whose fleeces possess intermediate properties between wool and
silk,—the Tapirs and Peccaris, whose flesh might be used to greater ad-
vantage than that of the domestic Pig,—the Zebra, Dauw, Dziggtai, and
other species of Equus, rivalling the common Horse.and Ass for draught,
—all the species of Cervus, Antilope, Capra, and Bos,—with the Seals,
a tribe of animals as yet involved in much obscurity,—are among those
species which would, in the first instance, afford, from their sizes and dis-
positions, the greatest facilities for domestication.

The taste for Zoological establishments has not been confined, in this
country, tothe metropolis. Liverpool, Manchester, ‘Dublin, and Bristol,
have shown that the provinces duly appreciate their utility; and if the
impulse has not hitherto extended to Scotland, it was more from some
indefinite notions of the great expense attending such establishments, and
a few vague fears that the tropical animals could not survive a northern
winter, (all now we trust exploded,) than from any disposition to under-
value the importance of these establishments. It is now generally ad-
mitted, that such an institution would tend greatly to attract strangers to
the metropolis of Scotland, and form a most important auxiliary to its
numerous elementary establishments. Of course, it mainly depends upon
the support which the citizens are now prepared to give, whether the
Gardens are to be laid out on an effective scale or otherwise, and we ac-
cordingly recommend all those having the public interest at heart to come
forward with their subscriptions, donations of animals, or ornamental
shrubs.

There can be no doubt that Edinburgh possesses advantages for the
preservation of the Northern Quadrupeds and Birds, which other Zoolo-
gical Gardens in this country do not enjoy, and we hope that the Direc-
tors will use every means to render this branch of Zoology as complete
as possible. An extensive collection of British Birds would possess no
ordinary interest. It is quite unnecessary that each provincial establish-
ment should incur the expense of supporting a Barbary Lion, a Tiger, an

Asiatic Elephant, or a Giraffe. The interests of science would not be
12

impaired by our leaving these larger and more expensive animals to the
metropolitan establishments ; and we trust that the Directors of our Edin-
burgh Association will reserve their means for the elucidation of other
objects not so well understood, as a wide field remains among the Mamma-
lia and Birds of secondary size, to delight and interest the popular obser~
ver. In this way, much of the expense of a Zoological Garden may be
spared, without diminishing its utility in any sensible degree.

The collection of the Association, though still in its infancy, presents
many objects of undoubted interest. The Monkeys are second to none
we have seen, excepting that unrivalled display in the Jardin des Plantes.
Among others we observe, Cercopithecus fuliginosus, C. Sabzeus, (var.) C.
griseo-viridis, Semnopithecus Entellus, Macacus radiatus, M. Cynomol.
gus, M. Rhesus, Cynocephalus Sphinx, Ateles ater, (rarely seen in col-
lections,) Cebus Apella, C. griseus, C. hypoleucus. The Carnivora,
though defective for the reasons already given, include Ursus Arctos, (var.
Americanus,) U. ferox, U. labiatus, Procyon Lotor, Nasua socialis, (var.
gtisea,) Meles Taxus, Herpestes Ichneumon, Viverra Genetta, V. Rasse,
Canis (Chryseus) Australiz, C. aureus, C. Vulpes, Hyzena striata, and
Felis Leopardus, (male and female.) We have likewise noticed Sci-
urus cinereus, Dasyprocta Aguti, Ceryus Elaphus, (var. Hippelaphus,)
and several varieties of the Indian Bull, representations of which, drawn
from the living animals, will appear in the course of this Work. Among
the Birds, all of which we have not yet had leisure to investigate mi-
nutely, we notice Cathartes Aura, Aquila fucosa, Macrocercus Ararauna,
Plyctolophus rubro-cristatus, Briss. Dromzeus Novex-Hollandiz, Balearica
payonina, and a great number of smaller Psittacidee, Incessorial, Accipi-
tral, and Gallinaceous Birds.

We confidently hope that the British Government, which so liberally en-
courages the Botanical and Horticultural Gardens of Edinburgh, will also
come forward in support of this excellent institution, and that the nu-
merous individuals now in the Colonies, especially those who are con-
nected with Scotland, will forward living specimens to our infant estab-
lishment. Our friends in the country are recommended to endeavour, by
traps or nets, or by securing the young, or even eggs, to procure as many
living British specimens as possible. To suppose that an object is un-
interesting because it is common in some places, is a great, though very
frequent mistake. How many persons have never seen a living Otter,
Hedgehog, Mole, or Bat, how few have ever dissected one! Those pro-
ceeding to the Whale-Fishery are requested to entrap the young of the
Northern Quadrupeds and Birds, the Walrus, and as many varieties of
the Seal as possible,—there being no branch of Natural History in which
accurate information is more to be desired.

PIEBALD NEGROES.

In submitting to attention a representation of a Piebald Negro, supplied
by Blumenbach in his ‘* Abbildungen Naturhist. Gegenstinde,” we shall
introduce a few remarks on this phenomenon, interesting in itself, and
throwing light on various important points of the physical history of our
race. ‘The conception of our readers as to the nature of the occurrence
may be assisted by adyerting to the not-unusual appearance of Albinism,
which is precisely that change which most have noticed in white Rabbits
and white Mice, and which also takes place in Man; in the swarthy Ne-
gro, asin the fair European. This variety may be readily propagated
among the lower animals, and with equal facility among the lords of the
creation, as has been witnessed in individual families, and, on a greater
scale, in the Isthmus of Darien, and elsewhere. Now, inthe case of Pie-
bald Negroes, it would not be far from the truth to affirm that the affec-

46

tion is nothing more than a partial exhibition of this change, in so far as
the skin is concerned.

rare

a

But we must not indulge in such prefatory observations, and now re-
mark that the phenomenon occurs naturally at birth, in the children of
parents both of whom are black, or who are of different colours, one of
them having an admixture of white blood ; and also at a later period of
life, sometimes without any apparent cause ; and sometimes, again, as the
result of a wound, or some other accident. We shall supply a few au-
thorities and cases illustrating these several facts. ‘The children of
Negro parents,” says Dr Prichard, ‘‘are sometimes variegated, having
their skin diversified with black and white spots, and part of their woolly
hair white. They are commonly called Piebald Negroes. This variety
is not very rare in the West Indies, and some examples of it have been
brought to this country. The white spots have the same hue as the skin
of a very fair European.”

This general statement, resting upon the authority of one in every way
so entitled to respect, we pass to the next modification alludedto. ‘+A
black man, servant to a gentleman, married a white woman who lived in
the same family, and, when she proved with child, took a lodging for her
in Gray’s-Inn-Lane. When she was at her full time, the master had busi-
ness out of town, and took his man with him, and did not return till ten
or twelve days after this woman was delivered of a girl, which was as
fair a child to look at as any born of white parents, and her features ex-
actly like the mother. The Black at his return was very much disturbed
at the appearance of the child, and swore it was not his. But the nurse-
tender soon satisfied him, for, undressing the infant, she showed him the
tight hip and thigh, which were as black as the father, and reconciled
him immediately to both mother and child.” This case is to be found in
the 55th Volume of the Philosophical Transactions, and rests upon the
testimony of Dr Parsons, an eminent Naturalist of his day, who tells us
that, when informed of the fact, he went to the place, examined the chiid,
and found it true.

The next modification is where the change occurs in an adult Negro,
and without any apparent cause. In illustration of this we abridge a
case described by Dr Pinkard, as ene of the greatest natural curiosities
which was at the time to be seen in the West Indies. The woman
alluded to was about thirty years of age, and, until the last six or seven
years, possessed a completely sable skin, differing in no respect from
other Negroes, ‘‘nor do her form and features now,” adds the Doctor,
“offer any thing remarkable, but, from the profoundest black her sur-
face is growing perfectly white. She is of a good figure, and has been
always regarded as of a very strong and healthy constitution. No pro-
bable cause is known, or even suggested, for the change, but, about five or
six years ago, white spots appeared upon her extremities, and, from that
time, she has been gradually losing the natural blackness of her surface.
The change commenced in the feet and hands, the legs and arms, which
jhave all now lost their sable hue, and are even whiter than those of
Europeans. Her nose and ears are also white, and some patches are
spreading upon the face, neck, and bosom, but her body still remains en-
tirely black. The woman continues in perfect health, and regards the

THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

change as one of the greatest evils which could have afflicted her. She
isa wife and mother, and her children differ in no respect from those of
other Negroes.”

Finally, the change frequently occurs after some wound or operation,
of which the following, taken from the Transactions of the Edinburgh
Medico-Chirurgical Society, is an instance. Samuel Herd, aged fifty,
had an operation performed on him in January 1818, from which he
perfectly recovered. Many months afterwards he came asking for some-
thing for his skin, as it was becoming white, and the other Negroes, he
said, laughed at him. His bodily health was excellent. He states that
after the operation, the cicatrix remained white, and much about the
same time other parts became white also, especially the hands and feet.
The whitening extended up the fore-arm, till now it is nearly all white.
The same process is going on in the lower extremities ; the feet, legs,
thighs, and hips, being now almost all white; some white spots show
themselves on the back and shoulders, and about half the breast is of the
same colour, About midsummer 1819 there was a large white marking
on the abdomen, and the scalp was nearly white, shining through the
dark curly hair. In another year it is noted, the ears, eyelids, forehead,
and nose, are changing colour very fast. Thelips have a particular bright
vermilion colour; the breast, abdomen, and back, are speckled, and the
extremities were now of a natural white appearance.

A truly singular modification of this affection is mentioned by Dr
Winterbottom, in his excellent account of the natives about Sierra Leone.
‘© A case,” says he, ‘occurred to me which may be regarded as an
intermediate step in this phenomenon : it was that of a man, of a mulatto
complexion, and much freckled, born of black parents, who had strong
red hair, disposed in very small wiry curls over his whole head.” Blu-
menbach mentions another instance of this, and Vonder Grében several.
It would be interesting to extend these remarks, but our exhausted space
compels us to desist.

ON THE NESTS OF FISHES

Iv an early volume of the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, there is a
slight notice of Fishes’ nests found om the coast of Berwickshire by Ad-
miral Milne, but the species of Fish by which they are constructed is not
mentioned. Mr Duncan of Eyemouth has ascertained that they belong
to the Fifteen-spined Stickleback, (Gasterosteus Spinachia of Linnzus)
—a fact confirmed by the Rev. Mr Turnbull, to whom the Berwick-
shire Club is indebted for specimens.

These nests are to be found in spring and summer on several parts of
our coast, in rocky and weedy pools between tide-marks. They occur
occasionally near Berwick, but seem to be more common near Eyemouth
and Coldingham. They are about eight inches in length, and of an ellip-
tical form, or pear-shaped, formed by matting together the branches of
some common Fucus, as, for example, of the Fucus nodosus, with various
conferva:, ulve, the smaller floride, and corallinos. These are all tied
together in one confused compact mass by means of a thread run through
and around, and amongst them, in every conceivable direction. The
thread is of great length, as fine as ordinary silk, tough, and somewhat
elastic ; whitish, and formed of some albuminous secretion. The eggs
are laid in the middle of this nest, in several irregular masses of about an
inch in diameter, each consisting of many hundred ova, which are of the
size of ordinary shot, and of a whitish or amber colour, according to their
degree of maturity. The farther advanced are marked with two round
black spots, which are discovered by the microscope to be the eyes of the
embryo, at this period disproportionally large and developed. Masses of
eggs, in different stages of their evolution, are met with in the same nest.
It is evident that the fish must first deposit its spawn amid the growing
fucus, and afterwards gather its branches together around the eggs, Weav-
ing and incorporating at the same time all the rubbish that is lying or
floating around the nucleus. :

For the safety of its nest and spawn, the Fish is apparently very anxious
for atime. Some individuals were watched, by Mr Duncan and the Rev.
Mr Turnbull, for some weeks, and it was observed that the same fish
was always in attendance upon its own nest. During the time of hope
and expectation, they become fearless, and will allow themselves to be
taken up by the hand repeatedly. There can be no doubt that their on
ject in remaining near the nest is to guard it against the attacks of suc
avimals as might feel inclined to prey upon its contents. j

Note.—Since the preceding notice was read to the Club, the Second
Volume of Mr Swainson’s Natural History of Fishes, &c. has been pub-
lished; and I find init, says Dr Johnstone, that these nests are said to be
constructed by the Gobies, on the authority of Olivi. The question is
worth further inquiry ; but on mentioning this statement of Olivi’s ‘ee
Maclaren of Coldingham, he assured me that he had seen and watche
the Stickleback in the act of making the nests we have just described.

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 47

PRODUCTION OF TEA IN ASSAM.

A Report ofthe Government Tea Committee has recently been presented
at Calcutta, and reached this country. It is drawn up by the superin-
tendent, Mr Bruce, and is a most interesting and somewhat lengthy docu-
ment, which, however, may be seen in fullin the Edinburgh Philosophical
Journal, whence we glean a few interesting particulars. ‘‘ It gives me
much pleasure,” says Mr B., ‘‘to say that our information and knowledge,
respecting tea and tea-tracts, are far more extensive than when I last
wrote on the subject, the number now amounting to 120, some of them
very extensive, both in the hills and on the plains. A reference to the
accompanying map will show that a sufficiency of seeds and seedlings
might be collected from our tracts in the course of a few years to plant
off the whole of Assam; and I feel convinced that but a very small por-
tion of the localities are as yet known. * * * Black tea and green
are procured from the same plant, the leaves being plucked in a different
state and manner. This has been proved beyond the shadow of a doubt,
for I am now plucking leaves both green and black from the same tract
and the same tree; the difference lies in the manufacture, and in nothing
else.” Mr B. calculates the produce of the year 1839 at upwards of 5000,
and that of 1840 at upwards of 11,000 pounds.

It is often supposed, in this country, that the manufacture of Tea is a
very simple process, which is easily effected, and can be performed as
well half asleep as awake. This, however, is very far from being the
case, as will appear from the following account of the preparation of the
Sychee Black Tea. After the leaves have been gathered and dried in the
usual way, they are beaten, and put away four different times ; they are
then put into baskets, pressed down, and a cloth put over them; when
the leaves become of a brownish colour by the heat, they throw out and
have a peculiar smell, and are then ready for the pan, the bottom of which
is made red-hot. This pan is fixed in masonry breast high, and in a
sloping position, forming an angle of forty degrees. The pan being thus
placed, the leaves when tossed about in it cannot escape behind or at
the sides, as it is built high up, but fall out near the edge close to the
manufacturer, and always into his hands, so as to be swept out easily.
The bottom being made red-hot by a wood fire, the operator puts a cloth
to his mouth, to prevent inhaling any of the hot vapour. A man on the
left of him stands ready with a basket of prepared leaves ; one or two
men stand on his right with shallow baskets to receive the leaves from
the pan; and another keeps lifting the hot leaves thrown out of the pan
into the basket that they may quickly cool. At a signal given from the
Chinaman, the person with the basket of prepared leaves seizes a hand-
ful, and dashes it as quick as thought into the red-hot pan. The China-
man tosses ana turns the crackling ieaves in the pan for half a minute,
then draws them all out. by seizing a few leaves in each hand, using them
by way of a brush, not one being left behind. They are all caught by the
man with the baskets, who, with his disengaged hand, continues lifting
the leaves and letting them fall again, that they may quickly cool.
Should a leaf be left behind in the pan by any accident, the cloth that is
held ready in the mouth is applied to brush it out ; but all this is done as
quick as lightning. The man that holds the basket of leaves watches
the process sharply ; for no sooner is the last leaf out of the pan than he
dashes in another handful, so that, to an observer at a little distance, it
appears as if one man was dashing the leaves in, and the other as fast
dashing them out again, so quickly and dexterously is this managed. As
soon as one basket has received about four handfuls of the hot leaves
from the pan, it is removed, and another placed to receive the leaves,
and so on until all is finished. A roaring fire is kept under the pan to
keep the bottom red-hot, as the succession of fresh leaves tends greatly
to cool the pan. In China these pans are made of cast-iron, and if great
care is not taken, they will crack in the cooling; to prevent which, one
man keeps tapping the inside of the edge of the pan briskly with a wet
broom, while another pours cold water in gently; thus it cools in a few
seconds, and is ready for another batch of Tea, The leaves are rolled
and tatched the same as the other Teas, and put into the drying basket
for about two minutes. When alittle dry, people are employed to work
and press the leaves in the hand in small quantities, of about one and a
half or two rupees weight at a time, for about half a minute; they are
then put into small pieces of paper and rolled up. After this they are
put into the drying basket, and permitted to dry slowly over a gentle fire
for some hours, until the whole is thoroughly dry. This is said to be a
very fine Tea, kept for high days and holidays ; but tedious and laborious
as the above process is, it is far from equalling in these respects some
other kinds (especially the Greens) on which our space does not permit us
to say any thing. With one other extract we must conclude this article.

“In speaking of the trouble and expense attending the second process
of the Green Tea making, I beg to observe it appears to me, from what
little I have seen of it, that machinery might easily be brought to bear.
The Tea halfmade, (as previously described, ) I am informed by the Green
Tea Chinaman now with me, is put either into boxes or baskets, with
bamboo leaves between; it then has to make, in this state, a long journey

by land and water, and then to go one or two months in a boat by sea,
before it reaches Canton, where it is laid aside for one or two months
more, before it undergoes the second process, making in all about five
months from the time it was first prepared—all that is required is to keep
it dry. Now, if all this be true, which I have no doubt it is, I see no
reason why we could not send it to England, and have it made up there.
T rather see every thing in favour of such a plan, and nothing against it.
After a year’s instruction under Chinamen, it might be left to the inge-
nuity of Englishmen to roll, sift, and clean the tea by machinery, and, in
fact, reduce the price of the Green Tea nearly one half, and thus enable
the poor to drink good unadulterated Green Tea, by throwing the indigo
and gypsum (by which Mr Bruce discovered it was coloured) overboard.
At all events, the experiment is worthy of a trial, and the first step to-
wards it would be to manufacture the Tea at Calcutta; or, perhaps, it
would be better to let the China Green Tea makers go direct to England
along with it, and have it manufactured there at once.”

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

Illustrations of British Birds. —By H. 1. Meyer, London.
No branch uf Natural History has been more successfully cultivated in
this country than Ornithology, nor are any animals more generally interest-
ing than Birds, which, from the facility with which they may he observed,
the diversity of their forms, plumage, and colours, their wonderful mi-
grations, and curious habits and instincts, afford pleasing subjects of ob-
servation to persons of eyery rank and age. Several works of consider-
able merit have accordingly been issued to the public, giving a more or
less extended account of our native and migratory species; and, at the
present day, the number is greater than at any previous period. Of these
it will suffice to mention two on an extended scale, one remarkable for
its beautiful engravings on wood, and the care with which the distribu-
tion of the species in the different districts has been sought out, the
other remarkable for containing the only full descriptions of British Birds
yet given, together with lengthened accounts of their habits, and many
details respecting their anatomy. Mr Meyer’s Work supplies a desidera-
tum, in presenting coloured figures of sufficient size to give the distinc-
tive characters.

In forming an opinion of this Work, we shall consider it, without ‘re-
ference to others on the same subject, simply as consisting of represen-
tations of living Birds. It in fact contains ‘‘ coloured figures of the Birds
indigenous to Great Britain, or that visit the British Isles in the course of
their periodical migrations.” These figures are generally accompanied
with representations of the eggs, and sometimes the nests. The female
is introduced when her plumage differs much from that of the male, and,
in a few instances, the gradations of plumage as connected with age or
season are depicted. The figures are drawn on stone, most of them re-
duced, the size of the work being royal quarto.

Examining the plates one by one in their systematic order, we pronounce
the first figure, that of the Egyptian Neophron, very poorly executed,
being deficient in spirit, in the form of the feathers of the neck, in the
details of the bill, and the skin of the head. The Golden Eagie is better in
these respects, but the form of the bill, and the curvature of the neck,
and the proportional length of the toes, with the form of the scales, and
especially the wing, which has the first quill erroneously the longest, are
all defective. The White-tailed Sea-Eagles afford a pretty accurate idea
of these Birds ; the Osprey is moderately well represented, as is the Jer
Falcon; the Peregrines are good, especially the adult ; the smaller Fal-
cons, as well as the Sparrow Hawk and Goshawk, are correct enough ;
and of the other Hawks some are good, and some indifferent. Of the
Owls, one, the Snowy, is a wretched caricature, representing two ill-
stuffed specimens stuck up in the snow, like monuments ill-designed.
The Eagle Owl is not much better, but the small species are prettily
done. The Shrikes, Thrushes, Accentors, Warblers, Wagtails, Pipits,
Finches, Buntings, and in general the smaller Passerine Birds, are re-
markably well executed, with some exceptions, however, such a: the
Bullfinches, which are among the poorest figures in the work, both as to
drawing and colouring, and contrast in both respects with the Pine Bull-
finches. The Grouse and other Gallinaceous Birds are tolerable, as are
the Pigeons, but many defects might be pointed out in them, as well as
in the Waders, which, however, are generally good. The aquatic Birds
are less correctly drawn and coloured than the Passerine, and many of
them are mere caricatures : the Black Guillemot and Gannet for example.

It would appear that most of the figures have been taken from stuffed
specimens, of which not very many of the larger have been placed in natu-
ral attitudes. Some of the smaller figures, however, are very beautiful, and
those of the Warblers and allied species are superior to any that we have
seen. But if the work, like all other productions of the kind, be full of
defects, it undoubtedly has the great merit of not containing a single
figure that may not readily be recognised by a person acquainted with the
originals. To the student it must prove of great value, for in every case
it will enable him to determine the species, unless when a young bird ox

4g THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

female not represented may happen to present itself. The eggs are in
general correctly delineated, although characteristic specimens have not
always been selected. But it would require a series of the eggs of each
Bird to enable the student to institute comparisons.

Comparing Mr Meyer’s work with those of Mr Gould and Mr Selby,
we should say that the figures are much more accurate as to form and
colour than those of the latter Ornithologist, generally inferior, but some-
times superior to those of the former. As woodcuts, Mr Yarrell’s figures
are superior to the drawings and engravings of any of these three works,
but we should greatly prefer Mr Meyer’s, were our object to make out
the names of our Birds by comparison. Were it not that the high price
of coloured illustrations precludes their extended distribution, this work
would be of great value to young Ornithologists, of which we are happy
to learn many are fast springing up in all parts of the country. A work
containing ample descriptions of form, colour, habits, and distribution,
and correctly-delineated figures of the species of British Birds, not
so highly priced as to be beyond the reach of persons in moderate cir-
cumstances, is yet a desideratum in our scientific literature.

“ History of the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club.” 1839.—We have been fa-
voured with a copy of ‘‘ the Proceedings” of this most rational and intelli-
gent association, for which we feel much obliged. It contains twelve com-
munications, none of which are long, and all most creditable to their
respective authors. In our present Number we haye supplied a sample
of these valuable productions, and purpose to enrich our pages with ex-
tracts not less valuable. This Club might serve as a model to other
similar associations and these unpretending proceedings are not more a
proof than an incentive to individual improvement and social delight.

“* Iconografia della Fauna Italica.” Di C. L. Bonaparte, Principe di
Musignano. Roma, 1839.—The Fasciculi, Nos. 24 and 25 of the above
work, have just reached us, and maintain the highly respectable character
of their predecessors. In the former there are illustrations and descrip-
tions of twelve individuals of the Fauna of Italy, and in the latter of
twenty-one. These commence with two Bats, the Vespertilio Bonapartit
of P. Savi of Pisa, and the V. limbatus of Kiister, first described in the
Isis, 1835; to these succeed an account of Chlorospiza Incerta, male and
female, with two figures, the Fringilla incerta of Risso and Temminck ;
next follow of the Reptilia, fivespecies of Frogs, and three of Toads,
and, finally, of Fishes, three Leucisci, and the Carcharodon Lamia, the
Squalus Carcharias of Risso. In the latter fasciculus, there is but one
Bird, the Gallinago Brehmi, Scolopax Brehmi, Kaup, &c.; ten of the
Lizard tribe follow, illustrated with twenty figures, arranged as Zootoca,
Acanthodactyli, Eremie, Phyllodactyli, Psammodromus, Notopholi, and
Tropidosaura ; and, finally, nine Fishes, five of the genus Barbus, three
of Gobio, and two Raya Leviraja. The descriptions appear to be drawn
up with much care, not forgetting the synonyms, which are ample.
The plates are good specimens of lithography, and the colouring very
commendable. We especially admire the Reptiles and Fishes, doing credit
to all concerned, not forgetting the artists of the great city of Rome.

«* Voyage dans L’ Amerique Méridionale.” Par M. A. D. D’Orbigny.—
The 44th Zivraison of this splendid work has also come to hand;
and, whilst we occasionally cannot but be annoyed at the slowness with
which it proceeds, the experience of our own work speaks in too em-
phatic terms of the countless difficulties which oppose. There are in
this Number various titles and indices} which admit of no analysis; the
remainder of the letter-press is occupied with Botany, comprehending the
Algze, Zoospermee, and Florideze ; and there are six plates, (engravings,)
the first beautifully depicting two Humming Birds, and the remaining
Mollusea, than which nothing can be more satisfactory and beaatiful.
The work does infinite credit to the author and the French Government.

* Manuel d’ Ornithologie.” Par J. C. Temminck. 2d Ed. 4th Part.
Paris, 1840.— We hail with pleasure the concluding portion of this Manuel
of M. Temminck, who, with all his wonted accuracy, has placed aw niveau
des découvertes nouvelles our information in this interesting department of
Natural History. Having lately in our own Plates submitted ¢o the atten-
tion of our readers several specimens of Partridges, we shall now, in the
way of specimen, introduce the new information M. T. supplies upon
two of the species. On the P. cinerea he remarks, ‘* The indications we
formerly supplied regarding the Migratory Partridge, (BP. de passage,) and
the mountain one being quite accurate, and having been since verified,
these nominal species must be rejected. The Mountain Partridge may
be, itis said, a cross between the Grey Partridge and the Red. Concerning
this latter-we are informed * that it is found in Japan, and without under-
going the slightest difference either in form or the colours of its plumage.’ ”
Our remarks, aud others of a similar kind, have called forth some-
thing like a reproof from this great master of the science,—a reproof
which each writer will apply to every one but himself, and to which
all will do well to attend. I have not here,” says he, “introduced
the innumerable citations, indications, and short descriptive phrases with
which the periodicals, under the shape of Annals, Zoological Reviews,
Proceedings of Scientific Associations, Acts, Memoirs, &c., abound,

whether published in the Southern part of Australia, or under the ice of
the North Pole, and which maintain a childish rivalry as to the priority
of citation. When such productions are not accompanied with a figure,
and that tolerably good, they only become the torment of Naturalists,
and never fail to supply ample matter for inextricable confusion which
feeds upon itself, and propagates wider and wider in methodical cata-
logues encumbering the species of generic groups. These indications
only augment the obstacles to study, and will terminate in completely
disgusting amateur Naturalists, who resort to this employment as a re-
creation from more severe occupations; it is very certain that these are
not the means by which to render the science either more agreeable or
popular.”

‘© The Naturalist’s Library.” By Sir W. Jardine, Bart. Mam-
malia, Vol. IX. Docs. By Lieut.-Col. C. Hamilton Smith; with a
Memoir of Pallas. —We regard this volume as highly creditable to the
author, the Naturalist’s Library, and the science of Zoology. The well-
known author gives a view of the Diurnal Canide, the several groups
of Canine animals which are provided with a circular pupil. He divides
them into ten sub-genera or sections, including the true Wolves, Lyciscan
Dogs, the Red Dogs, the Thoa Wild Dogs, Jackals, Dog-Foxes, Fennecs,
Aguara Wolves, Aguara Dogs, and Aguara Foxes, and about forty
species. He has gleaned from the records of the science, ancient and
modern, whatever was most valuable; to this store he has added his
own extensive observations in Europe, Asia, and America, and from the
whole has formed a digest which cannot fail to be permanently esteemed
by all Naturalists.

“ Magazin de Zoologie, D’ Anatomie comparée, Sc.” Par M. F.
E. Guerin Meneville—The 7th Number, for the year 1839, of this
elegant work has just appeared, and is occupied with a description,
by M. Isid. Geoffroy-St-Hilaire, of three new genera of Birds sent from
Madagascar by M. Bernier, a medical officer attached to the navy.
M. LI. G. designates them Philepitta, Oriolia, and Mesites ; the first two
supplying additional links to the already very extensive group of in-
sectivorous Passerines, and the third allied to the Pigeons, Gallinz, and
Palmipedes. The three Birds are depicted in elegant coloured engravings,
to which a fourth is added, with details of the MJesites.

“* Natural History and Illustrations of the British Salmonide.” By Sir
W. Jardine, Bart., &c. No. 1.—We are happy to learn that the second
fasciculus of this work isin a state of preparation. We have examined the
six plates which form the first Number, and consider them admirable, and
we doubt not the remaining ones will maintain the same high character,
doing credit to the zealous and indefatigable author. We are inclined
to suggest, with due submission, that, were the price diminished, and
the explanatory letter-press brought out in connexion with the superb
plates, this work, so fraught with subjects of national importance and
scientific interest, could scarcely fail to be as generally received, as we
believe it is highly appreciated.

MISCELLANIES.
DISCOVERY OF MUMMIES AT DURANGO, MEXICO.

A mittion of Mummies have lately been discovered near Durango, in
Mexico. They are in a sitting posture, but have the same wrappings,
bands, and ornaments as the Egyptians ; among them was found a poignard
of flint, with a sculptured handle, chaplets, necklaces, &c., of alternately
coloured beads, fragments of bones polished like ivory, fine worked elas-
tic tissues, moccasins worked like those of our Indians, bones of vipers,
&c. A fact of importance is stated; that the necklaces are of a marine
shell found at Zacatecas, on the Pacific, where the Columbus of their
forefathers probably therefore landed from Hindostan or from Malay, or
from their islands in the Indian Ocean.—Silliman’s American Journal,
April, 1839. ——

Exrraorpinary Crrcumsrance.—A few days ago, a log of St John’s
yellow pine timber, cut up in the Greenock Patent Saw Mill, was found
to contain a hive of bees in a most perfect state of preservation. The
loz was a root cut of 35 feet in length, and 26 inches square. It was
about 140 years of age, as indicated hy the annual fibres of the wood.
The age of the tree, at the period when the bees seem to have taken up
their abode in it, must have been from thirty to forty years, as all the
timber beyond that age was perfectly sound and without perforation.
The insects were found in drouses of various sizes, all the way up from
the bottom of the tree to near the upper end, and each drouse was con-
nected with the other by a small aperture, or passage, by which a con-
nection was established between all the compartments of the hive. Bees
in all stages of growth, and without any wings, were found in it, and the
full grown bees, in astate of perfect preservation, presented an appearance
exacily similar to that of our own honey bee after being destroyed by
smoke. One of the cells filled with the bees still remains at the mill for
the inspection of the curious in Natural History.— Greenock Advertiser.

Epixsurcu: Published for the Prorrirror, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Lonpon: Sauru, Exper, and Co., 65, Cornhill. Grascow, and the West of
Scotland: Joun Sarre and Son; and Jonn Mactzop. Duscin: GrorGE
Younc. Panis: J. B. Barurerr, Rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, No. 13, bis.

THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY.

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

EEE PPE Ste Ak

SCIENCES.

MARCH, 1840,

ZOOLOGY.
NESTS OF THE TERMES BELLICOSUS, (WHITE ANTS.)

Tue nests of Fishes described in our last Number would unquestionably
excite the surprise of many of our Readers, and yet those of the Termes,
(commonly but erroneously designated White Ants,) are probably still
more calculated to awake attention and interest. The admirable instinct
and ingenuity of the real Ant and the Bee are universally known, but
those of the Termites, if possible, transcend them both. The tiny
creatures to which we now claim a few moments’ attention are about a
quarter of an inch in length, and hence do not equal in dimensions some
species of Ants, and twenty-five of them weigh about a grain, and yet
they construct those wondrous edifices of which we are about to treat.
The nests of one species are so numerous all over the island of Bananas,
and the adjacent continent of Africa, that it is scarcely possible to
stand upon any cleared and open space where one of these buildings is
not to be seen within fifty paces, and frequently two or three are to be
witnessed almost close to each other. In some parts near Senegal, as
mentioned by Adanson, their number, magnitude, and closeness of situa-
tion, make them appear like the villages of the natives.

Each of these communities consists of one male and one female, who
are generally the common parents of the rest, and of three orders of
insects, apparently of very different species, but really the same, which,
together, compose great commonwealths, or rather monarchies, if we may
use the term. The different species of the genus resemble each other in
form, in their manner of living, and in their good and bad qualities, but
differ as much as birds in the manner of building their habitations or nests,
and in the choice of the materials of which they compose them. There
are some species which build upon the surface of the ground, or part
above and part beneath, and one or two species, perhaps more, which
build on the stones and branches of trees, sometimes at a vast height.

Of every species there are three orders: first, the working insects,
which may be called labourers ; next, the fighting ones, or soldiers, which
do no kind of labour; and, last of all, the winged ones, or perfect insects,
which are male or female, and capable of propagation. These neither
labour nor toil, nor fight, being almost incapable of self-defence. These
only, however, are capable of being elected Kings and Queens; and Na-
ture has so ordered it, that these emigrate a few weeks after they are ele-
vated to this state, to establish new kingdoms, or perish in a day.

These buildings derive their names from their appearance, which is
that of little hil/s, more or less conical, generally much in the form of
sugar loaves, and about ten or twelve feet in perpendicular height above
the surface of the ground. These hills continue quite bare for some
time ; but in the second or third year, if not overshaded by trees, become
covered with grass and other plants, like the surrounding soil. The ex-
terior of these buildings is one large shell, in the shape of a dome, large
and strong enough to inclose and shelter the interior from the vicissitudes
of the weather, and the inhabitants from the attacks of natural or acci-
dental enemies. It is always, therefore, much stronger than the interior
building, which accommodates the interesting community. The hills at
first are one or two, a foot or more high. Soon after, ata little distance,
while the former are increasing in height and size, others are raised, and
increase in number, widening at the base, till the lower works are covered
with these edifices, which are raised highest and largest in the middle, until

13

the intervals between the different turrets being filled up, a larger dome
is formed.

) The animals are not very curious or exact about these turrets, except
in making them very solid and strong, and when, by their junction, the
dome is completed, they take away the middle ones entirely, except the
tops, which, joined together, make the crown of the cupola, and apply the
clay to the internal works, or to additional erections. A notion of the
strength of these hills may be obtained from the fact, that, when little
more than half their height, it is the practice of the wild bulls to stand as
sentinels upon them, whilst the rest of the herd is Tuminatiug helow. At
their full height they are excellent places for outlook, and four men may
be accommodated on the top of one of the hillocks,

As to the interior, the royal chamber, occupied by the King and Queen
appears, in the apprehension of the whole community, to be of primary
importance. It is situated as near the centre of the building as possible
and generally near the surface of the ground: it is almost invariably
shaped like an half egg. Inthe infant state of the colony, this apart-
ment is not above an inch in length, but with time increases to six or
eight inches, or more, being always in proportion to the size of the
Queen. Its floor, perfectly horizontal, is in large hillocks, sometimes
more than an inch thick of solid clay. The roof also, which is one solid
and well turned arch, is generally about the same solidity ; but, on the
sides, where it joins the floor, is in some places not more than a quarter of
an inch thick. Here are placed the doors, and these entrances will not
admit any animal larger than the soldiers and labourers ; so that the King
and Queen can never possibly go out. ‘The royal chamber, in a larce
hillock, is surrounded by innumerable quantities of others of different
sizes, shapes, and dimensions, but all arched, some circularly, others ellip-
tical or oval, which either open into each other, or communicate by wide
and open passages. These apartments are joined by the magazines and
nurseries. The former are chambers of clay, and are always well filled
with provisions, principally gums, and the inspissated juices of plants.
These magazines are intermixed with the nurseries, buildings quite dif.
ferent from the rest of the apartments, composed entirely of wooden ma-
terials conjoined together. They are invariably occupied by eggs and
young ones, which are at first as white as suow. They are placed all
round the royal chamber, and as near it as possible. As in process of
time the Queen enlarges, her apartment must also be enlarged, and, as
she now lays many more eggs, the small nurseries are broken down, and
rebuilt at a greater distance, of larger size and in increased number. In
the early state of the nest, they are not bigger than a hazel-nut, but in
great hills are often as large as a child’s head of a year old: they are in-
closed in chambers of clay, like the magazines, but are much larcer.

The arrangement in the interior is commonly according to the follow-
ing plan: The royal chamber is near the centre, on a level with the ground,
and directly under the apex of the hill. It is on all sides surrounded by
the royal apartments, where the labourers and soldiers wait to guard and
serve their common parents. These apartments extend a foot or more
on every side round the royal chamber. Here the nurseries and maga-
zines commence, and are continued on all sides, along with the galleries
to the outward shell, reaching to within two-thirds of its height, leaving
an open area in the middle, under the dome, resembling the nave of a ca-
thedral: this is surrounded by three or four very large Gothic arches,
which are sometimes two or three feet high next the centre, whence they

50 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

diminish as they recede, and are lost in the innumerable chambers and
nurseries behind them. The great interior area supplies heated air all
around. There are also great subterranean passages and galleries lined
with the same thick clay, which ascend the outward shell in a spiral
manner, opening into the dome, new turrets, &c. These sloping de-
scents reach a depth of three or four perpendicular feet, and from them
is procured the clay, which, being worked in the mouths of these ani-
mals, becomes almost as hard as stone. In this way the cities spread
to a vast extent, so that, if you destroy all the nests within 100 yards of
your dwelling, the inhabitants of those unmolested farther off will never-
theless carry on their subterranean galleries, and will invade you by sap
and mine, so doing great mischief to your goods and property.—(From
Winterbottom's Native Africans.)

ON THE NESTS AND HABITS OF THE MASON-SPIDER.

Havine lately had an opportunity of examining the contents of a small
box which contained specimens of Mason-Spiders and their nests, trans-
mnitted from Western Africa to the eminent keeper of the Museum of the
Edinburgh University, we shall here supply a few remarks concerning
these interesting objects. A label was attached, ‘Living Insects,” a
statement which, however true when the box was closed, was belied
when it was opened. The examination was entrusted to the skill of
some celebrated Entomologists, whose first object was to deposit their
charge under the most favourable circumstances in a hot-house ; they
then supplied some living prey to the long confined animals, introducing
several flies within the trap-door of the nest, but finding, as they anti-
cipated, that no rancorous enemy devoured them, after a few days
they proceeded to a more minute examination. The nests were two in
number, the one much larger than the other. From the former the lid
had been removed, whilst in the smaller it appeared in great beauty and
perfection. Two spiders were also found, the smaller much decayed and
injured, whilst the larger is yet reserved for more minute examination.
Along with these, many fragments of flies were discovered, some of which
had probably been introduced as food, but they were now so mutilated
that their specific characters could not be ascertained. Both the spider
and nests are rare and admirable specimens for the curious inquirer.

It is now upwards of eighty years since the existence of these interest-
ing animals was brought under the notice of Naturalists by the Abbé
Sauvages, in his account to the French Academy of Sciences, (see Hist.
del’Acad. Roy. des Sciences, 1758 ;) whilst M. Dorthes, another French
Naturalist, and a Foreign Member of the Linnean Society, in the year
1792, along with additional particulars as to their habits, published an
exact representation of the animal. The same animal, (ceementaria,)
together with its nest, is figured, and a short account given in the
Volume, ‘‘ Insect Architecture,” of the Library of Entertaining Know-
ledge. The best and most recent account of the Spider, however, is
that of M. Audouin, contained in the Annals of the French Entomo-
logical Society. The name of the modern genus is Cteniza. One spe-
cies occurs in the island of Naxos, (C. ariana,) another in Jamaica, (C.
nidulaus,) which, along with its nest, is figured by Mr Kirby in his
Bridgewater Treatise; a third at Montpelier, (C. caementaria,) a fourth,
(Sauvagesi,) in Corsica, and a fifth, in various parts of New South Wales,
is described by Mr Bennet in his Wanderings, (Vol. I. 328.) As the
habitat of our specimen was so different from that of the foregoing, it is
probably a new species, though it bears a close resemblance to the
czementaria.

The following are a few extracts from Sauvages’ account :— This Spider
usually selects for her nest a place bare of grass, sloping in such a manner
as to carry off the water from the roof, and on a firm soil, without rocks
or small stones. She digs a gallery a foot or two in depth, and of a dia-
meter, equal throughout, sufficieat to admit of her easily passing. She
lines this with a tapestry of silk, glued to the walls. The door, which
is circular, is constructed of many layers of earth kneaded and bound
together with silk. Externally it is flat and rough, corresponding to the
soil around the entrance, for the purpose, no doubt, of concealment: in
the inside it is convex, and tapestried thickly with a web of fine silk.
The threads of this door tapestry are prolonged, and strongly attached
to the entrance, forming an excellent hinge, which, when pushed open
by the Spider, shuts again by its own weight. When the Abbé first dis-
covered the nest, he attempted to open the trap-door with a pin, and
was surprised at the opposition he experienced, and which he speedily
ascertained arose from the efforts of the active inmate. When he at
length so far overcame it, and peeped within, he perceived the little crea-
ture placed in that attitude, which was of all others the most favourable
for effecting its object. Hence, it always closed the door as often as the
Abbé opened it, and so the combat continued for a long time. When
the Spider was at last overcome, it immediately darted to the bottom of
the nest.

M. Dufour, another Frenchman, who has written on the subject,

thinks that it is the female alone which constructs nests, the males, ace
cording to him, being usually found under stones. But in this assertion
he seems to have overlooked the statement of M. Dorthes. ‘I haye
often,” says this gentleman, ‘“‘found the male and female in the same
habitation, with about thirty little ones. This shows that this species
is more social than many of its congeners, which mutually devour each
other. If, however, a number of these Mason-Spiders are put into one
vessel, and without food, they speedily attack and devour each other.
It is only during the night,” he adds, ‘that they hunt their prey, and
construct their abode. If you fix with a pin the lid of their dwelling,
you next morning find that they have opened a new door during the
night; and if you remove the door altogether, you will find a new one
next morning upon precisely the same position.”

ON THE SPECIES AND HABITS OF THE VAULTING LEMUR, (GALEOPITHECUS.)

Freegent allusion has lately been made in this Journal to that singular
animal, the Vaulting Lemur, which, about the size of a cat, is supplied
with an investing membrane, springing from under the chin, extending
down the arms to the fingers, thence along the sides tu the toes, and ter-
minating at the end of the tail, thus forming a parachute, whereby it takes
enormous leaps. Aboutsix months ago we had occasion to describe it in
the Animal Kingdom, (Vol. II. p. 2,) aud, from the writings of Pallas, Aude-
bert, Geoffroy, and others, supplied the most accurate information that
has hitherto been collected. We stated that one species, the Red, (G.
rufus,) was pretty well known, and classed other two as doubtful spe-
cies. It would appear (Proceedings Zoological Society, 1838, p. 119)
that during the last session, Mr Waterhouse, Secretary to the Zoological
Society, laid upon its table several specimens of this animal, with the
object of noticing certain characters which appeared to him to indicate
the existence of two species. One is larger than the other, measuring
about two feet in total length, the cranium extending to eleven and a
half inches. The anterior incisor of the upper jaw is broad, and divided
by two notches, into three distinct lobes ; the next incisor, on each side,
has its anterior and posterior margins notched ; and the first molar (oc-
cupying the situation of the canine) has its posterior edge distinctly
notched. This tooth is separated by a narrow space anteriorly and pos-

teriorly, from the incisor in front, and the next molar behind; the tem-:

poral ridges converge towards the occiput, near which, however, they
are separated usually by a space of about four lines. The other species
is usually about twenty inches in length, with the skull 2” 7” in length.
It has proportionally larger ears and longer hands; the craninm is nar-
rower in proportion to its length; the muzzle is broader and more ob-
tuse; the orbit smaller; the temporal ridges generally meet near the
occiput, or are separated by a very narrow space ; the anterior incisor of
the upper jaw is narrow, and has but one notch; the next, om either
side, is considerably larger, longer, and stronger, and differs in having its
edges even, as is true of the first false molar. All the teeth form a con-
tinuous series, each tooth being in contact with that which precedes and
that which follows it. The most important difference, perhaps, consists
in the much larger size of the molar teeth in the smaller skull, the five
posterior molars occupying a space of 10” in length in the latter, whereas,
in the larger animal, they onlv occupy nine.

These statements are important, and, more satisfactorily than any that
have hitherto been presented, appear to indicate specific differences.

We submit them to such of our readers as may have an opportunity of -

testing them. Mr W. proposes the names Temminckie aud Phillipinensis
for the two species, acting herein not so discreetly, we humbly conceive,
as he might have done. For what, in that case, is to become of the G.
rafus of Audebert, Geoffroy, Desmarest, and the whole host of systematic
writers? Surely it is not to be blotted from our catalogues, or degraded
from the place it has so long and familiarly occupied.

The same gentleman, at a previous meeting of the same excellent
Society, supplied from the notes of Mr Cuming some details concerning
the habits of these animals, which we subjoin. The Caguang, to employ
a native name, is an inoffensive animal, inhabiting lofty trees in dark
woods, and is known to feed upon the leaves of the Nanka or Jack fruit ;
it suspends itself from the upper branches of the tree by all its feet, which
gives it a large appearance, as it brings them all four together. Tt flies
heavily for about 100 yards on an inclined plane, but readily ascends the
trees by its strong claws; it makes a weak noise similar to geese when at
rest: when the calls of nature operate on the animal, it erects its tail and
membrane up to the back part of the neck, which gives it a.most singular
appearance. ‘They are easily taken by the natives throwing nets over
them, or by cutting down the tree on which they are, and are seized before
they can clear themselves of the branches. I never saw any of them at-
tempt to bite. When the female has young she is very easily taken.
They appear much attached to their young; which are always hanging at
the breasts. Of late years great numbers of them have been taken for

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 51

the sake of their skins, which meet with a ready sale at Manilla. They

are found on the islands of Bohol and Mindanado.

HABITS OF THE JAGUARS.

Mr Scuomsurck, the enterprising traveller, having recently returned from
his successful expedition in Guiana, has communicated to the London
Zoological Society notices concerning various of the animals, which his
circumstances supplied admirable opportunities of minutely observing, Of
these we shall now present a few hints concerning the Jaguars, those for-
midable felines which are usually compared with the Royal Tiger of Asia. Mr
S. alludes to two species or varieties. He agrees with former observers
in stating that the larger is very numerous, and exceedingly daring, some-
times killing cattle within a few yards of human habitations, and caring
very little for the fires which are made to prevent their encroachment.
If one or a pair of these animals should take up their quarters in the
vicinity of a cattle farm, scarcely a night passes in which they do not
commit ravages. ‘They do not eat much of any prey they kill, perhaps
ten or twelve pounds, and principally of the breast; but they prefer kill-
ing fresh every time they are hungry. The smaller variety, sometimes
called the Turtle-Tiger, is scarcely less destructive. They are of the
same strong build as the greater, and much resemble it in the colours and
markings, but are about a third less in size. In the vicinity of human
dwellings they commit great havoc among domestic animals, hogs, sheep,
goats, &c. being alike exposed to their attacks, though no authentic in-
stance has ever been heard of their attacking man, whilst they boldly enter
the house, and carry away the dogs from the fireside.

On arriving, in February 1837, at Curassawaka, Mr Schomburgk heard
much complaint of a Jaguar that was prowling nightly about the settlement.
This animal had carried away a young puppy from below an Indian hut.
It then pilfered a good hammock, of which the natives were suspected ;
then a blanket; and still stranger thefts became more frequent, as sauce-
pans, spoons, a table-cloth, and other things left about the huts. It was
about this time that our traveller, having a good deal of writing, was
generally sitting up till’after midnight. ‘* Although my hut,” he observes,
«cmerely an open shed, was at some distance from the settlement, and a
servant, besides myself, its only inhabitants, we had been no otherwise
disturbed by the Jaguar than from the noise of my dog, when our unwel-
come guest prowled in the neighbourhood of the huts. I was thus one
night sitting up at my desk, and had just put my loaded pistols, which
had been lying on the desk, on a box at my left hand, thinking it too late
to expect a visit from the Tiger. A short while after my eyes were
directed to the outside of the shed, when J discovered an object, the real
nature of which I could not make out from my hammock being in the
way : holding forward the light, I discovered, to my great astonishment,
the Jaguar standing four paces from me, and looking stedfastly at_my
proceedings. How long he had been there I know not; but before Thad
put down the candle, and seized the pistol, he had walked off slowly into
the bush, and although I fired after him, I naturally missed him. A few
nights after, 1 was awaked by something crawling under my hammock,
and, supposing it to have been a dog which had been in quest of some
pieces of biscuit which I had left on a plate, I gave the disturber of my
rest a slap with the hand, when, lo! the animal cleared with one spring
the chests and trunks which stood in its way, and rushed into the bush,
displaying the spotted skin of the Jaguar. I freely confess that, at this
discovery, the blood chilled in my veins. The marks of the Jaguar’s
paws, next morning, left no doubt as to the visitor; and we began to
consider, not so improbable, the report of the Indians, as to who might
have been the purloiner of the things which we had missed. A search
was begun in the neighbouring wood : pieces of wool torn from the blan-
ket, when dragged through the bush, pointed out the probable direction
which the Jaguar had taken with its booty, and soon after the blanket
itself was found, apparently no farther injured than by the rents which it
might have got in being dragged along. The hammock was found in a
quite different direction, and also the other missing objects, with the ex-
ception of the table-cloth. What could be the object of the animal in
carrying them off? Shall we compare it to the thievish Magpie, or was
it mere playfulness? Sometimes we were astonished by his feats of
strength; but all our endeavours to rid ourselves of this unwelcome visi-
tor proved fruitless.” —(Proceedings Zoological Society.)

HABITS OF THE ROACH, LEUCISCUS RUTILUS.

Tue Roach differs considerably in its habits from its congeners. It fre-
quents pools, canals, and gently running streams, such as those of the
eastern counties of England, where it is exceedingly abundant. In Scot-
land it is of much less frequent occurrence, although plentiful in a few
localities, such as the Edinburgh and Glasgow Canal. It usually moves
about in small parties, sometimes in large shoals.
little estimation as au article of food, on account of its insipid taste, which,

Although it is held in:

however, is not so remarkable if it be taken from a running stream, it is
much sought after by juvenile anglers, who prize number and quantity
much more than the qualities of vigour and fine flavour, which please the
mature fisher, who seldom uses the Roach unless as bait for pike or
large perch. For this purpose the smaller individuals are best adapted.

Owing to the small size of the Roach’s mouth, the bait and hook
must not be large. Nothing answers better as bait than bread crumbs,
or a paste made of flour and water, in portions about the size of a pea.
As the mouth of the fish is very tender, care must be taken to prevent
escape after it has been hooked, and much gentleness is required in order
to bring a large Roach safety to the shore.

I have seen cocculus indicus used for the purpose of stupifying this
fish, which may be easily caught with a bag-net on rising to the surface,
forced by the action of the poison. Fish taken in this way are invariably
found to have the swimming-bladder much distended with air. This vile
mode of fishing, which is very properly prohibited by law, is, however,
seldom resorted to.

The weight of the Roach varies from a pound upwards. Instances
have been known of individuals weighing as much as five pounds, but it’
rarely attains half that weight. A specimen of twelve or thirteen inches
in Jength, ifin good condition, ought to weigh about a pound.

An individual, fourteen inches in length, procured in the neighbourhood
of Edinburgh, may be described thus. Viewed laterally, it presents a
somewhat oval shape, with the dorsal line much elevated, and forming a
prominent ridge. The scales are of large size, arranged in eleven rows,
seven and a half of which are above, the other three and a half below,
the lateral line, which is formed of forty-three scales. The head, which
is destitute of scales, is one-fifth of the entire length. The mouth is
small, with the jaws of equal length; the tail is deeply forked. The
whole fish is much compressed laterally, measuring only an inch and a
half in breadth, while its greatest depth, immediately in front of the
dorsal fin, is three and a half inches.

The colour of the back is dusky-green, with a tinge of blue; the sides
are lighter, and the belly of a silvery white. The fins, as well as the
irides, are of a tint varying from pale orange to bright red. The formula
of the fins iis—D. 13—P. 16—V. 9—A. 13—C. 19—B. 3.

Perstan Suerp Doc.—Sir John M‘Neill has lately presented to the Zoo-
logical Society of London, a Dog which is used by the wandering tribes
in Persia to guard their flocks: it is a shaggy animal, nearly as large as a
Newfoundland, and very fierce and powerful. The dam of the animal
now in the Zoological Gardens killed a full grown Wolf without assist-
ance.

METEOROLOGY.

ON THE EFFECTS PRODUCED UPON ANIMAL LIFE BY THE SEVERE WINTER,
1837-38.

In our last Number we supplied a short notice concerning the last part
of the Proceedings of the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, and intimated
our intention of occasionally gratifying our readers with additional ex-
tracts. The following is an excerpt of a paper from the able pen of P,
J. Selby, Esq. of Twizel House.

The severity with which the year 1838 was ushered in by the long conti-
nued frost during the months of January, February, and apart of March;
the cold and long retarded spring, succeeded by achilly and ungenial sum-
mer, as well as a late and deficient harvest, place the year 1838 upon our
records as one of peculiar, though happily of unwonted character. Under
circumstances of such a nature, and which it is more than probable may
not again occur during the limit of the present generation, a few observa-
tions upon the effects of so severe a season, as connected with animal
life, may perhaps prove not altogether uninteresting. It will be in the
recollection of those who attended to the weather, that, up to the 5th of
January 1838, the season, with the exception of the first week of the
previous November, when we experienced a severe but cursory snow
storm, had upon the whole heen temperate and mild: this was particu.
larly the case on Christmas, and two or three following days, when the
thermometer ranged from 52° to 55°, at which time, I may remark, many
of the Thrushes which still remained inland were heard recording in dis-
tinct and audible key, thus flattering us with the hope that winter had
divested herself of her characteristic garb, and that these sweet carols
were to be the prelude of an early spring. These halcyon days, how-
ever, were of short duration, as, on the 6th of January, frost set in, ac-
companied in this district by showers or falls of snow and hail, which, in
consequence of the calm state of the atmosphere, fell level upon the
surface. It thus continued falling at frequent intervals; more or less, for
nearly a fortnight, when the snow had accumulated to the depth of ten
or twelve inches over the whole surface of the country, the frost, at the
same time, continuing to increase in intensity, till every brook and pool
was locked up in ice and frozen snow. In consequence of this deep

62 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

covering, the birds, particularly those of the insectivorous tribe, or whose
chief pabulum consists of worms and insects, soon began to feel the
effects of famine; and blackbirds, redbreasts, hedge-sparrows, &c., were
reduced, at a comparatively early part of the storm, to a deplorable state
of weakness, and were daily found dead, or dying from the combined
effect of hunger and cold. Many fieldfares also perished at this early
stage of the frost, though the great body of this emigratory species, soon
after the commencement of the storm, moved southwards; the thrushes
also, which I have previously observed were singing at Christmas, en-
tirely disappeared, a precaution I have observed for many years to take
place in regard to this species, whenever a storm or frost of any conti-
nuance has occurred. I may remark, that, previous to the commence-
ment of the storm, all the haws and other berries, which are the occa-
sional food of the thrush tribe, had been devoured by them, so that no
resource of this nature was left them to fly to when the frost first set in.
About this period of the storm, that is, after a fortnight’s continuance,
the arrival of a great variety of the rarer kinds of water-fowl along the
line of coast proclaimed the intensity as well as the wide extended range
of the cold. Wild swans then made their appearance in flocks, and for
two or three weeks several of these birds took up their residence in Bud-
dle Bay, when, as may be supposed, their unwonted presence caused an
active pursuit, and many individuals were shot. Among them, I may
mention two that were taken alive, having been wounded, but only so
as, in conjunction with their reduced condition, to incapacitate them for
flight ; these soon became very tame, and were afterwards placed by W.
B. Clark, Esq. of Belford Hall, in a piece of water, where one of them
continues to thrive, and now associates with a common goose ; the other
died during the course of the summer, apparently from the effects of
some internal wounds it had received. Both of these were of the com-
mon or elk species, (Cygnus ferus,) nor did any specimen of Cygnus
Bewickii come under my observation, though I am aware that a few in-
dividuals of this species were taken in other parts of the kingdom. In
other districts of the country, and in the south of England, the destruc-
tion of these beautiful and noble birds was very great. Among the rarer
species of water-fowl killed upon our coast, the following are deserving
of notice. Larus minutus, (little gull,) near Embleton, the first instance,
I believe, of its occurrence upon the Northumbrian coast. Several spe-
cimens, also, of the Mergus albellus, (Smew), in the adult male plumage,
_in which state it is considered a rare bird, were killed upon different parts
of the coast; and of Podiceps rubricollis, far from a common species, I
saw severalinstances. Many specimens of the different colymbi (divers)
were also shot, and wild-ducks, widgeons, brent-geese, scaup-ducks,
pochards, tufted-ducks, and golden-eyes, were very plentiful. Upon the
southern coasts of England an equal or even greater influx of water-fowl
took place, and the destruction, as may be conceived, was comparatively
great. In Hampshire, I am informed, that a noble sportsman, who
rented a small part of the coast expressly for the shooting of wild-fowl,
killed, during the storm, the extraordinary number of 515 head of various
kinds, among which were thirty-seven swans. ‘This warfare upon the
aquatic tribe continued for six or seven weeks, and it was not till the
middle or latter end of March that the wild-fowl began to shift their
quarters, or yield to that influence which directs their migratory move-
ments to the higher latitudes on the first approach of spring. Before a
thaw took place, many of our hardy indigenous and resident land birds
also suffered from the intensity of the frost and the want of food; part-
ridges and pheasants were found dead in every direction, and even the
hardy muirfowl, upon the higher grounds, were many of them frozen to
death. In Edinburgh, I am informed, that for weeks, after the first ten
days of the storm, baskets full of partridges, and other game, were
brought to the poulterers, which had died or been caught in a dying state,
and, when taken into the hand, were found so reduced as to be a mere
collection of bones or feathers. Four-footed game, also, did not escape
with impunity, and during a great part of the storm, their only food, in
this district, was the bark and twigs of such underwood and young trees
as appeared above the snow. But it was not in those districts alone in
which the snow lay deep upon the surface, that animal life suffered from
the severity of the season, for I find that in Dumfries-shire, and other parts
along the western coast, where the fall of snow was very trifling, and
scarce whitened the surface, great mortality, nevertheless, prevailed
amongst the feathered race, all access to food having been as effectually
prevented by the stony hardness of the earth, as it was where the hoary
covering hid every thing from view. ;

MISCELLANIES.
LINNEUS’ DAUGHTER.—HER, DEATH.
Rosert Bremner, Esq., in his very agreeable work, ‘‘ Excursions in
Sweden, &c.,” has supplied an interesting account of his interview with
the daughter of Linnzus, which is the more agreeable, as most biogra-
phers have stated that the family of the illustrious Swede became extinct

aslong ago as the year 1783. Onreaching Upsal, he naturally inquired for
the house of Linnzeus, and for some time in vain ; and, while looking du-
biously for the object of his search, was invited in by a lady, who told
him that he should see not only the house, but the daughter of Linnzus.
This was a most unlooked for piece of intelligence. ‘‘ On ascending the
stair, however,” he remarks, ‘‘our doubts were completely expelled. The
lady who had first addressed us now spoke a little English, on discovering
what country we belonged to, and ushered us into a neat little carpeted
parlour, where we found the personage in question, Louisa Von Linné
herself, seated on a high-backed arm-chair, in company with another
lady. Her appearance was highly interesting, but indicated a degree of
feebleness both bodily and mental, which her eighty-seven years but too
amply justified. Her grey silk gown and crimped cap spoke of a bygone
taste, but were in excellent keeping with her yenerable age; while the
tidy look of every thing about her indicated the unforgotten habits of
order and cleanliness in which she had been trained. She attempted. to
rise when we approached, and seemed highly gratified in learning that we
were all from such far countries, and had come in search of her father’s
house out of regard to his great name. Her speech is almost gone, but she
still follows attentively all that is said. The sharp scrutinizing glance
which she cast at each of us, ere she consented to give us a pinch from
her silver snuff-box, was highly amusing. We might be relic hunters—
such seemed to be the thought passing in her mind— and would not re-
store it. The extended hand was almost withdrawn—but a second sur-
vey removed her suspicion, and the antique implement made its circuit
from one to the other of us, with all the reverence due to the name
which it bore. Our visit evidently gave her great pleasure; it seemed as
if she had never known the extent of her father’s fame: she could scarcely
understand how people from such distant countries could know or have
heard aught about a Swedish professor. The other ladies were oblig-
ingly communicative, and mentioned that the fortune left by her father
was so considerable, that she had been able to retain all her life the
country seat purchased by him, which is so near, that she spends a great
part of the year there. As we took her hand at parting, and felt the sands
of life ebbing so fast that a few weeks might lay her by his side, we rejoiced

that our idie visit had shed a glimpse of joy over the last hours of a great”

man’s child.”

From a late Number of the Athenzeum, we learn that this lady died on
the 21st of March 1839, at the venerable age of ninety, and that her for-
tune descended to two grand-daughters of the Swedish Botanist.

Dusitn Royat Zoouocicat Sociery.—The Dublin Zoological Society
seems to bea very thriving institution, and in some degree owing, we
doubt not, to its plan of frequently giving public and popular lectures
upon the fascinating subjects embraced within its sphere. These lec-
tures are delivered in the evening, in the Theatre of the Royal Society's
House. At the second meeting for the season, the Archbishop of Dub-
lin presided, and three discourses, if we remember right, were delivered.
One of these was by Dr Houston, upon the Organs of Hearing in

Man, as contrasted with those of Animals, a subject which he illustrated ,

by numerous drawings and diagrams. Preparatory to a description of
the individual organs, he made several observations on the nature and
properties of sound, and the difference between air, water, and solids,
as media for its transmission to the ear. As an instance of which, he
stated in general terms, that a cannon fired at the North Pole would,
supposing the sound to travel with its ordinary velocity, be heard at the
South Pole in thirteen hours and twenty seconds, if conducted through
air. It would go the same distance in three hours and twenty minutes
if conducted by water, andif by wood, metal, or stone, it would reach
that point in twelve minutes and twenty seconds, a velocity almost equal
to that of electricity.
by the learned Lecturer in proof of the conducting power of air, and
other media.

Agrntat Voyacrs or Sprpers.—In our November Number we gave, in

Mr Darwin’s words, an account of a curious visit of these creatures to the -

vessel when nearly 200 miles from the coast of South America. We now
present a not less singular invasion on the banks of the Indus.
taking a stroll,” says the writer of a letter from Sukkur, dated September
17, ‘into the fields, when 1 found myself suddenly covered with a whole
host of small and large spiders. On looking about, I observed that I was
standing in the midst of a large cloud of these animals, who appeared
descending in a filmy web of no small dimensions from the upper regions.
Having extricated myself with some difficulty from their embraces, I took
a position whence I could see about me, without being annoyed by them,
and to my astonishment I beheld descending, maze within maze, and fold
within fold, an innumerable host of spiders, all suspended and dancing on
their numberless tiny threads, which were at times seen to glance in every
variety of shade, amid the beams of the rising sun.”

Eprinsurcu: Published for the Proprirror, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.

Lonpon: Smuru, Evper, and Co., 65, Cornhill. Grascow, and the West of

Scotland: Joun Smiru and Son; and Joun Mactrop. Dustin: GEORGE

Younc. Panis: J. B. Baruirre, Rue de lEcole de Médecine, No. 13, bis-
THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY.

Several interesting experiments were related ~

‘¢T was —

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

THE PHYSICAL

SCIENCES.

APRIL, 1840.

THE DELIGHTS OF NATURAL HISTORY.

Tue charms associated with the study of Natural History have been
expatiated upon by many, and, as might have been expected, most de-
lightfully by those who have assiduously cultivated its extensive and
varied fields. The following paragraphs so strikingly embody the innate
and enraptured feelings of a meritorious and ardent lover of nature,
that we cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of introducing them into
our pages. There is scarce any study, says the anonymous but dis-
tinguished author, through which more quiet pleasure can be enjoyed
than the study of Natural History. It forms a kind of back-garden to
the crowded work-shop of busy life—a retreat, still, calm, and refresh-
ingly green, into which one can occasionally escape from the smoke,
and dust, and turmoil of ordinary occupation. It is a good breathing-
place. We remember reading, some vears ago, that remarkable book,
Chateaubriand on Revolutions; and we still retain a vivid recollection
of the chapter in which the writer addresses himself, from his own ex-
perience, to such unfortunate victims of popular convulsion as, strip-
ped of their possessions, may have to wear out life as exiles in foreign
countries. Get rid, says the writer, of the associations which lead you
into the past—travel into a new field; acquaint yourself with the na-
ture of Insects, study the properties of Plants, explore Rocks, analyze
Minerals—forget yourselves and your misfortunes amid the inexhaust-
ible wonders of Nature. But there is no need to restrict the advice, for
it may suit those who live in their own country, and who have no signal
misfortunes to deplore. c

Dr Johnson could congratulate himself, in his seventieth year, that
his curiosity was still as active as when he first awoke in the dawn of
intellect. The love of novelty is inherent in man ; it is one of the grand
distinctions of his nature over that of the brutes, that he should go
on adding idea to idea, and one species of knowledge to another; and,
in accordance with this principle, there are, perhaps, few men who
would not be travellers if they could. But in most cases the desire
cannot be indulged. The great bulk of mankind are fixed down to
some one particular locality; and the original feeling so wisely and be-
neficially implanted, becomes languid for lack of exercise. This, how-
ever, need not be, and there is no locality in which the love of novelty
May not be gratified—in which we may not become travellers, and pass
into a new field, not by changing place, but by changing, in our own
minds, the relations of the place, by connecting it with some newly ac-
quired science. The study of plants, of insects, of fishes, of birds, of
quadrupeds, of minerals, and fossils, may be pursued in almost every
locality ; and the life must be very long, and its leisure hours very many,
which can thoroughly exhaust even a limited district in connection with
these pursuits. We question, too, whiether the actual traveller ever feels
the interest of noyelty more thoroughly gratified, than he who travels into a
new district without changing his ground. How wonderfully objects, before
unnoticed, or but slightly regarded, rise into interest. How even the spiky
leaves, and light florets of the thirty or forty varieties of the humble family
_of the grasses, which one meets with in his shortest walks, grow up into
beauty and importance; how intently the eye follows the light happy
creature “lg goes darting on its wings of gauze through the air, or flut-

4

ters over the stream in which it had so lately pursued its first set of
instincts as a denizen of another element; how much more completely
the song of the bird fills the ear, and how its notes heighten and im-
prove when the history of the little singer is known; what wonders
open to the mind in studying the diverse characters, and the marvellous
instincts of the beasts of the field, those instincts so very similar, and
yet so very unlike the workings of the human intellect! Instinct and in-
tellect seem the asymptotes of creation, ever approaching and never
meeting. Above all, how powerfully does the science address itself to
the imagination, which, passing from the present state of things, con-
verts the often explored, but ever novel locality, into a rich museum
of the remains of former creations. We find in this department the
wildest fictions more than realized. The more prominent and well-
known features of the scene become at once strange from their new
relations with the terrific convulsions of an earlier time. A new subli-
mity invests the lofty mountain and the solitary valley ; the one glows a
high mass of molten fire, shot up from below by volcanic agency; the
tides of a vast ocean roll irresistibly through the other, And then
those strange shapes, that lived and moved in the hoar antiquity of the
world—those mummies of the rock, whose very types have perished.
We enter on the study, and find that the dragons and griffins and uni-
corns of what we may cali a mythological Zoology, were unnatural in-
ventions,—but, compared with the real existences of the geologist, not at
all extraordinary ones. We become acquainted with forms the most
amazing—with creatures that constituted the connecting links which
united tribes and families apparently the farthest apart. We find the
crocodile mounted in one instance on the paddles of the whale; in an-
other, on the wings of the bat; we find the neck of the swan uniting the
head to the body of the Saurian.

It is only in this late age of the world, that one of the simplest in-
stincts of our nature seems to be settling on its proper objects. The
true and the marvellous have hitherto been too much dissociated. We
sought in science for the one, and in fiction for the other. But why is
it that the child, simple and unsophisticated, is never pleased to find
them apart,—that mere truth is nothing to it separated from the won-
derful, nor the wonderful disunited from the true. The feeling arises
from a right instinct, and, like every right instinct, has its legitimate ob-
ject on which to rest.—‘‘ Wirness” Newspaper.

THE CA‘ING WHALE, A VISITANT OF THE IRISH COAST.
Axruover it might reasonably have been presumed that the Ca’ing
Whale visited the Emerald Isle, yet it has only recently been ascertained
to be a fact, on satisfactory ground, supplied in a paper lately published
by that active Zoologist, William Thompson, Esq., Vice-President of the
Natural History Society of Belfast, (Ann. of Nat. Hist. March 1840,) and
entitled ** Additions to the Fauna of Ireland.” The very frequent oc-
currence of these animals in such immense herds, in the northern shores
and islands of Scotland. and their occasional presence on the coasts of
England, as at Torbay, and of France, as off Bretagne, left but little doubt
they might be found on the Irish shores. Hence we are not surprised to
learn, upon the authority of Mr Robert Bal! of Dublin, that individuals of
this species are occasionally driyen ashore in large herds on the southern

54 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

coast of Jreland, and it is even a frequent occurrence in the month of
June at Youghal. Here a herd of 75 came ashore a few years ago, of
which the average size was from 11 to 18 feet, and one had attained the
length of 22 feet. Again, when Mr T. was visiting the south islands of
Arran, (off the coast of Clare,) in June 1834, accompanied by Mr Ball,
a portion of the skeleton of a Delphinus melas was found by them on the
beach. On this latter gentleman revisiting the same islands in the fol-
lowing summer, he saw the remains of a herd of these animals lying where
they had perished. The inhabitants likewise speak of them as common.

A‘word, before concluding, on the appellation used by Mr Thompson,
viz. Delphinus melas, Traill. Deductor is the more characteristic name ; and
although melas was first proposed by Dr Traill, yet it was the same dis-
tinguished individual who himself suppressed the old name and applied
the new, so giving a preference in which he may very properly be indul-
ged. It was in Nicolson’s Journal the former name was applied, and

the latter appeared in Scoresby’s Arctic Regions, whence it has natural-

ly but unfortunately been inferred that the new name had been applied by
the illustrious mariner, though it was really by his friend Dr Traill. We
agree with this very intelligent gentleman that this is the preferable spe-
cific name: and, with regard to the generic, as the genus Delphinus has
become so numerous, amounting to scores, it seems necessary to adopt
Lesson’s division of Globicephalus, so making this whale the G. de-
ductor.

ON THE SILVERY WHITE-HAIRED GOAT OF ANGORA.

A communication on the White-Haired Goat of Angora was, in the month
of January last, read by Lieutenant Conolly to the Asiatic Society, of which
we shall now supply a short account. The Angora Goat, peculiar to the
Province of Asia Minor of that name, is invariably white, with long silky
hair, of one sort only. If taken from the province, they are with diffi-
culty kept alive, and always deteriorate, so as to be no longer recognizable.
It is remarkable that the cats and dogs of this province have also long
silky hair; the former over the whole body, the latter in the ears and
tail only. This may arise from the nature of the country, which is hilly,
and composed of chalk, and very dry; the vegetation, upon the whole,
rather scanty, and the trees small. The Angora Goats are clipped an-
nually, and yield from one to four pounds. The price of the ordinary
sort is about 7d. a-pound, and the picked samples fetch 11d. The skin
is exported to Constantinople, where it is dyed of various colours, and
used chiefly for Turkish boots and slippers. The hair is exported either
in a raw state, or in yarn, or manufactured into those delicate stuffs which
are wellknown in Europe. Some of the fleeces are exported entire to
Turkey, where they are used for seats for the religious doctors; anda
few reach Europe, where they are valued as rugs and saddle-cloths. A
good skin costs L.1 at Angora, and 30s. at Constantinople. The hair is
carded by the women, and then spun. In this process it is well mois-
tened with saliva before it is drawn from the distaff; and it is stated that
in the melon season, the yarn is much better than that spun at any other
time, because the melon imparts a mucilaginous quality to the saliva,
which softens the hair. Before the yarn is used by the weaver, it is well
saturated by chireesh, a liquor made from a root like a radish, brought
from the neighbourhood of Konia. The process is a strange one, and was
witnessed by Lieutenant Conolly. The yarn is stretched out on wooden
frames, like the hempen lines of a rope-walk; and two men, with large
bowls of chireesh, take mouthfuls of the liquid, and squirt it dexterously
over the yarnin very minute showers ; they are followed by others, who
press the moistened yarn together, and then spread it out again, so that
all the parts may receive a share of the chireesh. The yarn is made into
gloves and socks by women, who knit so finely, that socks are some-
times sold at nearly 20s. a-pair. The exportation of the wool is very
great, and the province is thereby much enriched.

DESCRIPTION OF THE WHITE ANTS.—( Termes bellicosus.)

In our Jast Number, we supplied a description of those most wonderful
specimens of insect architecture, the nests or hills of the so-called White
Ants; and we shall now add as condensed an account as we can of the
wonderful little creatures themselves. We mentioned that, according to
Mr Smeathman, (Phil. Trans. Ixxi.) there were three classes in every
community, the workers, the soldiers, and their majesties the king and
queen. He conceives, moreover, that the workers are larvze, the soldiers
nymphe, and the king and queen the perfect insects. In this opinion he
coincides with Sparmann and others; but M. Latreille is inclined to think
from what he observed in an European species, (T. lucifugus,) found near
Bordeaux, that the soldiers form a distinct race, like the neuters among
bees and ants, while the workers are larvee, which, when they become
nymphs, are supplied with the rudiments of four wings, which are fully
developed in the perfect insect.

The worker is less than one-fourth of an inch in length, delicate and
slender, having a distinct head, chest, and abdomen, with six legs, and is
wholly of abrownish colour. The soldiers are much larger, being half an

inch long, and equal in bulk to 15 labourers. There is, moreover, a re-
markable difference in the form of the head and mouth; forin the worker
the mouth is evidently calculated for gnawing, whilst in the other, the jaws
are shaped like two very sharp awls, somewhat jagged, the head at the
same time being larger than all the rest of the body put together, and quite
horny, having jaws like crab’s claws, so that they are incapable of any
thing else than piercing or wounding. In the perfect state the insect va-
ries in form still more than ever. The head, thorax, and abdomen, differ
almost entirely from the same parts in the other two classes; and, be-
sides, the creature is now furnished with four large transparent wings,
with which, at the time of emigration, it isto wend its way in search of a
new settlement. Inthe winged state they alter their size as much as
their form. Their bodies now measure between six and seven lines,
and their wings two and a half inches from tip to tip, and they are equal
in bulk to about 30 labourers, or two soldiers. They are now also fur-
nished with two large eyes, placed on each side of the head; whilst in the
others they are not easily distinguished. It is in this form the animal comes
abroad, with the first showers of the rainy season, which usually occur at
night, and if the rain continues, the quantities which cover the surface of
the earth, and particularly the waters, are astonishing ; for their wings are
persistent only for a few hours, and after the rising of the sun, not one
in a thousand is to be found with four wings, and probably not a pair in
many millions get into a place of safety, to fulfil the first law of nature,
and lay the foundation of a new community.

The dangers of these insects areimmensely increased by their almost innu-
merable foes, for all kinds of ants, and many other insects, as well as reptiles
and birds, and man himself, are their implacable foe, devouring them, quite
tesistless, with the keenest relish. A few, however, do escape; and be-
ing found by some of the labourers, are elected the monarchs of new states:
they are immediately inclosed in the royal chamber formerly described.
After this, the work of propagation soon commences, and the labourers
constructing the required nurseries carry the eggs, and lodge them safely
on obtaining them from the queen.

It is about this time that the most extraordinary change commences in
the appearance of the queen. The abdomen gradually extends, and en-
larges to such an enormous size, that in an old queen it is increased to
1500 or 2000 times the bulk of the rest of her body, and 20,000 or 30,000
times the size of a labourer. When about two years old, tlie abdomen is
about three inches in length, and sometimes it is found twice that size.
It has now become one vast matrix full of eggs, and has a peristaltic mo-
tion, resembling the undulation of the waves, which continues incessantly,
without any apparent effort of the animal, protruding eggs to the amount
of 60 in a minute, or 80,000 and upwards ina day. These eggs are im-
mediately removed from her body by the attendants, and are carried to
the nurseries, some four or five feet distant, in a straight line, and con-
sequently much farther by their winding galleries. Here, on being
hatched, the young are attended, and provided with every necessary, till
they are able to shift for themselves, and take their proper share in the
ordinary labours of the innumerable community.

Tue Fruit Crows anv Summer Birps.—The beautiful birds which are
represented in the 2d Plate of this Number are inhabitants of South America,
and most of them of the Province of Brazil. Here the Red-breasted Fruit
Crow abounds, and although the Royal one is transmitted from its principal
ports, yet it must be exceedingly rare, as few or no travellers have discovered
it in its haunts: Hence, probably, it is only brought into these parts, and most
likely from Peru or Chili. These birds are about the same dimensions as our
own Crows, though more richly attired and ornamented. The Royal Fruit
Crow has not only a splendid crest on its head, but a flaming beard of elegant
feathers; whereby it is distinguished from all known birds. The Araponga

Summer-bird was discovered by the Prince of Neuwied during his Travels im ~

Brazil, where it is often perched upon the extremity of a dead branch, and is
well known by its peculiar voice, not unlike the stroke of a hammer upon an
anvil, or that of some not very harmonious bell.

BOTANY AND HORTICULTURE.
INJURIOUS EFFECTS OF OPIUM.
Tue injurious effect of eating and smoking Opium is unfortunately no
longer a practice of some semi-barbarous people to which we can listen
with indifference, but is one which is rapidly forcing itself upon atten-
tion from the results it is producing in the heart of our own popula-
tion. We noticed some months ago, that Dr James Johnson mentioned
in one of the Metropolitan Societies, that whatever diminution or ab-
stinence in the abuse of ardent spirits was being effected in this country
by the effects of Temperance Societies, was more than counterbalanced
by the increasing indulgence in the use of Opium; and this not only
amongst the most degraded of our people, but also among the wealthier
classes, so that the attention of the various’ Assurance Companies was espe-
cially required to the point as affecting their prosperity and well-being.
No warning of these fearful consequences can be more striking than that
which is casually introduced by Mr Bruce, in his able Report on the Cul-

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 55

tivation of Tea in Assam, lately noticed in this Journal. If the British
Government, says that lively writer, does not take active measures to
put down the cultivation of Opium, and that quickly, the thousands
that are about to emigrate from the plains into Assam will soon be in-
fected with the Opium mania—that dreadful plague which has depopu-
lated this beautiful country, turned it into a land of wild beasts, with
which it is overrun, and has degenerated the Assamese, from a fine race
of people, to the most abject, servile, crafty, and demoralized race in
India. This vile drug has kept, and does now keep, down the popula-
tion; the women have fewer children compared with those of other
countries, and the children seldom live to become old men, but in general
die at manhood, very few old men being seen in this unfortunate coun-
try, in comparison with others. Few but those who have resided in this
unhappy land know the dreadful and immoral effects which the use of
opium produces on the native. He will steal, sell his property, his
children, the mother of his children, and, finally, even commit murder
for it. Wonld it not be the highest of blessings, if our humane and en-
lightened Government would stop these evils by a single dash of the pen,
and save Assam from the dreadful results attendant on the habitual use
of opium? We should, in the end, be richly rewarded, by a fine healthy
race of men growing up for our plantations, to fell our forests, to clear
the land from jungle and wild beasts, and to plant and cultivate the luxury
of the world. This can never be effected by the enfeebled Opium-eaters,
who are more effeminate than women.

Dr Sigmond stated at a late meeting of the Medico-Botanical Society,
some curious statistical facts upon the subject of Opium consumption in
China. The principal inducement for the Chinese to smoke opium in-
stead of eating it, as usual among European and Asiatic nations, arose
from the facility and the rapidity with which the intoxication is produced
when imbibed by the lungs into the system—it was conveyed with incon-
ceivable quickness to every part of the body, and more especially to the
brain, upon which its singular effects were mest visible. Dr S. had found
that calculations had been made as to the number of smokers, and the
increase from the year 1820 had been prodigious. The presumed num-
ber of smokers in three years at that period was 265,569, and they con-
sumed about 4287 chests; these had increased in twelve years from 1822
to 1835 to 2,039,998 smokers, when about 12,339 chests were consumed ;
and it was now believed that the number was not less than twelve millions.
The average consumption of each person was about 174 grains daily.

ReMarKABLE APPEARANCE oF THE SNakeE-Nut.—Mr Schomburgk
of whom we have so often lately made honourable mention, sent
home from Guiana, some years ago, a description and drawing of
the Snake-nut, which was read to the Linnean Society. An indivi-
dual who was unacquainted with this communication has lately, in a
public paper, the Liverpool Mercury, expressed his feelings of surprise
on the examination of the nut in terms which convey an accurate
and vivid idea of its singular appearance. This extraordinary vegetable
curiosity, he remarks, is a nut about the size of an ordinary walnut,
nearly round, and of a fine brown hazel colour, and very light. When
broken, the kernel is found to bear so striking a resemblance to a snake,
that it is always called the Sxake-nut. It grows in the marshes of Bri-
tish Guiana. Had we only examined one specimen, we should have
taken it for a lusus nature,—a mere accidental resemblance to the snake,
assumed by the kernel in shrinking; but the gentleman who favoured us
with a sight of it has several of the nuts, and they are all alike; which
circumstance, together with the name which has been given to it in the
country where it is produced, proves that it is not a mere freak of Na-
ture, but a regular natural production. The specimens of the nut we
have seen were brought home by the Palmyra, which arrived lately in
Liverpool from Demerara.

METEOROLOGY.

ON THE EFFECTS PRODUCED UPON ANIMAL LIFE BY THE SEVERE WINTER,
1837, 1838.—Continued from last Number.

Earty in March the frost abated in rigour, and a slow thaw began to
melt the vast accumulation of snow which had been drifted into the lanes,
hollows, and hedge banks, by the severe and oft-repeated gales that had
occurred during the two months’ frost. Up to this period none of those
indications which we had been accustomed to hail as the harbingers of
spring had been observed, such as the song of the missel-thrush and the
mavis, the cooing of the ring-dove, or the pipe of the golden-plover,
which in usual seasons seldom fail to greet our ears with their welcome
notes before February has advanced into the second week. On refer-
ring to my notes, I find it was not till the 5th and 6th of March that the
peawit and golden-plover were first seen, or the carol of the lark heard ;
on the 7th the thrush and missel-thrush were in song, being a period later
by nearly a month than any I can find in aregister kept for many years
Past, and it was not till the 20th that the congregated flocks of the ring-

dove began to disperse, or that they were heard cooing and exhibiting
that peculiar flight which distinguishes the species at the time of pairing,
and which in ordinary years seldom fails to occur before the 8th and 10th
of February. It was now that the effects of this long-continued storm,
so remarkable for the great degree of cold that accompanied it, became
fully apparent ; for instead of the host of birds that were wont to resort to
our groves and plantations at this season, and whose ‘‘ wood-notes wild”
used to greet us in every direction, a few individuals or a solitary pair
alone were to be seen, and where, a season or two before, a united con-
cert af a multitude of thrushes might have been listened to on a calm
mild spring evening, not more than two or three at far distant stations
could now be heard; of our familiar attendant, the red-breast, few surviv-
ed to pour forth their impassioned lay, as the diminished numbers of this
favourite bird, even after the increase of the year, clearly demonstrates.
The same may be said of the blackbird, whose mellow whistle was scarce-
ly recognised during the spring and summer ; and a like falling off was
observed in regard to the wagtails, wrens, and indeed all the indigenous
insectivorous species, which suffered to a much greater extent than the
Conirostrze or Finch tribe, which, subsisting upon seeds and grains, found,
if not ample, at least a sufficient quantity of food to support life in the
stack and fold yards, where the others were perishing from the effects of
hunger and cold. But the deficiency of the feathered tribe this year, I
afterwards ascertained, was not confined to our indigenous or perma-
nent residents; it extended to all those species which we call summer
visitants, or which make our island their breeding resort and habitat
during their Polar migration; for as the time of the arrival of the va-
rious species successively occurred, I found that throughout this district
their numbers scarcely averaged a third of the usual supply, and this
falling off not confined to a few particular forms, but extending to all
the migratory species. The same was observed to prevail in the south
of England, as, in a communication from Mr Yarrel!, he mentions that
the paucity of summer visitants had been generally remarked by those
who interest themselves in ornithology and observations connected with
it. The cause of this deficiency I attribute to the very cold and unge-
nial weather which prevailed not only throughout Britain, but over a
great portion of the European Continent, at the time these birds usually
undertake their periodical flights, and which, I imagine, stopped many
on their course, and prevented that extended movement which, in ordi-
nary years, permits their reaching our own and even higher latitudes.
That their lessened numbers arose from causes which affected them du-
ring their winter sojourn can scarcely be supposed, as that portion of the
year, it is now well ascertained, is passed by most of them in the warm
region of the African Continent, or in those parts of Southern Europe
where frost is scarcely known. Some few may undoubtedly have perish-
ed on the way, or from having advanced at too early a period into the
north of Evrope, where, in consequence of the chilling cold that pre-
vailed, no appropriate food could be found, and thus died of hunger;
but the more probable reason is, I think, that already assigned, viz. that
they were stopped on their advance by the peculiarity of the season, and
were compelled to remain and nidificate in lower latitudes than they are
generally accustomed to do. Of the few which did arrive, it was ob-
served that their first appearance was nearly a fortnight later than has
generally been the case, upon an average taken from a register of some
twenty years past. Thus [find that the Willow Wren, (Sylvia trochilus, )
instead of the 16th or 18th of April, was not seen or heard before the 3d
of May; the same in regard to the Blackcap, (Curruca atricapilla,) the Tree
Pipit, (Anthus arboreus,) the Winchat, (Saxicola rubetus ;) and the 13th
of May had arrived before an individual of the Fly-catcher (Muscicapa gri-
sola) was observed. Of the speciesjust enumerated, a deficiency, such as
I have already mentioned, was remarked ; but I think it was even more
striking in others, among which I may particularize the Sedge-warbler, (Sa-
licaria phragmitis,) Greater Petty-chaps, (Curruca montana, ) White-throat,
(Curruca cinerea.) To this cold and long-retarded spring succeeded a
short, and, with the exception of a few days in July, a moist and chilly
summer, circumstances which affected not only the increase of animal
life, but produced the more serious calamity of a deficient harvest. Fruits
also did not ripen at all, or very imperfectly, and were devoid of their
proper taste and flavour. In conclusion, I may add, that a great defi-
ciency of the insect tribes was generally remarked, and, from having
given a considerable degree cf attention to the entomology of this district
for some years past, I can confidently say, that in most of its great fami-
lies or divisions the remark is correct, more particularly as it applies to the
Coleopterous and Lepidopterous insects, upon a comparison with what
was observed in 1835 and 1836, as well as years previous to that date.

PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES.

Linnzan Socrery.—At a meeting, December 17, the Secretary read a
communication from M. Schomburgk, giving a description of the Curata,

56 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

rom the culm of which the Indians of Guiana prepare their famous
blow-pipes, and concerning which Baron Humboldt, in his ‘* Personal
Narrative,” regrets his inability to determine the plant from which they
are obtained. It was at a settlement of the Indians near the river
Emaruni that M. S. at last succeeded in obtaining positive informa-
tion of the locality of these reeds, which he was informed were found
on two lofty mountains, the one of which was pointed out to him at
the distance of twenty miles. The other, however, lying more directly
in his route, was visited by him in preference; it is seated at a day’s
journey from a Maiongcong settlement on the banks of the Cuyaca,
from whence the natives showed the beaten track. After having as-
cended the mountain to the height of about 3500 feet above the In-
dian village, the traveller followed the course of a small mountain
stream, on the banks of which the Curas or Curatas, as these reeds are
called by the Indians, grow in dense tufts. They form in general clusters
of from 40 to 100 stems, which are pushed forth from a strong jointed
subterranean rootstock. The stem rises straight without knot or in-
terruption, and preserving an equal thickness throughout, frequently
to the height of 16 feet before the first branches are given off. The
joints that follow succeed each other at intervals of from 15 to 18
inches: and the whole plant attains a height of from 40 to 50 feet. The
stem when full grown is at the base about one inch and a half in diame-
ter, or nearly five inches in circumference; but M. 8. mentions having
seen young stems, which, at the height of 20 feet, and with a thickness
of scarcely one-fourth of an inch, afford no signs of articulation. The
branches are only formed when the stem begins to increase in diameter.
The full-grown stem is of a bright green colour, perfectly smooth, and
hollow within. The branches are verticillate, generally from three to
four feet in length, and very slender. The leaves are linear-lanceolate,
of a bright green above and glaucesceut below. The entire plant is from
40 to 50 feet in height; but the weight of its innumerable branches
causes the slender stem to curve downwards, so that the upper part
generally describes an arch, which adds greatly to the gracefulness of its
appearance. He estimates the height at which it grew as 6000 feet
above the level of the sea; and its growth appears to be limited to the
chain of sand-stone mountains which extends between the 2d and 4th
parallel, and forms the separation of waters between the rivers Pavima,
Merewari, and Orinoco. M. Schomburgk describes at length the process
by which the blow-pipes are prepared, together with the mode in which
other parts of the apparatus are supplied in order to render it available
for its important uses, and the various modifications in its construction
occurring among the different tribes. He adds also a particular description
of the arrows and quivers in use among several of the native tribes.

MicroscoricaL Society or Lonpon.—We are glad to perceive that
this Society is thriving, and doubt not it will throw much light on those
departments of Science it was designed to illustrate. It was formed on the
20th of December last, ‘‘ for the Promotion of Microscopical Investiga-
tions, the Introduction and Improvement of the Microscope as a Scien-
tific Instrument, the Reading and Discussion of Papers on New and In-
teresting Subjects of Microscopical Inquiry, the Formation of a Collection
of Rare and Valuable Microscopical Objects, and a Library of Refer-
ence.” The first meeting was held on Wednesday 20th January in 21,
Regent Street. The President, Professor Owen, announced that since
the Provisional Meeting on the 20th December, for the purpose of form-
ing the Society, the number of members had increased to 110; and a far-
ther addition of 29 names was announced in the course of the evening,
making a total of 139 original members of the Society.

Mr Owenthen read the first paper contributed to the Society, « On
the Application of Microscopic Examinations of the Structure of Teeth to
the determination of Fossil Remains,’—and exemplified the utility of the
instrument in reference to the Sawrocephalus, Basilosaurus of Dr Harlan,
and the Megatherium of Cuvier.

Royat IrtsH Acapemy.—On the 9th of December, Mr Lloyd exhibited
aspecimen of Vegetable Flannel brought by him from Berlin, the na_
ture of which Professor Erenberg has done so much to illustrate. He
at the same time laid on the table of the Academy a specimen of a
very similar substance, which he had received from Sir John Herschell,
and which was found investing the rocks at the mouth of one of the rivers
of Southern Africa. It resembles the other very much in external ap-
pearance, except that the fibres are coarser, and more compactly matted
together. It appears to consist almost entirely of conferve, but apparently
of a different species.

OBITUARIES.

Proresson BiumENBact.—This venerable philosopher has at length
paid the debt of nature, having died at the advanced age of eighty-eight
years, at G6ttingen, on the 22d of January last. Few individuals have

ever enjoyed a wider or more merited reputation. In early life he visited
Britain, and used often in his prelections to make interesting allusions to the
men and things he here encountered. He was an ardent lover of science,
and especially that portion of it which bore on the Natural History of
Man. His work on Physiology has been translated, we believe, into
nearly all languages, and acquired for him a wide-spread reputation ;
whilst as a lecturer he was not more esteemed than beloved, and will
long be remembered by his countless pupils with the sincerest affection
and regard.

Proressor Ricurranp.—The well known Richerand has also lately
departed this life. He long maintained a distinguished place among the
eminent physicians of Paris, and was author of the « Nouveaux Elémens
de Physiologie,” familiar in its English translation to classes of readers
far more numerous than are embraced by the circles of the profession.

Mr Davies Gitpert.—We have also on the present occasion to re-
cord the demise of that much respected individual Mr D. Gilbert, lately,
for three years, President of the Royal Society, and an honorary and effi-
cient member of many others. His labours for the promotion of science
were unremitting. He was the founder of several societies ; was the dis-
coverer and early patron of the talents of Davy, and while in Parliament
laboured assiduously in the advancement of all public works. Regret for
such a man, exerting the power of his mind so advantageously and through
so many years, must always be strong and sincere; but having attained
the ordinary limit of human life, he sunk into the grave amidst the respect
and esteem of all who knew him, and has left a name which will ever
bear a prominent place amidst those whose lives and talents have been de-
voted to great and noble purposes. ;

MISCELLANIES.

Nortrce or Mr Gourp in Soutn Austratia.—Letters, says the Athe-
neum of February Ist, received last week from Mr Gould the Ornitho-
logist, announce his safe arrival at Sidney on the 3d of September. He
is about to proceed into the interior. The result of Mr Gould’s excur-
sion to South Australia is a large collection of specimens, including 500
birds, and a considerable number of quadrupeds and insects, the product
of three months’ labour. During this time, which was in the depth of
the Australian winter, our interesting Naturalist spent five weeks in the
bush, without seeing a civilized being except his attendant ; sleeping
mostly in the open air, occasionally in a tent, or undera cart, but more
commonly on the bare ground, with only a kangaroo skin for a covering :
still he never had a cold, or the slightest indisposition of any kind: and
he expresses himself especially thankful for the good health of all his
party. ‘* I have been enabled,” he says, ‘‘ to penetrate far into the inte-
rior of South Australia, through the kindness of Colonel Gawler and
Captain Strut. My gratification on arriving at the belts of the Murray
was almost unbounded, on finding not only numerous new species, but
even new forms of birds : the botany of this part of Australia surpassing
every thing Ihave seen:” and he concludes by saying—‘* If I am spared
to return, I shall, I believe, be enabled to produce such a work as has
never before been offered to the public.” Mr G. has sent home his
spolia opima, and the government have liberally allowed the cases to pass
the custom-house unopened, an advantage important to the security of
their contents.

ProrosepD EREcTION OF AN OpsERVATORY aT MancuesTer.— We are
happy to understand that a committee has been formed at Manchester,
for the purpose of erecting an Observatory at Higher Broughton, near
that town. Itis obvious that, for the advancement of the sciences of
astronomy and meteorology, by actual observation, there is required an
apparatus by far too bulky for a private residence, and too costly for a

‘ ees : : ’
private individual; such an object, therefore, can best be attained by

co-operation and subscription: and it is proposed to raise the sum re-
quired for carrying the undertaking into effect by donations, and to sup-
port the institution by annual subscriptions. The estimated cost of the
building is L.3000, and of the instruments L.2000, and there is to be a re-
sident astronomer, with an assistant, whose duty it will be to observe and
record the various phenomena of the heavens and the atmosphere, to keep
up a correspondence with similar institutions, and to prepare for publica-
tion all such information and observations as, from time to time, it may
be thought advisable to give to the world. The plans, we understand, have
been submitted to, and approved by, Sir John Herschell, Professor Airy,
and other distinguished men of science.

EDINBURGH:
Lonpon:
Scotland:

, Youne.

Published for the Proprigtor, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Smuru, Erper, and Co., 65, Cornhill. Girascow, and the West of
Joun Smiru and Son; and Jonn Mactrop. Dustin: GrorRGE
Paris: J. B. Banriere, Rue de l’Ecole de Médecine, No. 13, bis.

THE EDINEURGH PRINTING COMPANY.

THE EDINBURGH

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

AND OF

THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES.

MAY, 1840.

ON THE EXTINCTION OF HUMAN RACES.

Tue following important suggestions are taken from a paper (in Longman’s
Chronicle, December 1839) of that distinguished Philosopher and Zoolc-
gist, Dr Prichard, and, like every thing proceeding from his pen, deserve
the serious consideration of every student of Nature.

While other branches of Zoology are diligently cultivated, no degree
of general attention, proportionable to its importance, is given to Ethno-
graphy, or the Natural History of the Human Races, and it appears de-
sirable to call attention to this remark. Opportunities for pursuing this
investigation are every day failing and disappearing for ever, a statement
which cannot be made with respect to other subjects in natural history
or general science. Perpetuity of existence, so far as our ideas of time
extend, belongs alike to the smallest molicules of the unorganized world,
and to those great masses which, revolving in the heavens age after age,
have offered themselves to the view of countless generations. It is quite
otherwise with all the productions of organic life, which exist only in a
series of similar individuals, destined one after another to originate and
decay, a destiny common alike to the lords of the creation and to the pot-
herbs which contribute to their daily food. But the organized world is
subject to another vicissitude. The tribes of which it consists have but
a definite existence, determined by the conditions of external nature.
When these have changed, it would appear that new organized tribes,
adapted by their physical constitution to the new state of external cir-
cumstances, replace the old ones. It would be interesting to inquire,
whether such changes have had any influence on the destiny of the
ancient races of men? Certain it is, that many vast regions of the earth,
if not the whole or the greater part of its surface, were formerly the abode
of tribes which have long ago perished; and many of these races were
different in physical character from those which at present exist in the
same countries. Were the old races swept away by changes in climate
and local circumstances which become incompatible with the conditions
of their existence? This is a question for the solution of which no satis-
factory data can be found.

Although it is uncertain to wnat causes the ancient depopwation of
great regions of the earth may be attributed, such catastrophes appear
to have been of great extent. In the remotest parts of Northern and
Eastern Asia, remains have been discovered which prove that nearly the
whole of that great Continent was once occupied by human races whose
very names have perished. Some of these nations appear to have made
some progress in arts and civilization. Their tombs are found spread
over the countries eastward of Jenisey. In these remote countries, such
Temains are in great numbers and of magnificent construction ; they con-
tain ornaments and various implements of silver, gold, and copper ; there
are girdles of the precious metals, bracelets decked with pearls. In the
same tombs are fragments of earthen manufacture or porcelain. These
are arguments which have satisfied the learned academicians of St
Petersburgh, that such relics belonged to races of people long since ex-
tinct, who must have disappeared before the light of history dawned upon
these countries; but we shall hasten to remark, that discoveries leading
to asimilar result have been traced through the New World, from the
countries bordering on the Mississippi, where tombs are found contain-
ing skeletons of a different conformation from that of the present tribes,
to the high table-land of the Peruvian Cordillera, where these strangely

15

formed skulls are seen which deviate so widely from the usual form of
human heads. Even in the islands of Polynesia, vestiges are discovered
which have been referred to a former race of inhabitants ; and, finally,
there are facts which indicate that extensive countries in Europe were
occupied by races of a different physical character from the present na-
tives, in times which preceded the arrival of Celts and Goths, and other
nations from the East.

And the extermination ot numan races 1s still going on. Whatever
were the causes which destroyed the ancient tribes, we know to what
agency we are to attribute the similar fate of many nations who have
perished since the historic age commenced. How many whole races
have become extinct during the few centuries which have elapsed since
the modern system of colonization commenced? The Guanches, the nu-
merous people of the Canary Islands, now exist only in their mummies.
It would be endless to recount the names of tribes and whole nations in
America who have been extirpated by the Spanish conquerors of that
country. The last race that was utterly destroyed was the Charreas, a
most singular race of people, whose moral and physical character is
briefly sketched by Don F. de Azara, but of whom we have no satisfac-
tory account. The whole country now occupied by civilized nations in
the New World was, three or four centuries ago, thickly peopled by
native tribes. A similar process of extermination has been pursued for
ages in South Africa, formerly the abode of numerous pastoral nations of
Hottentots, a peaceable and inoffensive race, who wandered about with
numerous flocks in a state of primitive simplicity, and whose descend-
ants are now found in the miserable and destitute Bushmen, condemned
to feed upon vermin and reptiles, and rendered savage and cruel by the
wretchedness which their conquerors, misnamed Christian, have entailed
upon them. Wherever Europeans have settled, their arrival has been
the harbinger of extermination to the native tribes: Wherever the simple
pastoral tribes come into relations with the more civilized agricultural
nations, the allotted time of their destruction is at hand.

Now, as the progress of colonization is so much extended of sate years,
it may be calculated that these calamities, impending over the greater
part of mankind, if we reckon by families and races, are to be accelerated
in their progress; and it may happen that, in the course of another cen-
tury, the aboriginal nations of most parts of the world will have ceased to
exist. In the meantime, if more civilized nations think it not their duty
to interpose and save the numerous tribes of their own species from utter
extermination, it is of the greatest importance, in a philosophical point of
view, to obtain much more extensive information than we now possess
of their physical and moral characters. A great number of curious pro-
blems in physiology, illustrative of the history of the species, and the
laws of their propagation, remain as yet imperfectly solved. The psycho-
logy of these races has been but little studied in an enlightened manner ;
and yet this is wanting in order to complete the history of human nature,
and the philosophy of the human mind. I cannot conclude this paper, says
Dr Prichard, without making an appeal to the members of the British
Association in behalf of an attempt, which has been lately set on foot by
individuals, prompted by the most generous sentiments, to do something
more than merely to record the history of the perishing tribes of the hu- ~
man family, and to take up seriously the consideration whether anything
can be done effectually to prevent the extermination of the aboriginal tribes.

58 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY,

ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF SALMON.

Tue development and growth of the salmon, or, in other words, the
history of salmon fry, as must be known to many of our readers, has for
many years been regarded, by all competent judges, as a most difficult,
vexatious, and nearly interminable subject. Nor has it been considered
less important than difficult. The subject of the Salmon Fisheries is
very much involved in it, one of national importance, which, of late years,
notwithstanding repeated parliamentary interference, has fearfully de-
clined. Nothing can be more clear than that, until the true history of
the salmon and its fry has been accurately made out, legislation must pro-
ceed in the dark, and its enactments will probably not only be wide of the
mark, but most decidedly injurious.

This long and vexatious question, we rejoice to announce, has at
length been brought to a close; and that not through the united labours
of our associated and able Naturalists, but by the steady and unaided in-
vestigations of Mr John Shaw, a most respectable individual in the em-
ployment of his Grace the Duke of Buccleuch at Drumlanrig, who, in the
face of considerable unscientific oppusition, pursued the even tenor of his
way, by the simple but satisfactory method of experiment. He has dis-
covered and proved that the small river fish, so well known throughout
Scotland, under the name of parr, and in various localities throughout the
Empire as pinks, brandlings, samlets, fingerlings, gravellings, &c. &c.,
and scarcely more known than disesteemed as of little or no intrinsic value,
are nothing less tnan the young of the true salmon, Salmo salar. That
thts is a real discovery need scarcely be demonstrated, inasmuch as nearly
all the most recent Ichthyological writers, and other Naturalists, have, up to
the present time, been, we believe, unanimous in their opinions regarding
the specific differences between these parrs and the young salmon fry.
We might quote in detail the authorities of Wilson, Yarrell, Jardine,
Parnell, and many others on this point, but we shall adduce the words of
one only of these distinguished Naturalists, and this merely as a specimen
of the rest. ‘‘ I consider the parr not only distinct, but one of the best
and most marked species we have, and that it ought to remain in our
systems as the Salmo Samulus of Ray.” It is this universally received
opinion that Mr Shaw has had the ability and good fortune to overturn
—to the satisfied conviction of those that, a few months ago, were most
opposed to his views—leaving, so far as we know, not a lingering doubt
behind; and hence a rich reward to his persevering assiduity, leading
probably to public profit, as it abundantly has to his private honour ; one
proof of which is to be found in its having led the Council of the Royal
Society of Edinburgh to come to the unanimous decision of bestowing
upon him its Keith Biennial Medal, for the most important communica-
tion presented within the period—an award honourable to the donors, and
still more to the receiver.

Of this discovery, we shall now present a concise view. The author
must have been engaged with the investigation for a period of some five
or six years, as he first published some of his views as far back as July
1836, in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal. In December 1837, his
first paper on the subject was read to the Royal Society of Edinburgh,
and his second in December 1839. Instead, however, of attempting to
analyze any of these communications in chronological order, we shall pro-
duce, in a few words, some of the abundant evidence he has supplied.

Familiar with the breeding-beds in the river Nith, Mr Shaw first re-
moved some salmon spawn which had been deposited and fecundated
in the usual way, and placed it in artificial ponds, which he had con-
structed with great care, and which he effectually guarded against every
thing like foreign mixture. This afforded him an excellent opportunity
of examining the development of the spawn, and of tracing the future
history of the young fish; and he found that these little creatures of his
ponds were in every respect the same as the parrs of the river.

This was the first proof that the parr was nothing else than the genuine
fry of the young salmon; but, as there remained something like ground
for scepticism, he next thought of so regulating the spawning process,
that no suspicion or doubt could remain as to the authenticity and purity
of the breed. He accordingly secured a great female salmon in the act
of spawning, and isolated her in a pool at the river side; from this pool
he cut a trench, which he made to communicate with an artificial bed,
hollowed out by himself. The sides of the female, thus isolated, were
now gently pressed, the spawn floated along the trench, and rested in
the artificial bed. This effected, a great male salmon was next intro-
duced into the pool; his milt was in like manner shed, flowed along the
same trongh, and reposed in the same bed. After a while, this fecun-
dated spawn was removed to the experimental pond, was maintained free
from all subsequent contamination, and its future history, from the ovum
and for many months, demonstrated that it was a parr, agreeing with the
common river ones, and in nothing distinguishable from them. Hence
the inference was conclusive that the young of the salmon was really the
parr.

But the parr being the young of the salmon, it must needs follow that

with age these parr will assume the appearance of salmon, and this Mr
Shaw has most effictually demonstrated. In his experimental ponds
he detained the parr, and noted their successive changes. Whilst yet
undistinguishable in appearance, and allowed by all competent judges to
be genuine parr, he killed and preserved some to serve as objects of com-
parison, and found that after a given time, the whole remaining fry
changed its dress and its habits, and now could be regarded by no one as
the previously considered distinct species of parr; but, on the other hand,
was acknowledged by all to be genuine young salmon, in their silvery migra-
tory livery. The effects of the surrounding temperature on this change were
all carefully noted by Mr Shaw, but our space forbids us to state them.
Suffice it to note, that the spawn deposited the end of January left the ova
only on the 10th of May, the very day on which large shoals of salmon
fry were descending towards the ocean. These shoals have generally
been regarded as the spawn of the same year, whereas thev were far ad-
vanced in their second year’s growth.

But this is not all. Every one who has attended to the habits of sal-
mon is aware that during the process of spawning, the adult female is
frequently attended not by the adult male, but by the tiny parr, whose
milt during the while is copiously flowing in due proportion to that of
the female spawn. Mr Shaw conceived that this might be proof, how-
ever singular the occurrence, of the identity of the species; and this he
determined to subject to the test of experiment. Accordingly, he repeated,
in an isolated pool, with the adult female salmon and the parr, the ex-
periment which has already been related of the adult salmon. The milt
of the parr, thus brought into contact with the spawn of the salmon, was
removed from the artificial bed into the experimental pond, and was found
in the course of months to exhibit precisely the same appearances, first,
of true parr, and then of genuine silvery salmon fry, as the others had
done. In the view that here there was not complete identity of species,
this latter brood would be considered hybrid, and, according to the gener-
ally received notions, mules or neuters, and so incapable of propagating
their kind. This point also has been investigated by Mr Shaw, and,
finally, one of those, by possibility, hybrids has been made to play the
part of the true male salmon, and the acknowledged genuine parr, and
with precisely the same result, so that his progeny has been as distinctly, as
in the other cases, first, the true parr, and then the undisputed young sal-
mon. To conclude, we must state that Mr Shaw has not omitted to col-
lect the spawn of the female salmon before it was subjected to any of the
fecundations above alluded to, and has placed it in an experimental pond,
and with the result which he and others would anticipate, viz. that it
never manifested the slightest appearance of vitality.

We feel we are still far from having completed the account of the in-
teresting particulars which we have heard and read as connected with
Mr Shaw’s important investigations, and to which we would again gladly
return; but we are equally sure that though we cannot have exhausted
the interest of the reader, we have far exceeded the usual limits we allow
to any, even the most interesting subject.

ON THE SEALS OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES.

Tue following observations, made by Mr Kenneth Fergusson, a native of
Harris, have been transmitted to us by Alexander M‘Rae, Esq. of Asker
nish, South Uist.

Two species of Seal are to be found on the shores and in the sounds
of the Long Island, or Outer Hebrides. One of them occurs in the
open sea, principally among the rocks in the Western Ocean, but also
about rocks distant from the shore on the eastern side of the islands.
This kind, in the language of the country, which alway designates an
animal by a term expressive of some remarkable trait in its form or cha-
racter, is named Jabdli-bhiast, or Ocean-beast; the other is named Biast-
caolis, or Channel-beast, from its frequenting the narrow sounds.

The first is much the largest, and, when full-grown, of a dirty or dull
whitish colour. When young, the pile is about two inches and a half
long, and fine or woolly; that of the old animal is shorter, thinly set,
and strong. ‘The woolly pile is shed when the animal is about three
months old. These Seals have their young about the first days of No-
vember, or a little earlier, and bring them forth on shore, selecting unin-
habited grassy islands, such as Tabhocer, near Cannay, Causamal, and
another rock also named Tabhocer, both off the west coast of North
Uist, as well as many similar islands along the western side of the Outer
Hebrides. From its place of birth the cub never ventures until able to
shift for himself, which he is supposed to do in about a month, although
this is not certain. During this time, they are to be found in great num-

bers on such rocks as those described ; the males, and those which have —

no young, among the rest. Advantage is taken of this circumstance,
and they are slaughtered with clubs, great numbers being frequently ob-
tained. At this time the young are about the size of a Cheviot lamb in
November, that is, three feet or so in length. Ina month after, they are

AND OF THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES. 59

of the size of a ewe of the same breed; and, when they have obtained
their full growth, they are about nine feet long, and seven feet in girth.
It is not said whether they keep in pairs, for the support or defence of
their young. Two individuals, a male and a female, the male distin-
guishable by his darker colour, were reposing on a rock in the middle of
June. A person, having quietly approached in a boat, wounded one in
such a degree that, when afloat, it was unable to dive. The other came
to its assistance, swam by its side, and supported it, and succeeded in
carrying it off, the sportsman being alone in the boat, and having no more
shot, which you know is sometimes as scarce in Harris as in the wilds
of Canada. Of this larger sort the head is disproportionately large when
the animal is young, but better proportioned when old; only it always
remains coarse, as a grazier would say; somewhat flat in front, with an
abrupt bend near the nose.

The smaller Seals which frequent the narrow sounds bring forth their
young in the month of June, going ashore for the purpose. But the cub
seems to be able to betake itself to the sea soon after birth. It continues
with its mother about a month. This cub is at first about the size of a
young lamb, being two feet in length when extended, slender, and of a
greyish-blue colour, with a whitish tinge; the head very small. The pile
becomes dingy, and in about a year is cast, when a beautiful blueish pile
appears. When full-grown, this Seal is about six feet in length, and
five in girth. The cub of the other or large Seal is of a white colour,
with a large head, as already mentioned; whereas the cub of the small
sort is blueish, with round, well proportioned, or, as a grazier would say,
fine head.

Seals have only one cub atatime. There are two teats about the
middle of the body. The udders extend along the body on each side,
becoming narrower at the ends. The milk is white and thick. The
stomach is of an oblong shape, becoming more slender below, taking a
considerable bend, and tapering away into the intestine, which is narrow
and of great length. It is seldom that any thing is found in the stomach.
Fergusson, however, killed one in the act of eating a fish. The fibres
of the heart are remarkably distinct, and appear to be convoluted in va-
tious directions. The lungs and windpipe do not seem to differ much
from those of a sheep, but the liver is formed of various portions, all, how-
eyer, connected. There is a gall-bladder; and the bladder for urine is
like that of other quadrupeds. Such are the particulars related by Ken-
neth Fergusson.

Having resided several years on these islands, we may be allowed to
state that the small Seal is the Phoca vitulina of Linnzeus, Desmarest,
Jenyns, Bell, Hamilton, and others. The large species is the Grey Seal,
Phoca Gryphus of Fabricius, or Halicherus Gryphus of Nilsson and
Bell.

ON THE CHANGE PRODUCED ON MAN’S TEMPERATURE, BY PASSING INTO
DIFFERENT LATITUDES.—During the recent voyage of the French discovery
ship, La Bonite, MM. Eydoux and Souleyet made an extensive series
of accurate observations upon the temperature of man and animals
throughout the wide range of latitude they traversed, the results of which
have been laid before L’ Academie des Sciences, by M. de Blainville, and
which lead to the conclusion that man’s temperature increases in advanc-
ing into a warm latitude, and diminishes when he retires into a cold ;—
while, at the same time, the change is quite as small as our preconceived
ideas would have led us to believe.

The observations were made upon ten of the crew of La Bonite of
different ages and temperaments, but all subjected to the same regimen,
and nearly to the same occupations. They began in the month of August
1836, while the vessel was at Rio-Janeiro, and were continued every
day at the same hour, 3 rp. M., tillthe ships arrived in France in November
1837. The number of observations amounted to 4000. The tempera-
ture of these individuals fell very gradually in passing from warmer into
colder regions ; and rose much more rapidly when, on the contrary, they
returned from these cold latitudes into the torrid zone: and the double
change is much more marked in some individuals than in others. The
mean temperature exhibited by these men when examined at Cape Horn,
when the external temperature was at the freezing point, showed only an
approximative difference of one degree, to the mean temperature they
gave in the Ganges, near Calcutta, with the thermometer standing at
104°. Hence it follows, that a variation of 72° of external temperature
produces in man’s body a variation of temperature amounting to only
one degree.—( Annales des Sciences Nat. T. IX. 190.)

' ON THE HABITS OF THE WATER-SHREW.—(Sorexr Fodiens.)—D. W. B.
Clarke, now in Edinburgh, has lately published, in our esteemed contem-
porary, ‘‘ The Magazine of Natural History,” an interesting account of
the Habits of the Water-Shrew, which we shall introduce into our pages.
D. Clarke informs us, that whilst walking by the side of the river Gipp-
ing, between Ipswich and the village of Sproughton, he observed several
of these animals in a dyke that runs parallel to the river. These little
creatures were in such rapid motion on the water, that its surface was

thrown into a state of quick undulation, though the dyke was at least
four feet wide. At times they would be upon the surface, moving at a
rapid rate between the blades of the aquatic plants, then they would dive,
and for a while remain beneath, but always, on returning to the top, dis-
playing the greatest rapidity in their movements. Whilst above water,
they were constantly repeating their faint, though shrill, tremulous
squeak, which appeared expressive of pleasurable sensations.

On visiting the spot the following evening, I had an opportunity of re-
marking the movements of these little creatures on land. I found be-
neath a slightly hanging bank, and close to the water side, a long gallery,
which, though in a great measure naturally formed, yet had been greatly
improved by the Shrews, as a convenient viaduct between one hunting
place and another. The grasses and other plants had been removed, as
well as here and there small portions of earth, in order to render this
passage as commodious as possible. The passage was mostly above the
water level, but at intervals there were depressions where the water
passed over its floor. It was evidently the common property of the
shrews, as several were continually running backwards and forwards,
along its whole extent, and ultimately taking to the water, swimming up
and down the ditch, diving, and performing curious evolutions in search
of their insect prey. They swim upon, and under the surface of the
water with equal rapidity ; and when beneath, the hair upon their bodies
so completely repels the water, that the entangled air gives their bodies
the brilliancy of silver, as they pursue their course. On emerging from the
water their coat appears quite dry, but this is further insured by the little
creature shaking itselfon landing. When travelling along the gallery, a
tremulous shriek is always heard when two shrews pass each other;
and the same thing occurs, though not so invariably, in their movements
in the water. When a shrew secured an insect it quitted the water, and
ascending a convenient stone, or projecting root of atree, or other similar
body, at its leisure devoured its prize, steadying it with its fore paws,
whilst it nibbled, apparently with the greatest enjoyment, one or other of
the extremities. I once traced a pair of shrews into a small hole in a
bank by the side of the ditch, where I had been in the habit of driving them,
and in attempting to secure them, I carefully removed the earth, when I
found that although the entrance was scarcely larger than just to allow
two shrews passing together, yet it led into a very spacious vestibule,
with numerous galleries, so extensive there was no possibility of ascertain-
ing their full extent, without removing the greater portion of the bank.
These animals are much infected with parasitical acari.

Me ScHomBourGK ON THE SPEcIES AND Hasirs oF THE ARMADILLOES OF
Gotana.— While ascending, says Mr Schomburgk, a hill, at the foot of
which our tents were pitched, the Indians set the savannahs on fire. A ge-
neral bustle of those who had remained in the camp soon attracted my at-
tention. I saw the men armed with bows and arrows, and, accompanied
with their dogs, under full cry in pursuit of some game. The chase was of
short duration, and, on reaching the spot where the pursuers had come toa
stand, I found that an Armadillo of gigantic size, which, no doubt, had
been chased by the flames from its retreat, had caused the commotion.
It was lying a round misshapen mass, its head partly buried under its ar-
mour, the feet drawn together, and its body pierced by numerous ar-
rows. It offered not the slightest resistance to its tormentors, whom I
desired to end its sufferings by a heavy stroke of a club. Mr S. now
left the carcase with the full intention of returning and minutely examin-
ing it; his disappointment, accordingly, was great when he presently found
it was cut up by the Indians, and boiled for the sake of its oil. Two
men were required to carry it, and Mr S. estimated its weight at from 110
to 120 pounds; its height was about three feet, its length five and a half.
Its tail was about fourteen or sixteen inches long, and its root nearly as
thick as a man’s thigh, tapering very abruptly. The middle one of the
five toes of the fore-foot was seven and a half inches in length. In
size it greatly surpasses the largest Giant Armadillo known, (Dasypus
giganteus, Desm.,) though Mr S. does not mean to assert it is a different
species from the giganteus; yet its enormous size will attract the attention
of naturalists and geologists to the fossil genera. A specimen of the
genuine giganteus is alluded to, which weighed 70lbs. The third species
is the D. encoubert of Desmarest, with six or seven bands; a fourth, the
D. Peba, Desm., the most common in Guiana, about 18 inches long, and
the tail as much. Fifth, the Savannah Armadillo is the D. villosus,
Desm. The Indians say it occasionally feeds on carrion; and both the
shell and body are covered with hair. The D. tatouay is the sixth, with
twelve or thirteen moveable bands; and the minutus is the last, its
body being ten inches long, covered with numerous brown hairs.

All these resemble each other in their habits and appearance ; and their
form, number of claws, and dentition, supply the Naturalist with the spe-
cific distinctions. They all burrow, and their general food appears to be
worms and insects ; they sometimes commit depredations in the provision
grounds, and the Indians agree in asserting that the Giant and Savannah
species feed on carrion. When about to bring forth, the mother is said

60 THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY.

to make a nest in the burrow, and gives birth to from seven to nine young,
which are blind. They afterwards follow the mother, who, whilst the
young are still helpless, never ventures to leave her hole by day.
They feed generally by night ; but, from the circumstance that we have
secured several in the daytime walking about, it may be concluded that
hunger forces them sometimes to go in search of food during the day.
Their walk is swift, but they ean neither run, leap, nor climb. If pur-
sued, therefore, without being able to reach their hole, they roll them-
selves up and submit to their fate without defence. The smaller species
are eaten by the Indians, and considered a delicacy. The Arawaak In-
dians are the only tribe whom I have ascertained eat the Giant variety.
The common species is esteemed by many Creoles, and its flesh is white
and tastes like a rabbit; hence we may suppose they receive no mercy.
When pursued far from their retreat, they begin digging a fresh burrow,
and, when half buried and laid hold of by the tail, it is so difficult to pull
them backwards, that they often make their escape with the loss of this
appendage. Their pursuers, aware of this, avoid dragging the tail with
all their force, while some one tickles it with a small stick, upon which it
relinquishes its hold’and is secured.—Azn. of Nat. Hist. V. 32.

Eadie Ray or Yarrewy, (Myliobatus aquila, Cuv.,) A NATIVE OF THR
Britisu SHores.—‘‘ Mr Travis, surgeon, of Scarborough,” says Pennant,
‘*had, inthe summer of 1769, the tail of a Ray brought to him by a
fisherman of that town; he had taken it in the sea off the coast, but flung
away the body.” To what species, says the intelligent reporter, this tail
belonged, has never been satisfactorily determined. Pennant himself be-
lieved it to belong to the species called by the Brazilians Jaberete, but the
editor of his work, published in 1812, referred it to the Raia aquila of
Linnzeus, which is said to be a native of the Mediterranean. Dr Turton
omitted it in his Catalogue of the British Fauna; and in the works of Dr
Fleming, and of Messrs Jenyns and Yarrell, it stands among the doubtful
or undetermined species, the two latter expressing a belief that the
tail might be referred to the Raia Giorna with as much probability as the
R. aquila; and, consequently, Mr Yarrell has given a figure of both these
species, to enable future inquirers the more readily to determine the ques-
tion, should an opportunity occur for doing so. Aware of these particulars,
it was with no ordinary delight that I received a perfect specimen of the
Raia aquila in September last, which had been found that morning on the
shore of our bay (Berwick) near Spittal. It was quite fresh and in fine
preservation ; and proves, as I think, that the conjecture of Mr Travis’
fish being the aquila is perfectly correct. There is, at all events, now no
doubt that this species is a native of our seas. The extreme breadth of
this specimen was 21 inches; from the snout to the insertion of the tail,
13; length of the tail, 213.—Dr Jounston.—Proceedings of Ber. Nat.
Club, p. 205.

METEOROLOGY.
ON THE NATURE OF METEORS.

As bearing upon this point, we shall notice very shortly, first, a commu-
nication which was made by Sir J. Herschell to the Royal Society on
March 21, 1839, and which has recently been published. A “ meteor,”
we are informed, exploded on the 13th of October in the Cold Bokkweld,
Cape of Good Hope, with a noise so loud as to be heard over an area of
more than 70 miles in diameter, in broad daylight, about half-past nine a.m.
It was seen traversing the atmosphere, north-east of the point, where it ex-
ploded, 60 miles, of a silvery hue, the airat the time calm, hot, and sultry, the
barometer at Worcester standing at the lowest point of the range. The explo-
sion was accompanied by a noise like that from artillery, followed by a fall
of pieces of matter, portions of which fell or were dispersed to the distance
of five miles from each other. Some falling on hard ground were smashed,
others in moist ground plunged into the earth, and one piece is reported to
have made a hole three feet broad, and sunk deep. It is stated to have been
so soft as to admit of being cut with a knife when it first fell, and hard-
ened subsequently. The original solid mass was estimated at five cubic
feet, viz. being the sum of all the portions which fell to the ground. A por-
tion of this stone was analyzed by Dr Faraday, and did not remarkably
differ from other aérolites.

Contrasted with this meteoric stone, we allude next to the occurrence
of a very different meteor, in an opposite quarter of the globe, viz. in
North America, as described by Professor Loomis, Ohio, (Silliman’s
Journ. XXXYV. for April 1839.) On the evening of May 18, 1839, a
very remarkable ‘ meteor” was seen throughout most of the northern
part of the United States, and a considerable district of Canada. It at-
tracted general attention from its size, brilliancy, train, length of path, and
slowness of apparent motion. Observers, almost without exception,
pronounced it the most remarkable meteor they ever saw. This led Mr
Loomis to make numerous inquiries, and careful investigations, concerning
it, some of which we shall shortly state. The meteor was seen throughout
all the north of Ohio, in Michigan, in the states of New York and New

Hampshire, and in various parts of Canada. From calculation, the height,
when first seen, appears to have been 28 miles; at the time of explosion,
32 miles; and, at an intermediate point, 85 miles. The length of the path
was 218 miles, and the apparent average velocity 30 miles a second; its
absolute diameter three-quarters of a mile. No noise attended. Mr L.
adds, ‘‘ This meteor must have consisted of matter exceedingly rare, and
of very feeble cohesion. During nearly its entire route, new portions of
matter were continually detaching themselves from the main body, and
this finally divided itself into a large number of fragments. We have, per-
haps, no means of forming any precise estimate of its density, yet it is
doubtful whether it exceeded that of atmospheric air. The light was,
without doubt, produced by combustion. The meteor, by rapid motion
through the upper regions of the air, generated heat sufficient to set itself
on fire, and it was probably consumed in the course of 10”. Nothing is
learned to have fallen to the earth from the meteor, and the appearances
were those of a body entirely consumed by combustion.” In conclusion,
Mr L. compares this meteor with the known phenomena of shooting stars,
and is of opinion that the meteor of the 18th of May did not essentially
differ from the ordinary shooting stars, except as to magnitude. For re-
flections we have no space, and may safely leave them with the reader.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

Illustrations of the Breeds of the Domestic Animals of the British Islands, con-
sisting of a series of coloured Lithographic Prints, with descriptive Me-
moirs. By Proressor Low. Longmans.

Though the first number only of this work has come to hand, yet we are
solicitous to lose no time in presenting it to the favourable regard of our
readers. The high character of the intelligent Professor, and the enter-
prise of the eminent publishers, raised our anticipations high as to the
execution of the work, and they have in no degree been disappointed.
This number, as is proposed of the others, consists of four plates, with
coloured figures of from four to eight animals, or more. The originals, by
Mr Sheils, form a part of the beautiful collection of the paintings of the
Agricultural Museum of the College of Edinburgh. They are drawn on stone
by Fairland, from coloured drawings by Nicholson, and do the highest credit
to all concerned. In this number, there is one representation of the wild
or white forest breed, two of the Pembroke breed, and four of the West-
Highland, all, as it appears to us, excellent; together with separate me-
moirs of these breeds, giving full details of their natural history, their
peculiar valuable properties, and how they may be improved, if possible,
in some circumstances, and injured, as is frequently done, in others. The
Professor’s account of the wild white breed we consider admirable, and
the whole work cannot fail to be highly esteemed by the Naturalist as
well as the Agriculturist. We strongly recommend it to our public lib-
raries, to the stock farmer, and to the many enlightened and honourable
gentlemen, who are desirous of widening the channels of our native in-

dustry.

Tue Naruratist’s Lisrary, conducted by Sir W. Jardine, Bart.
Entomotoey. Vol. VI. Bess.

We feel happy in being called so soon to notice the appearance of
another volume of this beautiful and interesting miscellany,—one on Bees.
It is occupied chiefly with our common Honey-Bee, insisting largely on
its anatomy and physiology, the peculiarities of the several classes of the
hive, also of their architecture, swarms, diseases, foes, together with the
practical management of the apiary. This portion, we are led to under-
stand, is from the pen of Mr Dunbar, the incumbent of Applegarth,
a well known cultivator of natural history, whose tastes have led him
peculiarly to study the wonderful doings of these tiny insects. This part
of the volume is replete with original and valuable matter, and pleads
strongly for the humane and enlightened treatment of these interesting
beings. The other portion, upon the wild and foreign species, is from the
elegant pen of Mr Duncan, and well maintains the character of that
author’s esteemed writings. The whole is illustrated by thirty-six coloured
engravings, in which, in addition to many species of bees, the foreign
ones, larger and more gaudy than our own, we have illustrations
of their anatomical structure, their cells and hives, and their enemies,
whether mammals, birds, or insects. Finally, we have a portrait of the
illustrious Huber, from an original in the possession of his sister, along
with a short memoir. Altogether, it forms a truly interesting volume,
and will not be esteemed the least popular of this very popular series.

Published for the Proprizror, at the Office, No. 13, Hill Street.
Grascow, and the West of

EpInpuren:
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THE EDINBURGH PRINTING COMPANY,

INDEX TO THE JOURNAL, (VOL. IT.)

Arrica, animals of Southern, 18
Animal substances, preservation of, 4
Antarctic expedition, 32, 34

Antelope, the Sable, 13

Ants, notices of the White, 49, 54
Arago on lightning, 7, 24

Armadilloes, notice of the, 59

Azara’s account of the Little Marten, 10
Azara’s quadrupeds of Paraguay, 16

Bees, nests of, 48

Beetle, burying, monstrosity in, 6
Bellamy, Mr J. C., contributions of, 1
Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, 48
Birch, the white, 8

Bloodhounds, 21, 26

Blumenbach, death of, 56

Boa Constrictor, 40

Boie’s classification of birds, 2, 5
Bonaparte’s Iconografia, 48
Buffaloes, described, 9

Butterflies, shower of, 32

CameELoparp, Capt. Harris’ account of the, 18

Cauary, talking, 10
Caoutchoue, 15
Carburetted hydrogen gas, 35
Carpenter's Physiology, 31
Cat, the wild, 41
Caterpillar’s lace, 20
Caverns, subterranean, 24
Chickens, hatching of, 10
Chimpansee, 42

Cotton, 7

Crabs, 4

Crossbill, common, 21
Cunningham, (Allan,) 44

Denpritic forms of minerals, 35
Dinotherium giganteum, 34, 43
Dog, Persian sheep, 51

Dogs of Paraguay, 13
D’Orbigny’s voyage, 48

Dunbar and Duncan, on bees, 60

Eacte-Ray of Yarrell, 60
Earthquakes, 7, 39
Eccaleobion, 10, 38

Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, 44

Eels, viviparous, 20

Eggs, hatching of, 10, 38
Electrical eel, 43

Electricity, 11

Embalming, M. Gannel’s mode of, 4
Emu, description of the, 17

Ewe, breeding of a, 20

FALLine stars, 31, 43

Fishes, nests of, 46

Flora of London, 7

Flourens, on the races of Man, 38, 41

Fowls, common, anecdote of, 10
Fox, description of the Common, 37
Fruit-Crows, notice of the, 54
Fruits, method of preserving, 4

Gatvanic telegraph, 32

Geology in Russia, 24

Gilbert, Mr Davies, 56

Giraffe, birth of a, 23

Goat of Angora, 54

Guerin Meneyville’s Magazin de Zoologie, 48

HaMILToN Suitn’s Natural History of Dogs, 48
Harris’, Capt., African Sports, 18, 25, 30
Highland and Agricultural Society, 36
Hippopotamus, account of the, 30

Howler, Red, notice of, 74

Hurricane, effects of a, 27

IcELAND, birds of, 19

JaGuar, habits of the, 51

Jardine’s (Sir Wm.) British Salmonide, 48
Johnstone’s (Dr) British Sponges and Corallines, 40

Kine of the Vultures, account of, 14

Lean on the Steam Engine, 44

Leather, liquid, 40

Lemur, notices of the Flying, 30, 50
Linnzean Society, proceedings of the, 28, 55
Linneus’ daughter, 52

Lithography, origin of, 24

Llama, wool of the Paco, 40

Low, on the Domestic Animals, 60

Macaco, new species of, 42
MGillivray’s British Birds, 32
Macroscelides, new species of, 33
Marten, account of a Tame Pine, 37
Marten, description of the, 33
Mason Spiders, nests of the, 50
Mastodon, form of the, 43
Megatherium, 15

Meteoric paper, 27

Meteors, nature of. 60

Meyer’s British Birds, 47
Microscopical Society, 56
Mummies, Mexican, 48

NasMyYTH on the Teeth, 45

Natural History, delights of, 53

Naturalist, the, 32

Neill’s Fruit, Flower, and Kitchen Garden, 28
Norwich, sketch of the Natural History of, 3, 6

OxtservaTory at Manchester, 56
Opium, effects of, 54

Otter, a new, 14

Otter, description of the, 33
Otter hunt, 58

| Oxen described, 9

PARCHMENT, new, 16
Partridge, 23

Paying with wood, 35
Peacock, vanity of the, 23
Peter Parley’s Tales, 12
Pigeons in Petersburgh, 6
Pisa, meeting at, 28

Plants, respiration of, 20
Pritchard on Human Races, 57

RAVEN, notice of a, 42
Reproduction of Plants, 36
Rhubarb, Giant Goliath, 23

| Richerand, death of, 56
| Rivers, drying up of, 27

| Roach, habits of the, 51

| Rock-Salt, threads of, 35

Rook’s Bill, singular development of a, 8
Royal Irish Academy, 56

SALMoNnIDz&, growth of the, 40, 58
Sawdust for food, 44

Sea-ware used as food, 30

Seals, domestication of, 42

Seals of the Outer Hebrides, 58
Shoe, structure of the, 28

Silk, growth of, 40

Snake-nut, 55

Spiders, aerial voyages of, 34, 52
Sponge, nature of, 15

Springs, intermittent brine, 11
Stereography, notice of, 36
Sugar from beetroot, 16
Summer-birds, notice of the, 54
Swallow, Rough-winged, 6
Swallows, anecdote of, 27

Tea of Assam, 47
Tea plant, 15, 39
Temminck’s Manuel, 48
Temperature of Man, 59

VACCINATION, 36
Vampire, living, 29

Viola lactea, 7

Watzus in Britain, 22
Water-Shrew, habits of the, 59
Weasels, attacks of, 37

Weasels, description of the, 29
Wernerian Society, memoirs of the, 44
Whale, the Ca’ing, 53

Winter, effects of a severe, 51, 55
Wolves in Russia, 10

Woodcock, breeding of the, 19
Woodpeckers, tongue of, 25

Wren, description of the Common, 5

| Zoorocicat Gardens of Edinburgh, 45

Zoological Society of Dublin, 52

LIST OF THE WOODCUTS.

1. Singular Development of a Rook’s Bill,... 1.0.00... .:0s::0:: ese eee ess eee esses 3 5, Elements of the Tongue in Birds,...

2. New Otter from Demerara, (Feet and Tail, ..14 6. Teeth of the Flying Lemur. a

3. Heads of the Crossbill,.. 21 7. Cranium of Dinotherium siganteum, ‘Gtenograph, ie
-25 8. Piebald Negro, (Stenograph,) ... neeicanek saben

4, Apparatus of the T ongue “of Woodpeckers, ..

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THE

ANIMAL KINGDOM.

THE FIRST CLASS OF THE VERTEBRATED ANIMALS.
MAMMALIA—MAN AND BEASTS—Conrinvep.

THE CARNASSIERS OF CUVIER.

SYNONYMS.
Les Carnassiers.—Cuy. Reg. Anim. I. 110.
Carnassters.—Ham. Smith, Syn. p. 53.
Fer, (Raubthiere.)—Voigt. Thierr. I. 105.
Carnivora, (Fleischfressende Thiere.)—Schinz Thierr. 1. 150.

Tue Carnassiers form a large and varied group of unguiculated
Mammalia, possessing three kinds of teeth, like Man and the Qua-
drumana, but having no opposable thumbs on the fore extremities.
They (all) feed on animal substances, and more exclusively in pro-
portion as their molars are more trenchant. Those which have their
molar teeth partly tuberculous feed more or less also upon vege-
table substances, and those having them studded with conical points
derive their subsistence chiefly from Insects. The articulation of
the lower jaw, directed crosswise, and compressed like a hinge, ad-
mits of no horizontal movement, and confines the motion of the jaw
to opening and shutting.

The cerebrum, still rather furrowed, has no third lobe, and, as
in the succeeding divisions, does not cover the cerebellum. Their
orbits are not separated in the skeleton from the temporal fossi.
The cranium is narrowed, and the zygomatic arches are remote

and elevated, to give more volume and strength to the muscles of
the jaw. The sense of smelling is most perfectly developed in
them, and their pituitary membrane is generally extended over
very numerous bony lamine. The fore-arm can still rotate in
most of them, although with less facility than in the Quadrumana,
and they never have thumbs on the fore-limbs capable of opposing
the fingers. Their intestines are not capacious, on account of the
substantial nature of their food, and to avoid the putrefaction which
flesh would undergo from remaining too long in an elongated canal.

In other respects, their forms, and the details of their organiza-
tion, vary much, and draw along with them corresponding variations
in their modes of life, to such an extent that it becomes impossible
to arrange the genera in one group. It becomes necessary to form
several families, which are differently related to each other, accord-
ing to these multiplied variations.

M. Cuvier accordingly divides his Carnassiers into the families of Cheiropteres, Insectivores, Carnivores, &c.; but as there are many and
strong objections to this arrangement, as he himself was aware, we prefer adopting the views of other first rate authorities, and consider

the Chiroptera as a distinct order.

ORDER I11.—CHIROPTERA.

MAMMALIA WITH FOUR DISTINCT UNGUICULATED LIMBS ; THREE KINDS OF TEETH ; NO MARSUPIAL
BONES ; THE LIMBS UNITED ON EACH SIDE BY A MEMBRANE.

SYNONYMS.

Cuizoptzres ou AvipBpEs.—Dum. Zool. Anal. p. 11.
Les Cuetropréres.—Cuy. Reg. Anim. I. 111.—Desm. Mam. p. 107.
Cutrortera and Galeopithecus.—Fisch. Syn. Mam.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. pref.

Primates, (in part.)—Linn. Gmel. I.

Vorirantia, (Flatterfiisser.)—Illig. Prodr. 116.

CHARACTERS OF THE ORDER.

Generat Form adapted for flight or vaulting.
Memsranes extending between the four limbs and the fingers of the anterior pair.
Tue Mammz pectoral, cole libero pendulo.

Tue CravicLes very strong.

VOL. Il,

Tue SHOULDER-BLADES broad.
Tue Fore-Arm incapable of rotation.

2 ORDER CHIROPTERA—GENUS GALEOPITHECUS.

The Chiroptera have still some affinities to the Quadrumana, par
leur verge pendante, and in their mamme being placed upon the
breast. Their distinguishing feature consists in a fold of skin aris-
ing from the sides of the neck, extending along their four feet and
their fingers, which sustains them in the air, and even permits such
of them to fly as have their hands sufficiently developed for that pur-
pose. This arrangement requires strong clavicles and scapule, in
order that their shoulder may have the requisite solidity ; but it is

incompatible with the rotation of the fore-arm, which would have en-
feebled the force of the jirk necessary for flying.

These animals have four large canines, but the number of their
incisors [and molars] varies. For a long time they have composed
two genera, [through the progress of science now become two
tribes, ] according to the extent of their organs of flight; but the
second requires many additional subdivisions.

TRIBE I. GALEOPITHECUS.—VAULTING CATS.

The Galeopitheci differ from the other tribe with which they are
associated in this respect, that the fingers of their anterior ex-
tremities, which are all supplied with sharp claws, are not length-
ened out, but are like those of their posterior extremities ; so that
the memorane, filling up the interval between them, and extending
to the sides of the tail, can do little more than discharge the office
of a parachute. Their canines are indented and short, like their
molars. Above they have two incisors, which are also indented,
and widely separated from each other; in the lower jaw they have six,
deeply grooved or pectinated, a structure which is quite peculiar to
themselves. These animals live upon trees, in the Indian Archipelago,
and pursue Insects, and perhaps Birds: were we to judge from the
wasting which their teeth undergo through age, we should infer
that they also lived upon fruits. Their ccecum is large.

The Flying, or, more properly, Vaulting Cat or Lemur, forms the soli-
tary genus of this tribe, which in many respects constitutes a connect-
ing link between the Lemurs we have left, and the Bats. It has not
the hands of the Quadrumana, and differs in other striking particulars.
It is distinguished, again, from the Bats, in that in these latter there is not
a fold ox skin between the toes, whilst the hind-feet of the Galeopitheci are
palmated, as are their fore-feet. Besides, the alar membranes ofthe Bats do
not commence before the shoulders, whilst those of the Vaulting Lemurs
proceed from the neck, at the angle of the jaw. Lastly, the toes of the
anterior extremity, in the Galeopitheci, are not much larger than those of
the posterior, whilst in the Bats the fingers are prolonged to five or six
times the length of their toes. The Vaulting Lemur uses its hind-legs
a good deal like other Quadrupeds, and its fingers and toes are nearly of
the same relative length asin the Monkeys. The flying membrane of the
Galeopithecus is not naked, as is common in Bats, but covered on both
sides with fine and soft hair like that of the Mole. The females have
two, prominent mamme, which are pectoral. The dental apparatus clearly
manifests that these animals are frugivorous, though it is also alleged they
can eat flesh and insects, like the Hedgehog.

GENUS I. GALEOPITHECUS.—_VAULTING LEMURS.

GENERIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Hanps and Feet moderately developed, also the Togs; all sup-
plied with strong and crooked Nats.
212+C+ (1 F+4)M_16_o4

3+C+(1 F+4)M 18
Tue Vauttinc Memprane covered with hair both above.and beneath.
Tue Mama two. Pectoral.
Hasirat, the Indian Archipelago.

Tue Dentat FormuLa

GALEOPITHECUS RUFUS.—THE RED VAULTING LEMUR.

GALEOPITHECUS VOLANS.—Shaw, Gen. Zool.

Lemur voLans.—Linn. Gmel. I. 44.

FELIS VOLANS TERNATEA.—Seb. Thes.

CoLuco and OLEcK.—Native names,

Lemur votans.—Pallas, Act. Ac. Sc. Pet. 1780.

GaLEOPITHECUS RUFUS.— Audeb. des Galeop. pl. 1.

GaLEopiTHEcus RUFUS.—Griffith’s Cuvier, II. 158.

GALEOPITHECUS VARIEGATUS, (GEOFFROY.)—Audeb. des Galeop. pl. 2.
LEmor voLtans.—Schreb. XLIII.

FELIS VOLANS TERNATEA.—Seb. Mus. tab. 58.

Syn.

Tcon.

2 SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue For is reddish-grey above, reddish below, and vamnegated and
spotted with different coloured greys when the animal is young.
Inuazits the Moluccas and Indian Archipelago.

The Red Vaulting Lemur is about the size of a Cat. Its head re-
sembles that of the Lemurs, but the muzzle is more arched ; its eyes are
large, and at a considerable distance from each other ; the ears are small,
naked, oval, and black ; the nose also is black. The anterior extremities
are long, and very slender; the fore-arm is more clothed with hair than
the arm; the sole of the foot is naked and black; the toes are about an
inch long, flattened on the sides, and united by a membrane; the nails are
curved into a half circle, and are strong, much compressed, and pointed.
They somewhat resemble those of the Cat, and, as in this animal, appear to
be habitually concealed. Inthe posterior extremities the thighis more clothed
than the leg; the toes and nails are like those already described. The tail
is not so long as the body and head taken together. The membrane rises
from under the chin, proceeds to the nails of the anterior extremity, then
to those of the posterior, and unites at the extremity of the tail. The
robe which covers the head, back, and upper part of the membrane, is
smooth, and of a deep and lively red colour ; that of the chest, abdomen,
and arm, is brighter and rough. The teeth are said to be anomalous,
and are variously described by authors. We subjoin that of M. Desmou-
lins :—There are six incisors in the lower jaw, the intermediate four of
which are much sloped; the two central have eight pectinated furrows,
the next nine, and the third five ; the external are both less sloped and
less indented. The next tooth resembles a molar on its posterior surface ;
it has also two distinct roots, but has a triangular point in front. To this
succeeds another, which before its principal projection has one small heel,
and behind it three, disposed triangularly. Four molars succeed, the first
of which is twice the length of the others. In the upper jaw there are
also five molars, the four last of which very much resemble each other;
the one anterior to these has two principal points in a series, and is very
strong at its base ; the tooth before this (answering to the canine) is very
long, triangular, and has three distinct indentations. In the intermaxillary

‘bone there are two teeth, the posterior of which resembles the canine

which succeeds it. These incisors are early and frequently lost.
These animals almost constantly reside on trees, where they hang dur-

ing the day, suspended by their hind-legs from the branches: they move —

with difficulty on the earth’s surface; but climb trees with surprising fa-
cility, and spring from one to the other, supported, as by a parachute, in
their passage by the membrane spread round their body. They are cre-
pusculous, and active only during the twilight.

The Colugo was first described by Bontius in his History of Java. He
informs us it is found in Guzerat, is gregarious, and feeds chiefly on fruits.
Camelli, in his enumeraticn of the animals of the Philippine Islands, pub-
lished by Petiver in the Philosophic Transactions, says, its length is three
spans, and that the young adhere to the teats of the parent, even in fly-
ing, by their mouth and claws. Their flesh is said to have a disagreeable
odour, but, notwithstanding, it is eaten by many of the islanders with much
relish.

DOUBTFUL SPECIES.

1. GaLEopriTHEcus variEcatus (Audeb. des Galeop. pl. 2.—Geoffroy,
in Mag. Encycl. Desm. No. 134) appears to be nothing more than the
young of the preceding.

2. GatroritHecus TeRNaTENsIS, (Seba, Mus. tab. 58, Geoffroy.) This
species was introduced into our catalogues by M. Geoffroy, upon the
imperfect description of Seba. It was observed in Ternate, one of the
Moluccas.

THE FRUGIVOROUS BATS. 3

TRIBE If.

The tribe of the Bats comprehends various and numerous families,
all closely associated. Throughout the whole the fingers of the an-
terior extremity are much prolonged, and enveloped in a membrane
usually naked, forming true wings ; the thumb is considerably apart,
but not opposable, and is armed with a claw ; the posterior extremi-
ties are weak, furnished with five equal toes ; there are three sorts
of well characterized teeth.

A striking peculiarity has lately been pointed out in the oste-
ology of the superior extremity, so remarkably employed in this

VESPERTILIONID, Gray, Lesson.—Gen. Vesrertitio, Linn.—BATS.

tribe, which must not be omitted. We allude to the existence 01 a
particular bone, placed behind the articulation of the arm with the
fore-arm, and presenting in this joint an arrangement altogether
parallel to that of the patella in the knee-joint. This bone, analo-
gous to the olecranon process, and which may be designated the
patella of the anterior extremity, is not, we believe, found in any
other of the Mammalia, not even in the Galeopitheci; whereas it
exists in the Insectivorous as well as in the Frugivorous Bats, al-
though in some of the former it is rudimentary.

FAMILY I.

FRUGIVORA._FRUGIVOROUS BATS.

Syn. MecanycTeres.—Latreille, Reg. Anim.

CHARACTERS OF THE FAMILY.

Tue Morar Teera with flat and slightly crested crowns.
Tur Inpex with three phalanges, and usually with a nail.
Inuaxzir the East Indies, the East Indian Archipelago, New Holland, Isle of France, Africa.

These Bats, as implied in M. Latreille’s designation, are usu-
ally ot Jarger dimensions. In the present state of the science they
form a considerable number of genera, upon which we shall make a
few remarks.

Being frugivorous, their dental apparatus differs somewhat from
that of the other Bats. Their molars, instead of being studded with
tubercles and acute points, exhibit an elongated crown, smooth, or
limited to its possessing a small crest on the edges, especially the
exterior one. ‘This character is remarkable, inasmuch as it is in-
termediate between those of the Carnivora and Herbivora, properly
so called, and is found in this group alone, where it undergoes some
modifications. As to the canines and incisors, they very much cor-
respond in their arrangement, direction, form, and usual number,
to those of the Monkeys, with one striking exception. The wings
ut these Bats are usually neither so broad nor so long as those of
the Insectivora ; and generally they arise more from the back than
the flanks. Another striking peculiarity is, that the fore-finger is
always provided with all its phalanges, and (with only one exception,
we believe) is terminated by a small nail; whilst in the Insectivora
it wants, as in the other three fingers, both the nail and its phalanx.
As to the interfemoral membrane, it is always but slightly developed,
and usually completely rudimentary.

The membranes, then, in the Frugivora, do not possess the same
extent of development as in the succeeding family. No more do
we find in their avenues to sensation those membranous prolonga-
tions which are destined at one time to augment their sensibility,
and at another time to diminish it; in other words, those oral and
nasal coverings, whose presence produces so grotesque and striking
an appearance.

This family is essentially frugivorous ; though, as a Dog may eat
bread, so the species belonging to it may accustom themselves to
devour small Birds, perhaps, and other animal matters. Their gape
is usually small. They live chiefly on mellow fruits ; they also con-
sume flowers. Most of them are nocturnal, and impatient of the
light of day, while others, again, are all alive and active even un-
der the direct rays of the sun. They produce but one at a birth.
Finally, they live in numerous troops, some upon trees, others
among rocks, and others in old ruined buildings. It was in the
great pyramid that Geoffroy-St-Hilaire discovered in Egypt the
species which bears his name.

The Frugivora are unknown in America and Europe. They
abound on the Continent of India, in its Archipelago, in Egypt, Se-
negal, the Cape, and even in New Holland.

(A.) Tait-tess Rousserres, (RousseTTEs sans
QUEUE.)

GENUS I. PTEROPUS.—ROUSSETTE BATS.

Syn. Les Roussrrres.—Cuy. Reg. Anim. I. 113.
Presorus.—Briss. Reg. Anim.—Illiger Prodr.—Geoffroy-St- Hilaire,
Ann. du Mus. tome XV. 86.

GENERIC CHARACTERS,

Heap prolonged, straight, conical. Muzzieslender. Inctsors vertical.
IntTeRFEMoRAL Memsrane slightly developed. Forr-rincer generally
with a claw.
212--C-+ (1 F+4 or 5) M_16o0r18

Let c a= SorS=34 or 36

The Roussettes have trenchant incisors in each jaw, and molars
with flat crowns. These grinding teeth have generally two longi-
tudinal and parallel furrows, which are worn down by detrition.
Hence, these Bats live chiefly on fruits, of which they destroy large
quantities ; yet they do not miss an opportunity of pursuing Birds
and small Quadrupeds. These are the largest known Bats, and
their flesh is eaten. They inhabit the East Indies.

Their membrane is widely sloped off between the thighs, and
they have no tail, ora very small one. Their index finger is one hat
shorter than the middle one, and bears a third phalanx, and usually a
small nail, which is wanting in the other Bats. The other fingers
have only two phalanges. Their muzzle is simple, their nostrils se-
parate, the ears middle-sized, without opercula, and their tongue
papillate, the papillae being curved backwards. Their stomach con-
sists of an extremely elongated and unequally bulging sac. They are
found only in Southern Asia, the East Indian Archipelago, Bourbon,
and Isle of France, New Holland, Van Diemen’s Land, and Africa.

Tue DenrtaL Formuta

1, PTEROPUS EDULIS.—EDIBLE ROUSSETTE.

Syn. La RoussetTTe nork.—Cuv. Reg. Anim, I. 113.

Preropus EDULIS:—Geoff. Ann, Mus. XV. p. 90.—Desm. Mam. No.
137.

VESPERTILIO VAMPYRUS, (in part.)—Linn. Gmel. I.

ROUSSETTE EDULE, ou KALONG.—Temm.

Tem. Mon. Mam. II. pl. 33, fig. 1, (head.)—I. pl. 15, fig. 1,2
(cranium,) 3, (teeth,) 4, 5, 6, (of the young. )

Preroeus Javanicus.—Horsf. Zool. Jay.

Ternate Bat.—Penn. Quadr. II. pl. 103.

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr on the muzzle, cheeks, and throat, dark brown ; on the sides
of the neck and upper part of the head bright red; a transverse reddish
band, and a black band, between the shoulders.

Inuazits the Sonda Islands, Java, the Moluccas.

The Edible Roussettes remain during the day susnended in large
numbers from the trees. The inhabitants are obliged to protect
their fruits with nets, on account of the devastations of these Bats.
Their ery is loud, and resembling that of a Goose. They are taken
by means of a bag, hurg for that purpose at the end of a pole. The
natives find the flesh delicate, but Europeans dislike it, on account
of its strong odour of musk.

The Edible Bat is the largest known species, and taking the lead of the

others, we shall be somewhat more ample in the details. Its forms are

4 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—THE FRUGIVOROUS BATS.

slender ; its body prolonged; its muzzle long ; and the membranes used in
flying broad and extended. The robe on the upper part of the body
is close, from the hairs throughout a part of their course adhering to the
skin; it is always very short, and the skin may be seen beneath. In the young
the fur is longer, and quite free, a difference depending upon the age of
the individuals. The lower parts of the body are most clad, and the hair
is here somewhat curled. The ears are long and pointed. The inter-
femoral membrane unites the limbs to the coccygial region; it is broad at
the knee, and forms a large angle: that of the wing, besides being broad,
is also very long; the whole is perfectly black in the adult, and of a brown
colour in the young. The incisors in the upper jaw are uniform, and re-
gularly placed, which is scarcely the case in the inferior maxilla: there is
no small anomalous tooth in the upper jaw, and four molar spaces ; below
there is an anomalous tooth, and five molar spaces. As to colour, the
muzzle, cheeks, and throat, are of a deep chestnut, while the side and
back of the neck are of a bright red; a reddish band, accompanied
with another of a blackish hue, extends between the shoulders, and forms
the limit of the red marking of the neck, a peculiarity which distinguishes
this from all the other species. The back is of a dark chestnut, colour, or
greyish-black, as are also the posterior extremities ; the chest is chestnut
coloured, the abdomen dark-brown, or, more generallv in the adult, per-
fectly black. Of the sixty specimens which enrich the Leyden Museum,
only three, according to Memminck, extend from the tip of one wing to
that of the other as much as four feet ten inches, (French,) and two to
nearly five feet. This nearly corresponds with the dimensions reported
by Dr Horsfield of those in the Museum of the Honourable the East
India Company. <‘ In adult subjects, the extent of the expanded wings is
full five feet, and the length of the body one foot. In the specimen I
have before me, the extent of the wings is five feet, two inches. The
smallest specimen in the Museum has an expansion of three feet and ten
inches across the wings: all the others measure nearly five feet. The
length of the arm and fore-arm together is fourteen inches; the naked
thumb projecting beyond the membrane measures two inches; and the
claw, which is strong and sharp, has an extent of nearly an inch long in
its curvature.”

Though inclined to agree with Messrs Geoffroy and Temminck, that
Horsfield’s Javanicus is a mere variety of the present, yet the Doctor’s
account of the habits of this animal is so excellent that we shall borrow
freely from it. It is extremely abundant in the lower parts of Java, and
uniformly lives in society. The more elevated districts are not visited

_by it. Numerous individuals select a large tree for their resort, and sus-
pending themselves with the claws of their posterior extremities to the
naked branches, often in companies of several hundreds, afford to a
stranger a very singular spectacle. A species of Fig-tree, resembling the
Ficus religiosa of India, which is often found near the villages of the na-
tives, affords them a favourite retreat, and the extended branches of one
of these are sometimes covered by them. They pass the greater portion
of the day in sleep, hanging motionless: ranged in succession, with the
head downwards, the membrane contracted about the body, and often in
close contact, they have little resemblance to living beings, and, by a per-
son not accustomed to their economy, are readily mistaken for a part of
the tree, or for a fruit of uncommon size suspended from its branches. In
general, these societies preserve a perfect silence during the day; but
if they are disturbed, or they contend among themselves, they emit
sharp piercing shrieks, and their awkward attempts to extricate them-
selves, when oppressed by the light of the sun, exhibit a ludicrous spec-
tacle. In consequence of the sharpness of their claws, their attachment
is so strong, that they cannot readily leave their hold, without the assist-
ance of the expanded membrane; and if suddenly killed in the natural
attitude during the day, they continue suspended after death. It is ne-
cessary, therefore, to oblige them to take wing, if it be desired to obtain
them during the day. Soon after sunset they gradually quit their hold, and
pursue their nocturnal flights in quest of food. They direct their course,
by an unerring instinct, to the forests, villages, and plantations, occasion-
ing incalculable mischief, attacking and devouring indiscriminately every
kind of fruit, from the abundant Cocoa-nut of the meanest peasantry, to
the most delicate productions cultivated by the chiefs. By the latter,
as well as by the European colonists, various methods are employed to
protect the orchards and gardens. Delicate fruits, such as Mangoes, &c.,
as they approach to maturity, are ingeniously secured by means of
a loose net or basket, skilfully constructed of split bamboo. Without
this precaution, little valuable fruit would escape the ravages of the Ka-
long.

There are few situations in the lower parts of Java, in which 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 regular dis-
tance, and this succession continues uninterrupted till darkness obstructs
the view. The flight of the Kalong is slow and steady, pursued in a
straight line, and capable of long continuance. Its chase forms occasion-
ally an amusement to the colonists and inhabitants, during the moonlight
nights, which at Java are uncommonly serene. He is watched in his de-
scent to the fruit trees, and a discharge of small shot readily brings him
to the ground. The natives of many of the Islands often employ for their
capture a net at the end of along pole. They eat it; and consider the
flesh, which is white, delicate, and very tender, as delicious, whilst its
peculiar flavour disgusts most Europeans: for it has a very strong smell
of musk, produite par leur urine, qu’ils répandent lorsqu’on les inquiéte.
When wounded or irritated, they utter a sharp cry like that of the Goose.

2. PTEROPUS JUBATUS.—MANED ROUSSETTE.

Syn. et Icon. PTEROPUS PYRRHOCEPHALUS.— Meyen, in Noy. Act. Acad. Cur.
vol. XVI. pl. 45 and 46, (cranium.)
RovusseETTE A cRINIERE.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 59.

Preropus JusATus.—Esch.! Zool. Atl. pl. 16.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.
Tue Harr uniform deep reddish-brown ; on the face black.
Inuasits the Island of Luzon.

This species, bearing a considerable resemblance to the previous ore,
may properly be characterized as new, not having hitherto found its way
into the catalogues, native or foreign, of our most recent systematic works.
M. Temminck, in his second volume, has recently given an account of it,
deriving his materials from the memoirs of Messrs Eschscholtz and Meyen,
quoted below.?

The Maned Bat has the chest, belly, and the whole back, of a very
deep brown colour, and this colour is not limited between the shoulders
by a transverse band, as in the former species: all the neck, however, is
covered with a broad reddish-brown collar, which runs to a point upon
the upper part of the back. The whole face is black, and covered with
short hair; the crown of the head and occiput are of a shining orange-
yellow colour, whilst there is a bright brown spot beneath the ear; the
ears are almost naked, about an inch long, with the apex roundish. The
breadth of the interfemoral membrane is an inch, and decidedly keel-shaped,
though the descriptions do not indicate whether the membrane surrounds
the coccygial region, or leaves this bone free from the membrane. The
eyes are of a pale red colour. In this Roussette the molars are stronger,
wider, and more approximated, than in any other species.
jaw has no vestige of a false molar; there is a very small one in the
lower.

These large Bats are found in the Island of Luzon, the principal of the
Philippines, where they cover the trees with their numerous troops, and
have been compared to nests suspended from the branches. They are
sometimes seen to fly during the day, but more frequently they are ha-
bitually hid under the foliage during sunshine. They are frugivorous.
Their flesh is tender, and much esteemed, having a great resemblance to
that of Frogs. It is esteemed by the Spaniards as well as the islanders,
a remark which Temminck extends to all the Bats he describes.

3. PTEROPUS EDWARDSII.—EDWARDS’ ROUSSETTE.

Prerorus Epwarpsii.— Geoff. Ann. du Mus. XV. 92.—Desm. Mam.
No. 138.

RovssETTE bD’EpwarpDs.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 61.

Prerorus MEvIUS, (Roussette intermedienne.)—Temm. Mon, Mam. 1.
176. (

Great Bat from Madagascar.—Edw. Birds, pl. 180.

Syn.

Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Ears broad and long. Memsranes attached near the spine. No
transversal markings. Coav bright red. Back chestnut. Aspomen light
brown.

Inwasits Madagascar, India, Ceylon.

Edwards’ Roussette is of smaller dimensions than that of our first named
species, a remark which applies to all the features of the face ; the ears,
however, are both broader and longer. The side membranes are attached
nearer to the spine than in the edulis, which, of course, makes the back
narrower ; the transversal bands are here likewise wanting. Whatever
variety occurs in the coats of these Bats generally, the face is always

1 Escu. Zoou. Art.— Zoologischer Atlas enthaltend Abbildungen und Beschriebungen neuer Thierasten wahrend des Flotteap ‘ains voa Kotzebue Zeveiter Reise um die

Welt, mm den Jahren 1823—1826, von Dr Friedr. Eschscholtz.

Berlin, 1829 —1833.

2 L’ Atlas Zoologique, par M. Eschscholtz, 4°, cacher avec wne figure. Memoire par M. Meyen, Nov. Acta Phy -Med. Acad. Cas. Leop. Nat. Curios. tome XVI.

p-. 604,

The upper

GENUS PTEROPUS. 5

darker than the neck, so as often to be quite black, though usually it is
of a very deep chestnut hue; whilst black or dark brown pervades the
extremities.

Temminck informs us, that this is the only one of the larger species,
in which the old males have a bunch of unctuous hairs, proceeding from a
common centre, at the side of the neck; though it is not so apparent as
in the smaller kinds, since the bushy hairs do not differ in colour from the
others, and they are all of the same length. He also remarks, that those
from Madagascar differ from those obtained in the Indian Peninsula and
Ceylon only in having the face blacker, and the orange hue upon the
neck more conspicuous.

Edwards, to whom these immense sized Bats were more a novelty than
they now are, seems to have been shocked at the appearance of this
«« Great One ;” and, after insisting on the accuracy of his drawing, tells
us, that from it “ an idea of this Fiend may be formed.” He adds, that
when wounded by a gun they are very fierce, snapping at, and biting
those who offer to take them. He was also informed that they dipped
into the sea for fish. Major Sykes, in his very recent work, “ Cata-
logue of the Animals of the Deccan,” (Dukhun,) remarks, that there the
animals of the same troop differ remarkably in their external markings.
*¢ The native Portuguese,” he continues, ‘‘are the only individuals who
eat this Roussette, but I can certify that its flesh is delicate, and free from
all disagreeable flavour.”

4. PTEROPUS FUNEREUS.—FUNEREAL ROUSSETTE.

Syn. ROvssETTE FUNEBRE.—PTEROPUS FUNEREUS.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II.
63.

Icon. Temm. Mon, Mam, II. pl. 35, fig. 4, (head.)

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Heap small. Tue Ears large. Tue InterremoraL MEMBRANE
deeply divided, and of equal breadth at the coccyx and feet.

Tae Hair varying in colour from dark brown and grey to black.

Inuasits the East Indian Archipelago.

The dimensions of the Funereal Roussette are smaller than those of
the Edulis, and the head is proportionally much less, whilst the ears are
larger; the interfemoral membrane is very deeply divided, and of equal
breadth at the coccyx and feet ; this membrane is covered with hair above,
and at its base only below. There is no anomalous molar in the upper
jaw, where the incisors are broad and uniform, whilst they are small and
in pairs beneath. The robe is very dark, short, rough, and somewhat
frizzled and shining on the back; the alar membranes are well clad
above, as is the interfemoral, which is, however, bare near the foot, and
also near the coccyx underneath. The following markings, varying pro-
bably according to age, and the season of the year, have been enumerated
by Temminck: 1. Quite black, except at the back of the neck, where
there is a slight deep chestnut marking. 2. Shining black on the lower
parts of the head ; dull black on the back, with a meagre coat; bright red
on the occiput and nape of the neck; and dark chestnut on the sides of
the neck. 3. Face, neck, and chest, quite black, belly dark brown; nape
dull brown; back olive brown. 4. Under portions quite black; sides of
the neck chestnut; nape very bright golden red; back, ash-grey. In the
young, whose covering is more copious, it is of a uniform dark brown,
except at the nape and neck, which are of a dull brown. This species
has never been previously characterized or precisely distinguished from
the two preceding, with which it may easily be confounded. Hence the
necessity for details.

The habits of this animal do not differ from those of the other larger
kinds. The superb Leyden Museum possesses twelve specimens derived
from four islands of the Indian Archipelago, namely, Timor, Amboyna,
Borneo, and Sumatra. Those of Timor and Borneo are, in their mark-
ings, precisely similar.

5. PTEROPUS PHZOPS.—BLACK-FACED ROUSSETTE.

Syn. Rousserre A FACE NoiR.—P?rerorus PHaiors.—Temm. Mon. Mam.
I. 178, II. 65.
Icon. Temm. Mon, Mam, II. pl. 38, fig. 3, (head,) pl. 36, fig, 1, 2, (cranium, )

and 3, (teeth. )

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Bopy stout and short. Tae Muzzte long. Tuer Ears short
and pointed. Tse Interremorat Memprane broad on the tibia, rudi-
mentary along the coccyx.

Tue Harr varying from brown to bright yellow and red.

Ivuazirs Macassar and Amboyna.

The Black-faced Roussette is of the same dimensions as Edwards’ ; its

body is stout and short ; the muzzle long; the eyes further removed from
VOL. Il,

the nostrils than from the ears, which are short and pointed; the inter-
femoral membrane is broad on the tibia, but narrow along the coccyx, and,
reduced to a rudimentary state, is scarcely seen, hid by the long hair. There
is no anomalous molar in the upper jaw; in the under it is isolated, and
flat on the crown; the incisors above are small and regularly placed, but
in the inferior maxillary are crowded and compressed by the canines. ‘The
face is of a deep black colour; the rest of the head, the neck, and shoul-
ders, a pale yellow; the cheek, a bright golden-red ; and the hairs in every
other part of the body have a twofold colour, being brown at their base,
and bright yellow at their points. The wings approximate to each other
on the back to within half an inch; and in the old of both sexes the back
is quite naked; in the young it is clad with black and shining hair.
It inhabits Macassar in the Island of Celebes; also Amboyna.

6. PTEROPUS POLIOCEPHALUS.—GREY-HEADED
ROUSSETTE.

RovussErTE A TETE CENDRSE.—PTEROPUS POLIOCEPHALUS.—Temm. Mon.
Mam. I. 179, II. 66.

Syn.

Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr on the head dark grey ; on the shoulders rosy chestnut ; else-
where grey above; yellowish beneath.

Tue Inrerremorat Membrane rudimentary. Tue Coccyx free, hairy.
Tue Ears pointed and naked.

Inuazits New Holland and Van Diemen’s Land.

The size of this Roussette is somewhat less than that of our first spe-
cies, the Edulis, and its body is shorter and stouter. The interfemoral
membranes are reduced to a mere rudiment; the coccyx is free, and co-
vered with long hair; the robe is abundant over the whole body, and
over the extremities ; the incisors of the lower jaw are somewhat sepa-
rated from each other; the ears, of moderate dimensions, are pointed and
quite naked. All the upper parts of the head, the cheeks, and throat,
are of a dark ash-colour, mixed with some black hairs; the ash-colour
shades off into grey towards the crown of the head, and a longitudinal
band of this tint appears on the chanfrin. The whole of the nape, shoul-
ders, and a part of the front of the neck, are of a beautiful rosy chestnut
hue ; this colour is separated by a dark ash-coloured band, which extends
over the rest of the body; all the back and chest present a mixture of
ash-coloured and black hairs, somewhat lighter on the crupper and outer
sides of the hind-feet, and approximating to yellow, which colour, of a
deeper tint, pervades the abdomen, and the inner side of the feet; the
fore-arm and adhering part of the membrane are clad with brown hair.
The markings of the female agree with those of the male ; her dimensions
being somewhat less.

The habitat of the Ash-headed Roussette is New Holland and Van
Diemen’s Land; its habits exactly correspond with those already related.

7. PTEROPUS CHRYSOPROCTUS.—GOLDEN-NECKED
ROUSSETTE.

Roussetre A Crovrion Doré.—Preropus Curysorrocrus,—Temm.
Mon. Mam. II. pl. 67.
Temm. Mon. Mam. II. pl. 35, fig. 2, (head.)

Syn.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr on the head bright golden-red; on the back chestnut;
blackish beneath.

Tur Inrerremorat Memprane broad at the heel ; rudimentary at the
COCCYX.

Inuazrrs the Moluccas and New Guinea.

This species was introduced to the notice of Naturalists in the year
1838, by M. Temminck, from four specimens obtained by Messrs Mack-
lot and Miiller, in their voyage to the Moluccas and New Guinea. Its
native country is Amboyna, where it feeds upon mellow and succulent
fruits, whose fibrous portions are rejected, so that it taps and enjoys the
fruit, without swallowing the pulp, or devouring the harder parts.

Its dimensions are somewhat less than No. 4, the Funereal. The in-
terfemoral membrane, somewhat broad at the heel, slopes away, and is
nearly rudimentary, so that at the coccyx it is hid under the fur; the ears
are straight and pointed ; the upper incisors are broad and free, the under
are small, and in pairs; there is no false molar in the upper jaw; that of
the lower one is short and obtuse. The robe generally is long, rough,
and frizzly ; upon the back it is silky, smooth, and shining; the muzzle is
covered with a few transparent hairs. The adult male is chestnut-coloured
round the eyes and on the chin; the head, all the neck, and the chest
and shoulders, are of a very lively golden-red colour ; the back, as far as
the loins, of a shining dark chestnut; the lumbar region, the coccyx, and

B

6 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS PTEROPUS.

femur, are chestnut, passing into blackish on the abdomen, and near the
humerus; the membranes are black. The female differs from the male
in having the back of a shining black colour, the loins of a lively chestnut,
and the inferior parts dark chestnut.

8. PTEROPUS MACKLOTII.—MACKLOT’S ROUSSETTE.

Syn. Rousserre pe Mackior.—Prerorus Macktoru.—Temm. Mon. Mam.
II. pl. 69.

Icon. Temm. Mon, Mam, II. pl. 35, fig. 5.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr on the back brick red; elsewhere yellow or brown.

Tar Ears large and naked.

An Oporirerous Granp, covered by a bunch of coarse hairs on each
side of the neck, in the male only.

Inuazits the Moluccas and New Guinea.

This species, like the former, has not hitherto been introduced to the
notice of the English reader. It rests upon the same respectable author-
ity as the preceding, the late M. Macklot having published an account
of it.

The expanse across the wings is less, in proportion to the length of the
body, than in Edwards’ Roussette, (No. 3,) though it is not so short and
stout as in some which have been enumerated. The interfemoral mem-
brane is of medium breadth, extending along the tibia aud femur, and
uniting round the coccyx, the membrane only being partially hid by the
fur. The ears are large and naked. In the male there is a great bunch
of coarse oily hairs upon the side of the neck, covering an odoriferous
gland beneath ; the upper incisors are uniform and well set, the lower
are small and crowded ; there is no false molar in the upper jaw, but a large
obtuse one in the lower. The robe is long and silky, supplied with
woolly hairs at the inferior parts, whilst those of the back and extremi-
ties are short and shining; the lower side of the membrane, from the
flanks to the extremity of the fore-arm, is clad with a thick woolly co-
vering.

In the adult male the crown of the head and the nape are pale yellow ;
the cheeks and throat, brown; the chest, golden-brown; abdomen,
chestnut; sides of the neck and shoulder, golden-yellow; all the back
and the extremities are covered with shining brick-red hair; the mem-
branes possess the colour of a faded leaf. The adult female differs much
from the male. It wants the oily apparatus; the crown of the head and
nape are of a dull pale yellow, and this colour, shaded with alittle brown,
pervades the neck, cheeks, and throat ; the chest is ina great degree bare ;
all the inferior parts of the body are of a dull yellowish-brown, whilst the
back is of a beautiful pale and shining yellow. The females are often
larger than the males.

9, PTEROPUS DASYMALLUS.—THE WOOLLY ROUSSETTE.

Syn. Rousserre Latnevse.—Preropus DasyMaLLus.—Temm. Mam. I. 180.
P. RupricoLiis.—Sieb.! Spicil. Japon. p. 13.
TIeon. Rovusserre Lainevse.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. pl. 10.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Hair brownish or yellowish; very long and woolly.

Tue Inrerremorat Mempranerudimentary. Tuer Coccyx free. THe
Ears small, pointed, and naked. Tus Mempranes covered with hair,
except the metatarsal.

Inuazirs Japan.

The general dimensions of this Roussette are smaller than Edwards’ ;
and the wings smaller, in proportion to the body, than the rest of the
genus. The interfemoral membrane is rudimentary along the posterior
extremities, and wanting round the coccyx, being only visible at the heel,
and hid elsewhere under the thick fur; the ears, too, are small, pointed,
and very much concealed ; the upper incisors are large, uniformly and
regularly set; the lower are small and in pairs, having no anomalous
tooth behind the upper canine, but a broad and bilobed false molar be-
hind the lower one; in all, there are four molars above, and six below.
The coat is very woolly, and long throughout ; the side membranes are
clad both above and below ; al! the extremities are covered with long hair,
leaving the metatarsal bones alone covered with a naked membrane ; those
on the region of the coccyx are long.

The face and summit of the head, the cheeks, and regions of the ear, are
brown, mixed with grey; the front and side of the neck, the nape, and
all the posterior portion of the neck and shoulders, are of a dull yellowish-

white ; all the other parts of the body are of a deep brown, the points of
the hairs being ochrous. The ears are naked, the points alone being
visible. The membranes are dark brown. ;

The habitat of this species is Japan, where, according to M. Siebold, it
bears the name of Sabaosiki.

10. PTEROPUS URSINUS.—URSINE ROUSSETTE.

Syn. Prerorus Ursinus.—Kittlitz.
Rovsserre A preps VeLus ov Urstne.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. p. 70.
Preroprus PsELaPHon.—G. Tradescant Lay, Zool. Journ. 1V. 457.
Icon. Rousserre A Preps VELUs ou Ursine.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. pl. 37.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Harr grizzly black, long and bushy.

Tue InrerremoraL Mrmsrane rudimentary. Tue Ears very short
and pointed. Tue Mempranes and Finerrs covered with hair.

Innazirs the Bonin Islands, near Japan.

The first account of this animal was supplied by Mr Tradescant Lay.
It was noticed by him in the Island of Bonin, at the time that the
Blossom Frigate, commanded by Lord Byron, lay in that station. He
was greatly struck with the very great contraction of the pupil under the
influence of the solar ray. We extract the following particulars from his
interesting account :—*‘ In this blind condition it climbs trees, groping
its way up to the topmost branches, where, after extending its claws to
learn whether there be another sprig within reach, still higher than its pre-
sent situation, it quietly drops its weight upon the hind claws, and there
composes itself to rest, apparently with as much felicity as a traveller feels
after descending some perilous height. When captured it was often ob-
served to sneeze. When thirsty, it descends a tree on the margin of the
rill, and after sipping a little refreshment, re-ascends the trunk, and takes
its departure from the branches. It is not a bad swimmer. Those which
were taken on board the frigate and confined did not discover any sign of
fear, and ate, without repining, the fruit that was given them; and on
their being set at liberty, they climbed to the highest part of the rigging,
and there found a conyenient place for repose.”

The great intolerance of light is a character which is common nearly
to all Bats; and hence the name pselaphon, (alluding to its powers of touch
being superior to those of sight,) proposed by Mr Lay, is very far from
being specific. The name Ursinus was given by M. Kittlitz, who circum-
navigated the globe in a Russian vessel. Mr Lay mentions that this spe-
cies sucks the juice without devouring the pulp of fruits.

This species has a close resemblance to the preceding. The most cha-
racteristic differences are to be found in the form of the cranium, in the
fingers being covered with hair, and in the length and colour of the robe.
The dimensions are somewhat larger in this species, but this is a character
not to be depended on. As in the Woolly Roussette, the ears are yery
short, pointed, and scarcely appear beyond the thick fur with which the
whole body, the membranes, and even the feet, are clad. This last cha-
racter is the more remarkable, as it not only serves, at first glance, to dis-
tinguish the two species, but also as specially characterizing this one from
all others; none besides possessing hair upon the metatarsal region nor upon
the fingers. The interfemoral membrane surrounds, in a very rudimentary
state, the whole of the coccygeal revion ; it is totally hid by the long fur,
and is only visible at the heel. The cranium is large, bulging, much con-
tracted between the zygomatic arches, which are much stronger and
wider than in the preceding species, and the superciliary ridges are more
perfect; the muzzle is shorter and broader; the teeth are the same. .

The fur is longer than in the Woolly Roussette, and consists of two
kinds, one very bushy, like cotton, and the other very long and silky;
the inner part of the membranes, as well as the feet, are abundantly sup-
plied with these hairs. The whole of the cottony fur is of a sooty-black
colour; the pubic region and the fingers are deep chestnut; the whole
of the silky hairs have their points greyish, which gives to the whole robe
a grizzly black appearance ; the head is quite black, as are all the extre-
mities.

Il, PTEROPUS VULGARIS.—COMMON ROUSSETTE.

Syn. La RovussEtTe vurcarre.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 114.
Prerorus VULGARIS.— Geoff. Ann. Mus, XV. 92.—Temm. Mon. Mam.
T. 182, Il. 74.
VESPERTILIO VAMPYRUS.—Linn. Gmel. I.
Icon. La Rovusserre.—Buffon, Hist. Nat. X. pl. 14, copied in Schreb. Satigth.
pl. 44.
RoussErrE VuLGAIRE, (Jeune de l’année.)—Temm. Mon. Mam. Il.
pl. 38.

1 Sirs. Sricit. Jaron.—A. Siebold, Dissertatio de Historia Naturalis in Japonia statu, etc., cui accedunt Spicilegia Faune Japonice. Batay. 1824. Fi

THE ROUSSETTE BATS. 7

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr brown, varying to red and yellow, thick and coarse.

Tue Ears small and pointed. Tue Inrerremorat Memprane short,
concealed.

Inuazits Isle of France and Bourbon.

The Common Roussette is about the size of the European Squirrels,
and the expanse across the wing somewhat less than in the smaller speci-
mens of Edwards’ Bat. The ear is small and pointed. The appearance
of the teeth very much corresponds to that described of the Macklotii,
(our No. 8,) although the canines are not quite so strong, more acute and
approximated, and the incisors are smaller. The interfemoral membrane
is short, and entirely hid under the hair of the coccygeal region. The fur
is thick and coarse. In the old males the great dark brown space which
covers the shoulders runs down the spine to an obtuse point, the rest
of the back is brownish-yellow ; the abdomen and chest are of a dark red-
dish-brown; the pubic region and the arms of a lighter hue. In the
aged females there is a broad black band runs down the centre of the back,
which strikingly contrasts with the pale colour of the sides ; the head is
a pale brown; the throat, chest, and abdomen, a deep chestnut; the ex-
tremities, yellowish-brown. The young, of a year old, have the body and
members well covered with long and downy fur, generally smooth, but
somewhat curled round the neck; the head is yellowish-grey, mixed with
silky hairs of a deep brown ; the nape, sides of the neck, and chest, are
covered with a downy fur, more or less curled, and of a rust-red colour,
livelier at the chest than the shoulders ; the chest, a part of the abdomen,
and the back, are sooty-black, mixed with grey silky hair.

As to its habitat, ‘Temminck gives the Isles of France and Bourbon as
certain. It is also said to be found in Madagascar, and perhaps in Africa.
Its flesh is eaten freely, and is generally considered very agreeable, the
young being preferred. Its habits are like those of its congeners.

12, PTEROPUS RUBRICOLLIS.—RED-NECKED ROUSSETTE.

Syn. La Roucerre.—Cuy. Reg. Anim. I. p. 114.
Rousserre A cov Rovuce.—Prerorus RvBRICOLLIS.—Geoff. Ann. Mus.
XV. 93.
Rovssetre RoOvuGerTe.—P. RuBRICOLLIs.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. p.
183.

Icon. La Rovucerre.—Buff. Hist. Nat. X. pl. 17,

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Harr very copious; red on the neck; yellowish on the head; dark
brown on the chest.

Tue Ears small and concealed.
dimentary and concealed.

Inwanits Islands of Bourbon and Madagascar.

Tue InrerremoraL MemMBRANE ru-

The name, Red-necked Roussette, is unfortunately chosen, inasmuch
as the great majority of the genus have this character. A broad golden-
red collar, however, is in this one sufficiently conspicuous ; the head, and
all the upper parts of the body, are of ayellowish-brown, mixed with silky
hairs of bright yellow ; chest, dark brown: the inferior parts are more
grey than the back, but varied in the same manner. The dimensions of
this species are half those of our first species. The incisors are more ap-
proximated, the middle ones being contiguous; in the lower jaw, again,
they arein pairs. The ears are small, and hid under the fur; the inter-
femoral membrane is rudimentary, and also hid. The robe is downy, very
curly, long, rough, and very abundant.

This species is usually stated to inhabit the Islands of Bourbon and Ma-
dagascar. It must be distinguished from the P. rubricollis of Siebold.
(See our species 9.)

13, PTEROPUS ALECTO.—THE GREAT-WINGED ROUSSETTE.

Syn. Rovssetre ALecto.—Prerorus Atecto.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 73.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tur Bopy stout and short. Tae Arar Mempaanes comparatively
very large. Tue InrerremoraL Memprane rudimentary. Tue Ears
naked, short, and pointed.

Tue Hair mostly black, mixed with chestnut.

Inaazits Celebes.

This species, observed by Temminck in the Leyden Museum, has
very recently been described. It is remarkable for its stout short

body; for the very great extent of the wings in proportion to the size
of the trunk; and, finally, for nearly the total want of the coccygeal
membrane, where only a fold of the skin is to be found. The alar
membrane rises from the sides, so making the clad portion of the back the
broader. The upper incisors are in pairs; the lower are crowded toge-
ther. The robe is short, coarse, and downy. The head, front of the
neck, and lower parts of the body, together with the shoulders and back,
are perfectly black; the eyes and circumference of the face are very
deep chestnut; the nape and sides of the neck, bright chestnut; the
ears are naked, short, and pointed. The regions of the arm and fore-arm
are clad beneath with a fine black fur.

The individual which supplied this description was taken in the Island
Celebes.

14, PTEROPUS PALLIDUS.—THE PALE ROUSSETTE.

ROUSSETTE PALE, ou FEUILLE MORTE.—PreRopus PaLtpus.—Temm,
Mon. Mam. I. p. 184, II. 77.

Syn.

Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr brownish, varied with grey and white.

Tue Ears short and round. Tur Mouzzte short and obtuse. Tus
Memeranes clear brown. Tue Inrerremorat Memprane united to the
coccyx, and concealed.

Inuasits Island of Bonda, also Sumatra and Malacca.

This Roussette is of medium size, being equal in dimensions to an Edu-
lis a year old. The muzzle is short, and somewhat obtuse; the eyes
more distant from the ears than from the point of the nose; the ears are
short and round; the interfemoral membrane united to the base of the
coccyx by arudiment half a line broad, and entirely hid under the fur;
all the membranes of a clear brown colour. The upper incisors are se-
parated; the lower are crowded, the lateral ones being larger than the
others. There is no anomalous molar in the upper jaw, but four true
ones ; in the lower there is an anormal tooth and five molars, the last very
small and contiguous. Its coat is very short, and composed of brown,
grey, and white hairs; the nape, shoulders, and collar, are of a bright rust-
colour in adults, and of a paler red in the young; the whole of the back
is covered with close, smooth hair, of a pale brown colour, produced by
a mixture of brown and white hairs. The head, throat, sides, and abdo-
men, are of the colour of a decayed leaf. ‘There is no difference in the
markings of the sexes, but the young are paler. ‘This species, then, is
distinguished by having no small false molar in the upper jaw, but three
large and one small one; by its brown hue, like that of a dead leaf, and
its small ears, rounded at the point. No varieties of marking have been
discovered on the whole number that have been examined: it is also re-
markable for the small extent of the cutaneous membrane that adheres,
the membrane of the back being connected with the muscles to the extent
of only three or four lines.

The Pale Roussette inhabits the Island of Bonda, where it is very
common; also Sumatra and Malacca.

15. PTEROPUS KERAUDRENIUS.—KERAUDREN’S
ROUSSETTE,

Roussetre KéRAUDREN.—PTeROPUS KERAUDRENIUS.—Quoy et Gaim.
Zool. de ’ Uran.-—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 186.
Icon. Rovusserre KERavDREN.—Quoy et Gaim. Zool. del’Uran. pl. 3.

Syn.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr on the back close, brown, and black; on the nape frizzly,
reddish-yellow.

Tue Mempranes deep black. Tue ALar commencing near the median
line. Tue Ears and InteErremoraL Memprane small,

Innasits Marian Islands.

We owe the discovery of this Roussette to the Naturalists of Captain
Freycinet’s expedition, who named it from M. Keraudren, Inspector Ge-
neral of the French Marine. Messrs Quoy and Gaimard report that
they fly about in bright day, and suspend themselves in the trees where
they build their nests, in holes, and even among rocks. They have but
one young at a time, which clings to the mother even when flying.
The total length of this Bat is from seven to nine or ten inches; the
expanse from wing to wing reaching to about twenty-five. The in-
terfemoral membrane of this Roussette is rudimentary at the coccyx,
where it is completely covered with hair; the ears are short, and
roundish ; the wing arises at a small distance from the median line of the

1 Zoot, ve t’Uran.—Voyage autour du Monde sur la Corvette l’Uranie, et la Physiciénne par M. Freycinet. Zoologie par MM. Quoy et Gaimard. Paris, 1824.

8 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS PTEROPUS.

back; the thumb is very long. All the membranes are of a deep black
colour. The incisors are equal, and symmetrically arranged; there is a
small anormal tooth in the upper jaw, and a larger one in the lower, with
four molars above, and five below. The fur lies close on the back, andis
brown ; itis more copious, and somewhat more curled, on the nape of the
neck and inferior parts. The hairs on the middle of the back are nearly
black, but mixed with a few ash-coloured, whilst on the sides of the back,
towards the limit of the portion covered with hair, there isa long band in
form of a cross, the ash-colour of which predominates over the black.
The whole of the nape, as well as the shoulders, are covered with a
frizzly fur of a pale reddish-yellow, which half collar terminates in a point
at the sides of the cliest. The head and throat are a very deep fawn
brown; the chest has a russet tinge, and all the other inferior parts are
black, mixed with grey hairs. The ears are very small, and somewhat
rounded ; the long coceygeal hairs hide the rudimentary membrane with
which it is surrounded. Temminck states that he has seen individuals
in which the yellow collar is of a lighter colour, and others in which it is
ash-coloured.
This species has been found only in the Marian Islands.

16. PTEROPUS DUSSUMIERI.—DUSSUMIER’S ROUSSETTE.

Rousserre Dussumier. — Prerorus Dussumiert, —Isid. Geoff. in
Belanger, Voy. aux Indes Orient. p. 98. —Temm. Mon. Mam. II.
76.

Syn.

Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hair of the face and nape brown; on the chest russet brown; on
the back and abdomen a mixture of brown and white.
Innazits Amboyna and the Indian Continent.

M. Isidore Geoffroy-St- Hilaire has supplied a description of this Rous-
sette discovered in the Continent of India by the distinguished Naturalist
whose name it bears. The face and throat are brown; the abdomen and
back with a mixture of brown and white hairs; those on the back lie
close. The upper part of the chest is russet brown; and the sides of
the neck, and all the space on the posterior aspect of the body, from the
ears to the insertion of the wings, are of a reddish fawn colour. The
reddish marking of its throat, and anterior part of the neck, distinguish it
from the previous species, (Kéraudren’s.)

Amboyna and the Indian Continent are considered its native regions.

17. PTEROPUS VANIKORENSIS.—THE VANIKORO

ROUSSETTE.
Syn. ROussETTE DE ‘VANIKORO.—PTEROPUS VANIKORENSIS.—Quoy et Gaim.
Zool. de |’ Astr. p. 77.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 78.
Icon. RovssETTE DE ToNcA.—Quoy et Gaim. Zool. de l’Astr. pl. 9, Male.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr, on the neck and shoulders, yellowish-red ; on the back
grey.

Tue Memeranes dark brown.
much sloped. Tue Heap large.
Tue Ears long, black, and pointed.

Inuasits Vanikoro.

InTERFEMORAL MermsBrane narrow and
Tue Mouzzzre short and cylindrical.

The Roussette of the Vanikoro Island, according to Quoy and Gai-
mard, is about the size of Kéraudren’s, (No. 15.) It differs from it, however,
in having a shorter muzzle, which is most conspicuous in the crania. Its
robe is lighter in colour and less silky; its head less black ; and its collar
or cloak, fawn-red, descends further on the back. The head is large, the
forehead rounded; the muzzle large and cylindrical ; the nostrils well se-
parated, the ears long, black, and pointed. The muzzle and cheeks are
of a reddish-brown colour, which becomes darker on the crown. The
cecciput and sides of the neck, as well as the shoulders, are of a yellowish-
red, and all the back brown mixed with grey. The under part of the
neck is reddish-brown ; the abdomen is brown, with some hairs longer
than others and whitish; those of the arm are long and sleek; on part of
the fore-arm there is ascanty wool of a deep red colour. The membranes
are of a brown, almost black; the interfemoral is narrow, and much
sloped. The nails of the feet appear smaller than usual. ~

In Vanikoro, where it is called Lequébé. it does not appear to be very
abundant.

18. PTEROPUS TONGANUS.—THE TONGA ROUSSETTE.

Syn. RousseTTE DE Tonca.—Prenopus ToNGANus.—Quoy et Gaim. Zool. de
PAstr. p. 74.—Temm, Mon. Mam. II. p. 79.
Icon. Rovsserre pE Tonca.—Zool. de I’ Astr. pl. 8.—Female and white va-

riety, cranium and teeth, &c.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr, on the abdomen, brown; on the shoulders bright red; on
the back black.

Tue Mozzze black. Tur Ears black and pointed. Tue Inrerre-
morat Memprane sloping towards the heel. Tur Mempranes brown.

Inuasits Tonga-tabou, one of the Friendly Islands.

Quoy and Gaimard are again our only authorities for this Roussette.
They report it to be of medium size between Kéraudren’s and Dussu-
mier’s. Its collar does not quite meet in front as in the former of these.
The abdomen is brown, somewhat red, and without any mixture of white
hairs. The wings are lighter; the muzzle, differently coloured, is more
pointed, which imparts a fierce look to the animal, The back of the
head, and as far down as the shoulders, is of a bright red; the cheeks and
muzzle are sombre red, becoming still darker upon the middle of the head;
the back is almost black ; the throat and abdomen of a deep brown, with
a few reddish markings. The hair on the posterior part of the body is
long, thick, and abundant; that of the nape is somewhat shaggy, whilst
that of the back is silky and lies close; that on the abdomen is coarser
and more woolly. The muzzle is black, as are the nostrils. The ears are
black, of medium size, and rather pointed. The long hairs about the
mouth and eyes are also black. The arms and thighs are thinly clad with
short hair. The superbrachial membrane is covered in front with a few
soft hairs; the interfemoral, acutely sloping, extends to the heel; the
thumb and its claw are proportionally larger, and that of the fore-finger
is also strong; all the claws and membranes are brown.

The individual from which the above description was taken was a
young one, as was also another characterized as a white variety. In this
latter there is a close general similarity, extending even to the character
of the fur. The chief differences are in the colour. That of the abdo-
men is light red; the ears, nails, and membranes, are of a pale yellowish-
white. The teeth are as in Kéraudren’s.

These Roussettes were found in great abundance upon the Island of
Tonga-tabou, one of the Friendly Islands group. They peculiarly de-
light in the Casuarina tree, where they assemble in hundreds. They flv
about in bright day, and in spite of the intensity of the light, as has al: cady
been remarked of several other species. =

19. PTEROPUS GRISEUS.—THE GREY ROUSSETTE.

Syn. La Rousserre GrisE.—Prerorus Griseus.—Geoff, Ann. Mus. XVa
94.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 167, II. 81.
Icon. La Roussetre GRisE.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. T. XV. pl. 6.

RovssetreE Grise.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. pl. 11, II. pl 35, fig. 6,
(head. )

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tur Atar Mempranes commencing very near the mesial line. THE
InTERFEMORAL Memsrane small in the members, and partly concealed at
the coccyx. THE Ears very short and pointed.

Tue Harr brown, varied with red and grey.

Innasits the Island of Timor.

The Grey Roussette is about seven or eight inches long, and measures
two feet across the wings; the ears are very short and pointed; the side
membrane rises from very nearly the mesial line of the back; the interfe-
moral membraneis small on the members, and rudimentary and partly hid
at the coccyx. The upper incisors are small, and regularly arranged; the
inferior in pairs, and at a considerable distance from each other; the su-
perior molars exhibit the fine point of a false one, though scarcely visible
to the naked eye; there is a small false molar below, which is obtuse;
the false molars, after shedding, leave no traces behind. In the old male the
markings are as follow: Middle of the abdomen brown, the end of hairs be-
ing tipt with grey; flanks greyish; head grey, shaded with light brown;
nape, sides, and front of the neck, beautiful chestnut, passing on the shoul-
ders to a golden hue; the rest of the upper parts being light grey, from the
points being white; there is no vestige of a bushy tutt for the oily secre-
tion in the neck. The old female is nearly wholly white; the abdomen
preserving a slight grey, and the back and sides of the neck a reddish hue.
The common livery, however, of the adult is the head, nape, and part of
the shoulders, reddish white or bright red ; descending from the shoulders
all the other superior parts are of a greyish brown; the fur having the
brown tint of wine-lees, and the shining hairs being whitish grey; it is
somewhat crisp at the coccyx; the cheeks and chin are of a dark greyish-
brown; front of the neck a very light red; the other inferior parts have
an isabella hue, the middle of the abdomen russet. Such are the mark-
ings of the greatest number of adult and old females.

This species was discovered by Peron at Timor.

20. PTEROPUS PERSONATUS.—THE MASKED ROUSSETTE.

Rousserre Masqurr.—Prerorus PersONaTUs.—Temm, Mon. Mam.
I. 189.

Syn.

Icon.

THE ROUSSETTE BATS. 9

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr, on the head, pure white and brown; on the neck, pale
yellow ; on the shoulders, white; and on the back, grey.

Tue Mempranes brown above, white beneath. Tue INTERFEMORAL
hid by the fur.

Inuansirs Island of Ternate.

The Masked Roussette is of the same dimensions as the Grey. The
ears are of medium length, somewhat rounded at the point ; the interfe-
moral membranes are rudimentary; the upper portion being quite hid by
the fur; all the membranes are brown above and whitish beneath. The
upper incisors are well arranged, and in pairs; the lower are separate,
very slender, short, and obtuse; there isa small anormal tooth in both
jaws, the upper scarcely visible. The head of this species is strikingly
marked with pure white and brown. Pure white covers the whole chan-
frin, extends beyond the eye, and forms a spot behind it; the cheeks,
margin of the lips and chin, are of the same colour; a broad brown zone
covers the throat; the extremities of this zone surround the cheeks and
extend to the nostrils. The crown, occiput, neck, and cheek, are of a
pale yellow hue; the shoulders and hairs of the arm are white, those
of the back are grey, mixed with brown; the chest, abdomen, and
sides, have downy hair, brown at their base, and of an isabelle hue at the
point.

We owe the discovery of this beautiful species to Professor Rein-
wardt, who described it in his Voyages aux Moluques. Its habits have
not been observed.

21. PTEROPUS LABIATUS.—LONG-LIPPED ROUSSETTE.
Syn.

RovusseTre LaBiairE.—PteROrPUs Lapratus.—Temm. Mon, Mam. II.
p- 83.
RoussEtre LapiaikE.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. pl. 39, fig. 1, 2, (male,)

3, (femelle. )

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,
eae’

Tue Harr, on the chest and sides, light red ; on the abdomen, white ;
a white tuft on each side of the neck, in the male only.

Tue Lips greatly elongated in the male only,

Tue Mempranes brown. Tue INTERFEMORAL rudimentary. THE
Atar commencing from the sides. Tue Ears very long and pointed.

Innasits Abyssinia.

This beautiful Roussette, the male of which is remarkable for the ex-
treme length of its bunch of oily hair, and the elongation of the two lips,
is of the size of the Common Bat of English writers, V. Murinus. The
muzzle is long ; the incisors slender andin contact; a narrow membrane-
ous appendix supplies the place of the interfemoral, which is throughout
hid, and nearly clad by the fur; the alar membrane proceeds directly from
the sides; the ears are long and pointed. There is a downy fur over the
whole body, particularly on the back. The lips of the male project se-
veral lines beyond the teeth, and as completely hide the gape of the
mouth as in some large mastiffs, producing a singular physiognomy. The
downy fur clothes all the humeral region, and the margin of the alar nem-
brane adhering to the sides; this, and that of the head, short, and not
very abundant, is of a reddish isabelle hue, redder upon the back and
crupper; the root of the ears, and their posterior margins, are covered with
white hairs. From each side of the neck, of a reddish-brown colour,
there arises a large pure white tuft of long hair; these large tufts, proba-
bly covering as usual an unctuous apparatus, form two bunches, the
hairs of which diverge as from a common centre. The chest, humeral
region, sides, and coccygeal region, are of a light red; the middle of the
abdomen, where the hair is short and smooth, is of a dull white. All
the membranes have the colour of a decayed leaf.

The female is destitute of the cervical tuft, and labial peculiarity, but is
nearly the same in regard to the markings.

M. Botta presented to the Paris Museum two individuals of this new
and beautiful species, discovered in his Abyssinian travels. The Leyden
specimens were derived, one, without label, from London, and the other
from M, Botta’s collection.

(B.)

‘TaiteD RousseTTEs. (RovusSETTES AVEC
UNE PETITE QUEUE.)
M. Geoffroy was the first to describe the species of this subdi-

yision. One of them (Pteropus Agyptiacus) is found in Egypt in
the cavities of the Pyramids, and another, with a tail not quite so

long, and engaged to about the extent of a half in the membrane,
(Peter. amplexicaudatus,) comes from the Indian Archipelago.

The section of the TatLep Rousserrss is distinguished from the previous
one by other characteristics than that expressed by their name ; for in them
we find that the one half of the thumb is engaged in the alar membrane,
and the mamme are placed higher up than the insertion of the arms ;
while in the Tailless Roussettes, the whole of the thumb is free, and the
mamme are placed underneath the insertion of the humerus. All the
species comprehended in this section are likewise small, or of medium
size. M. Isidore Geoffroy informs us that he has examined the
crania of the majority of them, and found some interesting characters
which seem to be common to them all. In the species without a tail,
the cerebral cavity is separated from the face by a considerable con-
traction, corresponding in situation to the posterior part of the orbit,
whilst in those which have this appendage, there is no appearance of the
contraction, as M. Geoffroy had previously remarked in the Pteropus
marginatus. In these last, moreover, the cranium is somewhat more de-
veloped, and the muzzle is not so slender. The dental system presents
no particular character. The small false molar is usually found in the
upper jaw, but very insignificant and almost useless, whilst it is often quite
wanting in other species. These distinctions are more conspicuous in the
smaller species than in the larger.

22. PTEROPUS STRAMINEUS.—STRAW-COLOURED
ROUSSETTE.

Syn. La Roussetre Pariee.—Prerorus Srraminrus.—Geoff. Ann. Mus.
XV. 95.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 195, II. 84.—Isid. Geoff. in
Dict. Class. d’Hist. Nat. (art. Roussette. )

Icon. Temm. Mon. Mam. pl. 15, fig. 12 and 13, (teeth and cranium.)

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Hair dull yellow above, greyish beneath ; a demi-collar of golden-
red hairs on the sides and front of the neck in the males only.

Tue Tait very short.

Innasirs Sennaar and Senegal.

For a long time this Bat was thought to be an inhabitant of the island
of Timor, and it is still generally described as derived from that locality,
‘here would appear, however, to be a mistake in this; and its resi-
dence is now ascertained to be Africa, in the neighbourhood of Sennaar
and Senegal.

Though the total length is about eight inches, that of the tail does not
extend beyond two lines. In the adult male the furis smooth, very short,
and thin. The region of the sides and front of the neck is adorned with
a demi-collar of golden-red hairs, which are diverging and unctuous, and
confined to the males. In the female these parts are of a dull yellow
colour, more or less clouded with light brown. The rest of the fur
is the same in both sexes. Above it is yellowish, or of a dull white,
the points of the hairs being brown or ash-coloured; yellow prevails
about the ears; the middle part of the chest and of the belly is grey,
clouded with brown; the remainder of the inferior parts, and the under
parts of the legs and wings, are of a dull pale yellow.

23. PTEROPUS ZGYPTIACUS.—EGYPTIAN ROUSSETTE.

Preropus /Ecypriacus.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 95,

RovussETTE GEOFFROY.—PreROPUS GEOFFKOYI.—Temm. Mon. Mam.
I. 197.—Isid. Geoff. in Dict. Class.

Geoff.! Descr. d’ Egypt. I. pl. 3, fig. 2.

Syn.

Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. |

Tur Ham short and woolly, dull grey, deeperabove. Tue Mempranes
brownish-grey. THE Inverremorat broad. Tuer Tait very short, one
half surrounded by the membrane.

Innazirs Northern Africa and Senegal.

M. Temminck, as appears in the synonyma, has proposed a name for
this species, different from that originally bestowed by M. Geoffroy, its
first describer, at the same time paying him a well-merited compliment.
The motive which influenced him was, that this Roussette was not confined
to Egypt, but extended widely throughout Africa. Now, though this con-
sideration, had it been known at the time, might have induced M. Geoffroy
to avoid the appellation, yet, having been once fairly affixed, it should be
preserved. The reasons for this are numerous and urgent, and quite suf.

- ficient, we apprehend, to vindicate us for not following even the high au-

Neen ee ee ee ee eee eat eee Tn ne SSS eee

1 Gzorr. Descr. p’Ecyrt.— Description de l’Egypte, oa Reeuei! des Observations et des Resherches faites pendant l’expédition de l’armee Frangaise.—Paris, 1809,

et seq.
VOL. iI,

c

10 ' ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS PTEROPUS.

thority of M. Temminck. M. Geoffroy informs us that he himself de-
tached many individuals of the species from the ceiling of one of the cham-
bers of the Great Pyramid, and hence he could have no doubt of one of
its habitats. Subsequent investigation, however, has shown that it is
found at Senegal, and is now supposed to be common to the whole of
Northern Africa.

The muzzle of this Roussette is short, and the eyes equidistant between
the nostrils and ears. The interfemoral membrane is broad, surrounding
the coccyx, and enveloping half of the very short tail, the upper portion
of which member is covered both above and below with long and frizzly
hair. The incisors are small, narrow, and symmetrically arranged; the
inferior are detached, and, like the upper, placed in pairs ; the false molars
are very small, The fur is short, woolly, and close, except in the front
of the neck, where the hairs are long and fewer. A dull grey forms the
prevailing hue, which is deeper above than below; the membranes are
brownish-grey. The thumb is proportionally not so long as in the other
species.

24. PTEROPUS LESCHENAULTII.—SPOTTED ROUSSETTE.

Syn. La Rousserre LescHeNavutt.—Isid. Geoff. in Dict. Class. d’Hist. Nat.
XIV. 702,—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 86.—Desm. Mam. sp. 142.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr greyish-brown above, light fawn beneath; the neck with a
fawn-coloured collar. THe Atar Memprane spotted with white in pa-
~ rallel lines.

Tue Tart very short, nearly free from the interfemoral membrane.
Inuasirs the East Indies.

Specimens of this species have for a considerable time existed in the
Paris Museum, and, more lately, three have been introduced into the
collection at Brussels. It was originally discovered by the Naturalist
whose name it bears, in the neighbourhood of Pondicherry, and M. Roux
found specimens at Calcutta. The tail is almost entirely free from the
interfemoral membrane, and about six lines long. The Spotted Roussette
is of a light fawn colour on the abdomen, and greyish-brown on the back ;
the back of the neck has a fawn-coloured collar upon it, and the head is
dark brown. ‘The ears are short andround. The superior and anterior
portion of the membrane is marked with a number of whitish spots, ranged
ii parallel lines, more distinct in the young than in the aged. It is by
mistake that M. Desmarest and Hamilton Smith have placed this species
among the Tailless Bats.

25. PTEROPUS AMPLEXICAUDATUS.—LONG-TAILED
j ROUSSETTE.

Syn. La RovussETTE AMPLEXICAUDE, (P. AMPLEXICAUDATUS. )—Geoff. Ann.
Mus. XV. 96.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 200.

Ann. Mus. XV. pl. 4, copied in Temm. Mon. Mam. I. pl. 13,—II. pl.
36, fig. 18 and 19, (cranium and teeth. )

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tse Harr russet brown above, red brownish-grey beneath.

Tue Tat as long as the femur, partly surrounded by the interfemoral
membrane.

Inuasits Timor, Amboyna, Sumatra, and the adjacent parts of Asia.

This species is about the size of the Common Bat of Europe, (Vesper-
tilio murinus;) its eyes are equidistant between the eye and the nostril ;
the alar membranes approximate on the medium line of the back; the in-
terfemoral is quite naked, and involves the upper part of the tail, which
equals in length a line drawn from the anterior margin of the eye to the
point of the nose. The incisors are small and symmetrically arranged ;
the muzzle rather long. The furis fine, smooth, and very short, though
close ; it covers the extremities very imperfectly, and is quite wanting on
the membranes of the side. The back, too, is but partially covered.
Russet brown is the marking of the head and upper parts of the body,
whilst a red brownish-grey, somewhat tinged with the colour of wine lees,
is the tint of the under: in the male the red predominates, in the female
the brown. Allthe members are of russet brown, and the fingers of yel-
low-brown, which is also the colour of the naked tail. In the young the
body is very sparingly covered with soft, fine, and sleek hairs.

The discovery of this species is due to Messrs Lesson and Lesueur,
during their voyage to Southern Australia. Messrs Diard and Duvaucel
also mention, it has been captured in the neighbourhood of Bencoolen,
and Temminck has examined specimens sent from Siam.

26. PTEROPUS HOTTENTOTTUS.—HOTTENTOT
ROUSSETTE.

Syn. Rousserre Horrenror, (P. Horrentorrus.)—Temm. Mon. Mam. II.
87.—Smuts! Mam. Cap. p. 3.

Icon. Temm. Mon. Mam. II. pl. 36, fig. 16 and 17, (cranium and teeth.)

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Harr light grey and brown above; dull brown beneath. Tue
Mempranss covered with hair beneath only.

Tue Tat short, free at the base.

Inuasitrs Southern Africa.

The size of the Hottentot Roussette is somewhat larger than that of
the Amplexicaudatus ; the alar membranes are similar in their connection
and form, but better furnished with hair on their inner side ; the same re-
mark applies to the interfemoral membrane, which has the appearance of
the letter V reversed. The tail commences at this point ; it is quite free,
but does not extend beyond the margin of the membrane; its length only
equals one half of the distance from the anterior margin of the eye to the
point of the nose, or the half only of that of the Amplexicaudatus. The
incisors are very small, symmetrically arranged, and contiguous; there
is a space between the molars. The ears are short and rounded; the
muzzle long and compressed. The very short fur is fine, smooth, and
close ; possessing two colours above, and only one underneath; above,
the hairs are light grey at their base, and brown at the point, inclined to
a russet shade in the male, and to dull brown in the female; all the in-
ferior parts, in both sexes, are mouse-coloured.

This species, therefore, presents the following distinguishing characters ;
the shape of the interfemoral membrane at the coccyx, the shortness of
the tail, which is free in the groove, and the length of the muzzle ; these,
together with its greater size, readily distinguish it from the Amplexicaudatus,
with which it might most easily be confounded. The Hottentot Roussette
has no indication of a siphon or of odoriferous glands. It is found in the
neighbourhood of Cape Town, and also in the interior.

27. PTEROPUS LEACHII.—LEACH’S ROUSSETTE.

Syn. Preroeus Leacutt.—Dr Smith, in Zool. Jour. IV. 443.—Temm. Mon.
Mam. II. 88.—Smuts Mam. Cap. p. 5. :
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.
Tue Hair brownish-grey above; dull grey beneath. Tue MEMBRANES
blackish.

Tue Tart short and free.
Inuazits Southern Africa.

Leach’s Roussette received its name and first description from the well

known Naturalist, Dr A. Smith. It has the same locality with the last
named, and Dr S. informs us that it is found abundantly in the gardens
about Cape Town, during the fruit season, and often proves very destruc-
tive to vineyards in the night. The colour above is a sort of brownish-
grey, beneath a dull pale smoke grey. The incisors are short, strong, re-
gular, and rounded at the tips; the head long; ears of moderate length,
and rounded at the apices ; the membranes are blackish, the interfemoral
one only edging the inner side of each hinder extremity ; the tail is free.

28. PTEROPUS MARGINATUS.—BORDERED ROUSSETTE.

Syn. La RoussETTE A OREILLES BORDEEs, (P. MARGINATUS.)—Geoff. Ann.
Mus. XV. 97.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 202.
Icon. Ann. Mus. XV. pl. 5, copied in Temm. Mon. Mam. I. pl. 14.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tur Harr olive brown; a white border round the ears.
Tue Tait very short, almost free.
Inuasits Bengal.

The incisors of this species are very slender, and symmetrically arranged,
though almost crowded between the canines ; the eyes are equidistant be-
tween the nostrils and ears; these appendages are of medium size, and
bordered with a very distinct margin; the tail is exceedingly shart, and
connected at its root with the interfemoral membrane ; the upper part of
the humerus and alar membrane are well clad. The fur generally is spare,
short, of an olive brown colour; the chanfrin is somewhat full.

A single individual of this species was sent to Paris from Bengal by the
late M. Macé, and from this M. Geoffroy’s original description (which
has served for all the subsequent ones) was taken; a re-examination is
desirable, though its specific characters are sufficiently distinct.

a NE I ND

1 Smuts Mam. Car.—Dissertatio Zoologica, Enumerationem Mammalium Capensium continens.

Auctore Johanne Smuts, Leide, 1832.

THE ROUSSETTE BATS. 11

To this place we are inclined to refer certain Bats from Western Africa,
described by Messrs Bennett and Gray under the name of Epomoruorvs.

29. PTEROPUS WHITII.—WHITE’S ROUSSETTE,

Syn. EpoMorHorus Wurrn.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 504.
Preropus Wuiter.—Benn. in Trans. Zool. Soc.

Icon. Prerorus Wurret.—Benn. in Trans. Zool. Soc. II. pl. 6.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr pale brown above, whitish beneath.

An Oporirerous Granp on each side of the neck, covered by bunches
of white hair—in the male only ?

Inuazits Western Africa.

At the first glance of White’s Roussette, the attention is arrested by a
singular projecting patch of long white hairs placed on each side of the
neck in front of the shoulders, and looking almost like a mass of white fea-
thers. As we have no where seen this singular ornament of a consider-
able number of Bats, so minutely described as by the late Mr Bennett, we
shall here transcribe his words. ‘‘ The oval patch on either side of the
neck, occupied by the white and peculiar tufts, measures about an inch
in its longest diameter, which is from before backwards. The skin in this
part has no other covering than that which is peculiar to the spot itself.
This consists of straight, soft hairs, which diverge in all directions as from
acommon centre. Those that are situated towards the middle of the patch
are longer than the others, and are partly directed forwards and partly
backwards, having generally a dorsal inclination : their length is twice as
great as that of the longer hairs of the body. The mode of their insertion
into the skin is unlike that of the ordinary fur: in the latter, the hairs are
implanted either singly, or a few only near each other, so that the cover-
ing of these becomes nearly uniform; in the patches on the sides of the
neck, the hairs are gathered together into bundles, and are inserted in
fascicles into the skin, leaving between the several minor tufts interspaces
altogether naked. Each of the separate fascicles contains probably from
fifty to sixty hairs : and the approximation of these at their base, and their
divergence towards their tips, might almost be regarded as bearing a distant
analogical resemblance to the quill and dilatation of the feather of a Bird.”
Considerable obscurity still hangs over the precise use of this apparatus.
M. Temminck is of opinion, as already stated, that the diverging hairs
cover a glandular structure which secretes an odorous substance, “ which
may probably afford indication to these animals in the season of their
amours;” and Mr Bennett suggests, that the secretion poured forth may
serve to sheath and protect a projecting part of the animal from the friction
to which-it must be subjected during its passage through the air.

The incisors are small and regular; the canines of intermediate size : the
first false molar in the lower jaw is small, and of the normal form, but the se-
cond in this jaw, and the first in the upper, are of the same forms as the ca-
nines, and very little inferior to them in size, so that when the mouth is opened
there appear to be four canines in each jaw ; next follows in either jaw a
tooth with a large lobe upon the outer edge, and a small one within, which
is of the intermediate form between the true and false molars ; after which
come two normal molars in the lower and one in the upper jaw. The
molars are separated from each other by a vacant space.

The fur of the body is closely set and soft, and consists of slightly
wavy hairs of moderate length. It extends along the anterior extremities
nearly as far as the wrist, densely covering the limbs ; and is equally fur-
nished on the hinder limbs as far as the ankle. The interfemoral mem-
brane is entirely invested with fur. On the alar membrane there are a
few hairs in small distant tufts. The colour is dark brown above, some-
what lighter beneath.

The only ascertained habitat of this species is Western Africa.

30. PTEROPUS MACROCEPHALUS.—GREAT-HEADED
ROUSSETTE.

Syn. EpomorHorus MAcROcEPHALUS.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 504.
PTEROPUS MACROCEPHALUS.—Ozgilby, in Proc. Zool. Soc. III. 100.
P, MEGACEPHALUS.—Swainson, in Lard. Cab. Cyc. LX XII. 92, 356.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tur Harr pale dull fawn above, paler beneath ; fascicled and diverging
on the sides of the neck.
Inuazits Western Africa.

This Roussette has been procured in the same locality as the former,
and possesses, it would appear, precisely the same dentition. These cir-
cumstances would apparently indicate the necessity of distinguishing them
as a separate group; but we agree with Mr Bennett in thinking, ‘ that
the dentary character of the Bats seems to vary soirregularly, that it would
be hazardous to rely on them alone for generic distinctions.”

The Great-headed, like White’s Roussette, has tufts upon the neck,
but so little conspicuous that they would be overlooked if the attention
were not specially directed to the ascertaining their existence. The hairs
of the sides of the neck, of a pale dull fawn colour, are generally slightly
larger than the adjoining ones, and pass insensibly into those of the under
surface, which resemble them in all respects except in being paler. On
separating the fur so as to allow an inspection of its mode of insertion, a
part will be found in which the hairs are implanted in bundles, and have
a tendency to diverge as from a common centre. The coat above is ge-
nerally of a deep fawn colour; beneath paler; and there is a conspicuous
white spot on the bore of the ear.

DOUBTFUL SPECIES,

1. P. Gampranus, (Ogilby, in Proceed. Zool. Soc. III. 100,) from
Western Africa, is said to have the head moderately long, and a tuft of
white hairs at the front base of the wing.

Mr Ogilby describes the dental system of this species as precisely similar
to that of Nos. 29 and 30; and it is upon this circumstance that Mr Gray
forms these three species into his genus Epomophorus. We fear, how-
ever, that this is a hasty classification; and agree with Mr Bennett, that
it is ‘‘ more advisable to abstain from regarding this genus as constituted.”

IMAGINARY SPECIES.

1, Preropus Javanicus (Horsf. Zool. Jav.) does not differ specifically
from P. edulis.

2. P. partiatus (Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. and Desm. Mam.) is the
young of Cephalotes Peronii.

3. P. mepuus is identical with P. Edwardsii.

Note.—Pteropus minimus (Geoff. Ann. Mus.) is now transferred to
the Genus “Macroglossus ; Pteropus melanocephalus and P. titthacheilus
belong to the modern Genus Pacliysoma.

M. Isidore Geoftroy-St-Hilaire has given a monograph of this
family in the Dict. Class. d’Hist. Nat., art. Roussette. He has
formed the genus PacuysoMa with the Pteropus titthecheilus of
Temminck, and some allied species, on account of their having four
molars less, while the zygomatic arches are more prominent than
in the others. Of the Pteropus minimus or rostratus, he has com-
posed the genus Macrocuossus ; its muzzle is longer and more
slender ; some vacant intervals appear between the molars, and its
tongue is believed to be extensible. Finally, he has separated the
CEPHALOTEs of Pallas from that of Peron, to the latter of which he
has assigned the term HyPoDERMA, on account of the insertion of
its membranes and wings being wholly dorsal.

GENUS II. PACHYSOMA.—STOUT-BODIED
ROUSSETTES.

Syn. PacuysoMa.—lIsid. Geoff. in Dict. Class. XIV. 703.—Temm. Mon.
Mam. II. 91.
PTeEROPUS, (in part.)—Temm, Mon, Mam. I. 198.

GENERIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Heap spheroidal, large. Tue Mozzze large. Tue Zycomatic
ArcHEs prominent.

Tue Tuome inserted for one half of its length in the membrane.

Tue Mamma placed before the arm-pit.
*2-+-C+ (F+3) M_]4_4)

2--0+ (F+4)M 16

This genus, instituted by M. Isid. Geoffroy, comprehends several species
of a small size, which have hitherto been classed with the previous one,
(Pteropus,) and from which they are distinguished by the following pecu-
liarities : Their form is generally heavy and stout,—whence their name ;
their head is large and short, principally in front, necessarily leading to
corresponding modifications in the dental system. Inthe Pachysoma, ac-
cordingly, we find but 30 teeth, instead of 34, there being a molar less on
each side of each jaw, and that the last, and not the second one, as might
be supposed. The form of the cranium is also remarkable ; the muzzle
is large, and the cerebral cavity very voluminous and spheroidal ; whilst
between them there is a marked compression, though not equal to that
found in the great Roussettes. The space between the cranium and
the zygomatic arch is, however, much larger than in the ordinary Rous-
settes; and the muscles which go to the lower jaw are correspondingly
large. Lastly, the mamme are placed anterior to the insertion of the
humerus.

Their habits, moreover, are nocturnal, and they never issue from their

Tue Dentat Formvta

12 ORDER CHIROPTERA.--GENUS PACHYSOMA.

retreat except at the twilight, or after dark. Holes and crevices of trees
are their habitual residences ; their flight is rapid but irregular; their cry
strong, and very piercing; and their bite painful. A penetrating and pe-
culiar odour extends widely around them.

1. PACHYSOMA TITTHZCHEILUM.—WART-LIPPED STOUT-
BODIED ROUSSETTE.

Syn. PTexopus TITTHXCHEILUS, (Roussetre MAMMiLevre.)—Temm. Mon.
Mam. I. 198.
PacHYSOME MAMMILEVRE.—Isid. Geoff. in Dict. Class. d’Hist. Nat. (art.
Roussette. )
Icon. Temm. Mon. Mam. II. pl. 35, fig. 8, (head.)—I. pl. 15, fig. 17 to 24,

(crania and teeth. )

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hair russet-brown above, grey beneath; on the neck, nape, and
sides of the chest, bright rose colour, in the males only.

Tue Urper Lir with two large warts separated by a furrow.

Tue Tait short, enveloped, the point free.

Tue InrerremornaL Memprane deeply sloped, naked beneath only.

Inuazits Java, Sumatra, Cochin-China, and probably India.

This Stout-bodied Roussette is about the size of the Pteropus Higyp-
tiacus, (No. 23,) ora trifle larger. A small portion of the front of the
neck is naked; the muzzle is short, the eye nearer the nostrils than the ear;
this appendage is small, keel-shaped towards the point of the posterior
margin, marked with transverse ridges towards its base, and fringed
with a white border. The nostrils are widely separated, somewhat tu-
bular; on the upper-lip there are two large warts, separated by a furrow,
and the lining membrane of both are dotted with small papilla. The tail
is short, nearly wholly enveloped in the interfemoral membrane, its slender
termination being alone free. The interfemoral membrane, deeply sloped,
is clad above; whilst its other surface, together with the four extremities,
are naked. The incisors are slender and contiguous, the lower ones
somewhat crowded ; there is a small anormal molar in both jaws; the
canines have a strong internal heel. The fur is fine, sleek, and very short,
with the exception of that on the sides of the neck, and longer in the male
than the female. The former has a tuft of diverging hair proceeding from
a common centre, on each side of the neck, placed over odoriferous
glands.

In the male, the front of the neck, the tufts, the nape, and the sides of
the chest, are of a beautiful rosy tint, more or less lively, and verging to
orange in the old; the superior parts of the body are russet-brown, the
abdomen grey. The female, which is always larger than the male, has
the superior parts of a greyish-brown, inclining to olive; the under are
olive-grey ; the front of the neck and upper part of the chest are naked,
and the fringe round the ear is less distinct than in the male. The young
ofa year old are throughout of a very light brownish-grey, and the tufts
are whitish. The secretion from this glandular apparatus has a strong
odour, which is more offensive at particular seasons of the year.

2. PACHYSOMA MELANOCEPHALUM.—BLACK-HEADED
STOUT-BODIED ROUSSETTE.

Syn. PTEROPUS MELANOCEPHALUS, (ROUSSETTE MELANOCEPHALE.)—Temm.
Mon. Mam. I. 190.
PacHYSOME MELANOCEPHALE.—Isid. Geoff. in Dict. Class. d’Hist. Nat.
(art. Roussette.)—Bélang. Voy. p. 97.
Icon. Temm. Mon. Mam. I. pl. 12.—II. pl. 36, fig. 10, (head.)

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hair yellowish-white, tipped with grey above; dull pale yellow
beneath ; the head black.

Tue Tait wanting. Tae InrerremoraL Memprane rudimentary, and
nearly concealed.

Innasits Jaya.

We owe the discovery of this very small species, scarcely three inches
long, to M. Von Hasselt, who first became acquainted with it during a
journey in the least frequented parts of the Island of Java; the district
was mountainous, but he found a small family of them suspended upon a
tree. Itis quite destitute of a caudal appendage; its ears are small, short,
and round; the interfemoral membrane rudimentary, and nearly hid by the
hair. The muzzle is very short; the incisors contiguous and symmetri-
cally arranged, the anormal tooth in both jaws is well marked. The fur
is long and abundant, except on the front of the neck ; even the fore-arms
and the legs are well clad. The hair upon the back is yellowish-white,
tipt with dark grey; the nape, crown, and muzzle, are black; there is a
tuft on each side of the neck ; all the under parts of the body are of a dull
pale yellow ; the skin itself is of a deep brown colour.

3. PACHYSOMA BREVICAUDATUM.—SHORT-TAILED STOUT-
BODIED ROUSSETTE.

Syn. PacuysoOME A couRTE QUEUR, (P. brevicaudatum,)—Temm. Mon. Mam.
II. 92.—Isid. Geoff. in Dict. Class. d’Hist. Nat. (art. Roussette.)

Icon. Temm. Mon. Mam. II. pl. 35, fig. 9, (head.)

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hair reddish-olive above ; grey beneath ; the neck bright red ; the
head ash-grey.

Tue Tait very short.

InHaBits Sumatra and the Continent of India.

This species might readily be confounded with our No. 1, (P. titthe-
cheilum,) as far as regards its markings and the tufts on the neck ; but it is
at once distinguished by the extreme shortness of the tail, which does not
extend beyond the interfemoral membrane more than half a line. The
head is small, the muzzle very short and obtuse, the margin of the ear is
fringed asin No. 1. The incisors are small, and symmetrically arranged ;
the canines are large and obtuse. The fur on the sides of the neck is long
and strong, hiding the secreting apparatus ; the under parts are furnished
with silky hairs; in the adult, frequently the chin and front of the neck
are almost naked. In the adult male the head is an ash-grey ; the sides
of the neck bright red, the chest and abdomen grey, the flanks russet, the
superior parts of an olive tint, more or less verging to red. In the female
there are the following differences; the long hair of the neck is reddish-
grey, and the under parts are ash-coloured, whilst-olive-brown prevails
above. This species was first particularly described by M. Isidore Geof-
froy, and was captured by Messrs Diard and Duvancel in the Island of
Sumatra. It has also been procured from India.

4, PACHYSOMA ECAUDATUM.—BLUNT-NOSED STOUT-
BODIED ROUSSETTE.

Syn. PacHYsOME £caupDé, (P. EcauDaTuM.)—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 94,
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr dark brown above, ash-grey beneath.
Tue Mozzze obtuse. Nosrrits projecting. THe Tart wanting.
Inuasirs Sumatra.

The name applied by M. Temminck to this newly introduced species
will not be regarded fortunate, when it is considered that the Melanoce-
phalum, which has long been known, is likewise destitute of the tail.
This species is, however, remarkable for the shortness of its alar mem-
branes, the great obtuseness of its muzzle, its projecting nostrils, and for
haying no fringe on the margin of the ear. Only one individual has been
examined, and this an old female. Its fur was very short, of a pale grey
colour at the nape and the sides of the neck, and sooty-brown on the head,
and over the rest of the superior parts ; the ears are black, and without
margins. The under parts of the body were of an ash-grey colour. The
membranes are brown, and so are the fingers which support them.

This specimen came from Sumatra.

5. PACHYSOMA DIARDII.—DIARD’S STOUT-BODIED
ROUSSETTE.

PacHysOME DE Drarp, (PacHysoma Drarpu.)—Isid. Geoff. in Dict,
Class. d’Hist. Nat., art. Roussette.

Syn.

Icons

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr brown above ; whitish or yellowish beneath; the fore part
of the neck naked.

Tue Face very obtuse.
length.

InsaBits Sumatra.

Tue Tat long; free for two-thirds of its

«

This species was discovered by Messrs Diard and Duvaucel in Sumatra,
and first described by M. Geoffroy. Its fur is very short ; brown on the
head, back, and arms, grey round the neck, and on the middle of the ab-
domen, and greyish-brown on the flanks. Its tail is rather long, and ex-
tends seven or eight lines beyond the interfemoral membrane. _ Its face is
very obtuse, and there is a naked spot on the front of the neck.

DOUBTFUL SPECIES.

1. Pacuysoma Duvavcetn, (Isid. Geoff. in Dict. Class. d’Hist. Nat.
art. Roussette.) This species has very slender claims to be considered
as real; and Temminck, from actual examination, thought it belonged to
P. titthecheilum, our No. 1.

MACROGLOSSUS.—HARPYIA. 13

GENUS Ill. MACROGLOSSUS._GREAT-TONGUED
ROUSSETTES.

Syn. Preropus, (in part.)—Temm. Mon. I. 19!.—Macroctosse.—F. Cuv.
in Dents des Mamm. p. 40.—Macroctossus.—Isid. Geoff. in Dict.
Class. XIV. 705.—Macroc.ossa.—Less. Mam. p. 115.—Gray, in
Mag. Zool. et Bot. p. 504.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Heap elongated. Tue Mozzte slender, almost cylindrical.
Tue Toncue long, slender, and exsertile.
Tue Acar Mempranes arising from the sides of the back.

a 7124 C4 (F44) M_16
THE DenraL FormMuLa 34C+ (FS Mis

Innasits the East Indian Archipelago.

The Genus Macroglossus constitutes the third of the Frugivorous Chi-
roptera. The generic distinction consists not solely in the prolongation of
the muzzle, or maxillary bones, but also in the peculiar form of the in-
termaxillary, which is not in them, as in most animals, a part of a circle
more or less prominent, and projecting no farther than the canines, as
in the Pachysoma and the Harpies, but in this genus forms an obtuse cone,
for the support of the muzzle, contributing to its prolonged form. This
prolongation varies not so much among individuals of different ages, as
according to the localities in which the animals have lived. Thus, those
from Sumatra have an exceedingly long snout ; and those from Java have
a somewhat shorter one than those from Timor; that of the Amboyna
animals is remarkably short, compared with those from Sumatra; whilst,
in specimens from Celebes, the muzzle is much more slender, and a little
longer than those from Amboyna. The local difference is great, but seems
to depend solely upon the different lengths of the muzzle.

1. MACROGLOSSUS MINIMUS._KIODOTE OR GREAT-
TONGUED ROUSSETTE.

Prerorus Minimus, (LA Rousserre Krovore. )—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV.
97.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I, 191.—Desm. Mam. Suppl.

Macroctossus minimus. —F, Cuy. in Dents Mam.—Isid. Geoff. in Dict.
Class.

Macroctossa xropotes et M. Horsrietpit.—Less. Mam. 115.

Kiopote.—F. Cuv. et Geoff, Hist, Mam.

Prerorus ROsTRatus.—Horsf. Jay.

Temm. Mon. Mam. I. pl. 15, fig. 25 to 30, (crania and teeth,) pl. 16,
fig. 1, 2, (skeleton. )

Syn.

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr light red, tinted with yellow above ; light russet beneath.

Tue Inrerremoract Memorane very narrow, covered with hair above.
{ Tue Tart rudimentary.

Ivnasits the East Indian Archipelago.

This long-muzzled Bat was first discovered by M. Leschenault, in Java,
who called it Kiodote, supposing this to be the name applied to it by the
natives. From M. Leschenault’s notes, M. Geoffroy published a descrip-
tion in the year 1810, and Dr Horsfield gave another from the examina-
tion of several specimens, in his Zoological Researches, in 1824, He
seems to have regarded it an undescribed species ; and states that by the
Javanese it is called Lowo-Assu, literally Dog-Bat. It was M. F. Cuvier
who proposed to arrange it in a distinct genus, and for the following rea-
sons, which appear perfectly satisfactory.

It may be distinguished at first glance, not only from the Roussettes, but
from every other kind of Bats, by its very prolonged and slender muzzle,
which is also cylindrical and pointed, somewhat like that of the Ant-eaters.
The tongue also is cylindrical, long, and extensible, conforming to the
shape of the snout.’ Finally, the teeth exhibit equally remarkable charac-
ters; for, notwithstanding the elongation of the muzzle, their number is
Not augmented, and, what is remarkable, they are likewise of smaller di-
tensions. The whole of the jaw, moreover, is not supplied with teeth,
especially the lower one, where a wide interval exists between the incisors
of the right and left sides; another is found behind the first and second
molar, and a third behind the last molar.

To these more specific characters we have still to add, that the inter-
femoral membrane is very narrow, extending, however, from the feet to
the coccyx, where it encounters the slender rudiments of a tail. The lower
jaw is placed at an acute angle, and projects beyond the upper one:
it is more slender than in any other species. The fur is short, close, and
Somewhat woolly. All the upper parts of the body are of a light red,
Somewhat tinted with yellow towards the root of the hairs. The under
parts are of a light russet hue. The interfemoral membrane is clad above,

and the hairs extend beyond the membrane ; the whole cutaneous system
Is of reddish hue,

VOL. Il,

Dr Horsfield supplies the following information concerning the habits
of the Lowo-Assu: ‘It is far less abundant than the Kalong—(The
Edible Roussette, No. I. ;) but it still exists in sufficient numbers to com-
mit serious injury among the plantations and fruit trees. Like other
species of Pteropus, it feeds on fruits of every description, but particular-
ly infests the various species of Eugenia or Jambu, which are culti-
vated in gardens. During the day it remains suspended under branches
of trees, or retires under roofs of old houses and sheds. At night it
sallies forth, like the species Pteropus.”

It inhabits Java, Timor, and the surrounding islands.
the Continent of India has not yet been proved.

Its existence on

GENUS IV. HARPYIA—TUBE-NOSED ROUSSETTES.

Syn. CEPHALOTES, (in part.)—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 104.
VESPERTILIO, (in part.)—Linn. Gmel. I.

Harpyra.—lIllig. Prodr. p. 118.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 98.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Heap large and broad. Tue Muzzze thick and very short. Tue
Nose prolonged into two diverging tubes, round, cleft externally, and ter-
minated with a projecting margin.

{. Tue Avar Memarane arising from the sides of the back.

Tue Tuums partly covered by the membranes. Tar InpEx with a
third phalanx and claw.

Tue Dentat Formura—

1 C+ (F4-3) M2
In the Old, C-E(F44) M12
In the Middle Age, te a

Not well known in the Young.
InHaBits Amboyna.

This genus is founded upon a single species, the Vespertilio Cephalotes
of Pallas, well described and delineated in all its details by the eminent
German Naturalist. Illiger, in his Prodromus, first constituted it into
the genus Harpyia. M. Geoffroy associated it with another of the
Chiroptera, described by Péron, classifying them under the genus Cephalo-
tes. M. Isidore Geoffroy, in his monograph of the Frugivorous Bats, in
1828, so often quoted above, demonstrated the necessity of separating the
so-named Cephalotes of Pallas from that of Péron, herein agreeing with
Illiger in an arrangement which is now very generally adopted. M, Isi-
dore Geoffroy applies the generic term Cephalotes to Pallas’ species, and
proposes the name Hypoderma for that of Péron. We agree with Tem-
minck in thinking this innovation unnecessary, and therefore follow Illi-
ger as to Pallas’ species, and apply the term Cephalotes to another
group.

The osseous cerebral covering of the Harpy Roussette is spheroidal and
very large; the zygomatic arches are strong and much detached; the
lower jaw is long, much rounded, very slender, and terminated by canines
curved forward, completely inclosing the small upper incisors of the in-
termaxillary bone. The fore-finger of this Bat has a claw upon it, exhibit-
ing in this particular a striking difference to the genus Cephalotes, which,
although it has the terminal phalanx, is destitute of the nail. It has also
thirteen pair of ribs, and not fourteen, as in this last named genus. The
tail is partly concealed in the interfemoral membrane, as in the succeeding
genus; but not to the same extent as in the preceding. The alar mem-
brane rises from the sides, and covers the whole of the metatarsal bones,
extending to the middle finger, into which it is fixed, covering the two
internal ones. The incisors, as they have been called, in the lower
jaw, have given rise to controversial remarks. In adopting the common
nomenclature, we follow the example of most Naturalists; although M.
Geoffroy contends they are true canines, as Pallas had pointed out before.
It is quite true, that these teeth in this animal have the same direction
and form; and M. Isidore Geoffroy has, moreover, remarked, that were
we to extract the so designated incisor of the Harpyia, and the canine of
the Pachysoma, the most experienced eye could not determine any dif-
ference between them.

1. HARPYIA PALLASIT.—PALLAS’ TUBE-NOSED ROUSSETTE.

Syn. VESPERTILIO CEPHALOTES.—Linn. Gmel. I. p. 50.
CepHaLotes PaLtasi.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 107.—Desm. Mam,
Harpyia Patcasi.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 101.
Motucca Bat.—Penn. Quadr. II. No. 503.—Shaw, Gen. Zool. I. 134.
Icon. VESPERTILIO CEPHALOTES.—Pall. Spicil. Zool. IL{. pl. 1, (skelet. &c.,)

pl. 2.—Copied in Schreb. Saiigth, pl. 61.

Hanrevi£ DE Pattas.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. pl. 40, fig. 1 and 2,—
(cranium and teeth,) fig. 3, 4, and 5.

CEPHALOTE.—Buff. Hist. Nat. Suppl. III. pl. 25.

14 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS CEPHALOTES.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hate clear ash-brown above, whitish beneath; on the tubes of
the nose, ears, and tail, bright yellowish-brown.

Tue Mempranes yellowish-red, marked with irregular whitish spots.
Tue Inrerremorat cleft in the middle, partly covering the tail. Tur
Tat short.

Inuasits Amboyna.

Pallas’ Tube-nosed Roussette possesses the same dimensions with the
Common Bat of Europe, Vespertilio murinus. ts head is nearly oval ; its
muzzle short and broad; its nostrils prolonged into two diverging tubes,
which are round, cleft in the outer side, and terminated by a projecting
border. The upper lip also is cleft, and supplied with a double row of
small whiskers ; there is also ashort tuft of hairs above the eyes. The ears
are wide apart, naked, round, and short ; there is a hooked nail upon the
fore-finger, as well as upon the thumb, of which the half is enveloped in the
alar membrane ; the tail is covered above, and half concealed by the inter-
femoral membrane, which is broad, and supported by the cartilages of the
tarsi, which are short. 'The membranes of the wings arise from the sides ;
they are very large, and completely cover the metatarsal bones, attaching
themselves to the middle finger, differing in this particular from all the
known Chiroptera. The Anatomical details perfectly agree with those
ofthe Roussettes, and, especially as regards the cranium, with the Pachy-
somata

The fur is somewhat long, and frizzled above; short and smooth be-
low; the upper part of the fore-arm, the larger half of the arm, and the
flank membranes are clad. In the male the superior parts are of a
clear brownish-grey, whilst a deep brown line runs from the coceyx to the
nape; at this point it divaricates to the shoulders. In the female the
whole of the upper part of the fur is of a greyish-brown, more or less
deep, and the dorsal line does not divide as in the male. In both the
sexes the cheeks, chest, and the middle of the abdomen, are of an ash-
white colour; the lower part of the arms and sides ash-coloured, tinted
as with wine lees. The nasal tubes, ears, and tail, are of a clear yellowish-
brown; the membranes are of a yellowish-red, irregularly marked with
whitish spots ; the iris is bright brown.

The habits of this Roussette are wholly unknown. The elder Natu-
ralists describe it as coming from the Moluccas; MM. Macklot and
Miiller sent it from Amboyna.

DOUBTFUL SPECIES.

M. Rafinesque-Smaltz, in his Prodrome de Somiologie, has described a re-
markable species of Bat from the Island of Sicily, under thename of CEPHALO-
TES TENIoTIs. It has two incisors in the upper jaw, and none in the lower ;
the canines and molars are pointed ; there is no projecting crest upon the
nose, and the tail is free for one half of its length. The fur is entirely of
a greyish-brown, and a wart appears between the two incisors of the upper
jaw. At present it remains doubtful whether this Bat should be referred
to Harpyia or Cephalotes, or even whether it may not form the type of a
distinct genus.

GENUS V. CEPHALOTES.—CEPHALOTES.

CEPHALOTEs.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 101.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II.

103.
HypoperMa.—Isid. Geoff. in Dict. Class. XIV. (art. Roussette. )

Syn.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Heap very thick. Tur Muzzte short and truncated. Tue
Nosrnrits slightly tubular, large. THe Upper Lip cleft by a deep furrow.

Tue Atar Memsrane enveloping the entire body in a single piece, and
adhering to the spine only by a transparent membrane.

Tue Tuums Natt partly covered by the membrane.

Tue Inpex having the third phalanx, but without a Craw.

Tue Denrat Formuta varying according to the age.—

224-C+4M —_!4_39
In the Young l>rep (Fp) M ies
In the Adult SE Cop Mi 258
14C+ (F5) M16
Mm aoOm [oka Ml sp

.-.C+ (F+5)M 14
Inuasits the East Indian Archipelago.

In accordance with the observations of M. Geoffroy, we again
separate the Cephalotes from the Roussettes, with which they agree
in having the same kind of molar teeth, but the index, although hav-
ing three phalanges, like the preceding, wants the claw. The alar

membranes, instead of arising from the sides, unite together in the
central axis of the back, to which they adhere by a vertical and
longitudinal hinge. Their incisors [being variable according to
age] are often only two in number.

The general form of the cranium of the Cephalotes resembles that of
the Roussettes, but differs from them, as well as in Pachysoma, Har-
pyia, and all the other known Chiroptera, in possessing a very remarkable
apparatus which takes the place of the intermaxillary bones, and which,
with the Rhinolophus, to be afterwards noticed, exhibits an anomaly
which is altogether peculiar. In this animal the intermaxillary bone is
represented by two ossicula, detached from the maxillaries, and each
supporting a small tooth; these little bones are shaped somewhat like an
S, are three lines long, depressed, and united to the extremity of the nasal
bones by a cartilage close to the origin of the teeth. The muscular at-
tachments confer on these bones, and consequently upon the teeth, the
power of moving backwards and forwards, whilst in the other genus al-
luded to, the motion is upwards and downwards; both, however, being
remarkable examples of moveable incisors in the class Mammalia. Be-
sides this anomalous peculiarity, and wanting the nail of the fore-finger,
the Cephalotes is also destitute of the fibular bone, and has fourteen pair
of ribs. The remarkably strong and disagreeable odour which this ani-
mal exhales is probably produced by the secretions of the two consider-
able glands of the cheek, the upper part of which, covered by the skin,
is of a beautiful red colour.

The external forms present another peculiarity of this genus which is
not less striking. The wings do not spring from the sides as in the ma-
jority of the Chiroptera, or even from a small distance from the spinal
ridge, as is the case with a few species of the Roussette, but the skin ex-
tends continuously over the whole body of the animal, thus completely en-
veloping it as with a cloak; it is confined solely by a diaphanous integu-
ment, adhering to the skin of the trunk along the dorsal ridge, and about
a line in breadth. Only half of the thumb is enveloped in the membrane,
a character which, along with Pachysoma and Harpyia, distinguishes
it from the Roussettes. The alar membrane takes its inferior attach-
ment as high up as the metatarsal bones, and does not cover any of these
bones, as in the Harpyia; the toes are totally free as in the Roussettes.

1. CEPHALOTES PERONII-—PERON’S CEPHALOTE.

Syn. La CepHALOTE DE Péxon.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 104.—Cuv. Reg.
Anim. I. 114,
Hypoperma Peronu.—Isid. Geoff. in Dict. Class. XIV. 708.
Preropus PALLIATUS, (young.)—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 99.
Icon. X1YpPODERME DES MOLLUQUES, (femelle.)—Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de

PAstr. pl. 11.
Temm. Mon. Mam pl. 36, fig. 7, (head. )
CEPHALOTES Peronit.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. pl. 7.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr brownish or reddish. Tue Tart partly engaged in the in-
terfemoral membrane.

Tue Ears broad and pointed.

Inuazits Timor, Amboyna, Banda, &c.

The size of Péron’s Cephalote is about that of the American Vampire,
and it has no nail on the fore-finger. Its muzzle is obtuse, its ears straight
and pointed. The alar member, different from any thing we have pre-
viously seen, envelopes the whole body, adhering to the spinal ridge by
a transparent integument; about half of the tail is concealed by the in-
terfemoral membrane; a few longish hairs are scattered around the mouth
and eyes. Inthe young there are four incisors of the upper jaw, small
and pointed, arranged in pairs, and fixed on either side into the rudiments
of the moveable laminz ; those below are symmetrically arranged, though
somewhat crowded. In the adult, the two incisors of the upper jaw
remain moveable, and the two below are much approximated by the ca-
nines.

The fur of the adult is short, rough, and not very abundant; somewhat
frizzly upon the shoulders, the hairs of the side of the neck converge to
a point in the medial line of the neck; on the coccyx they are transpa-
rent. The whole of the body proper is well clad, whilst the membrane
that covers the back is quite naked; the internal membranes in the upper
part of the wing, and of the thighs, are covered with frizzly hairs. In
the young, the fur is short and cottony, and the membrane which covers
the back is covered with down, or semi-transparent hair; the inferior
parts of the body are almost bare. A reddish colour predominates in the
young, olivaceous grey in the adult and old; a yellowish tint pervading
the male, and a greyish the female. There is but little fur on the chin,
cheeks, and front of the neck, and in the old these parts are quite naked.

FAMILY INSECTIVORA.—INSECTIVOROUS BATS. 15

The whole of the membrane is diaphanous, and of a bright brown co-
ur.
4 The entire length of this Bat, including the tail, (half an inch,) is
about six and a half inches, and the extreme breadth two feet and a
half, sometimes a trifle more. These dimensions do not depend always
on age, but also on locality; those of Amboyna being larger than those
of Banda, and those of Timor less than these last. This great animal
retires and conceals itself during the day in caverns and among the clefts
ofthe rocks; from which inaccessible hiding-places it usually issues only
at the twilight. It flies with rapidity, is not very social with the allied
genera, bites very cruelly, and occasions an abominable odour, although

destitute of the unctuous apparatus possessed by some of the previously
described species.

It inhabits Banda, Samao, Timor, and Amboyna, in large numbers ;
but has not hitherto been seen in Java.

IMAGINARY SPECIES,

1. CepHatotes Mottuccensis of MM. Quoy and Gaimard (Voy. de
Astrolabe, P. Zool. vol. I. p. 86) is distinguished only by trifling indivi-
dual peculiarities.

Note.—Cephalotes Pallasii 1s now transferred to the Genus Harpyia.

FAMILY II.

Syn.

INSECTIVORA.—INSECTIVOROUS BATS.

Les Vrates Cuavve—Sounis.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 114.

CHARACTERS OF THE FAMILY.

Tue Morar Teen studded with conical points.
Tue Inpex with one or two phalanges only, always without a nail.
Innazir the tropical or temperate parts of the whole globe.

Having fully discussed the characters of the Frugivorous Bats,
we now arrive at the Proper Bats, which are all Insectivorous. Their
molar teeth, three in number on either side of each jaw, and studded
with conical points, are preceded by a variable number of false mo-
Jars. The index finger is always deprived of the nail, and with the
exception of one sub-genus, the membrane extends between the
thighs.

We have already had occasion (p. 3) to notice the recent and interest-
ing discovery of M. Isidore Geoffioy in the osteology of the Bats, namely,
that they have a bone connected with the elbow-joint in all respects an-
swering to the knee-pan. This interesting structure is most marked in
the Frugivorous Bats, but continues sufficiently striking in most of the
Insectivorous ; the genus Vespertilio supplying the only partial exception,
being in them entirely hid in the tendon of the triceps muscle. M. Tem-
minck enumerates the following as the functions to which this peculiar
apparatus is subservient. Most of the Bats, he remarks, possess the
power of using their wings, or membranes, in the capacity of hands, the
wing being moveable in all directions, and susceptible of prehension.
The structure of the wing accordingly corresponds to these functions, as
they supply hands to seize, feet to walk, and wings to fly, the Elbow-pan,
as we may term it, being used in their crawling gait, and in affording sup-
port on the ground, in the same way as the knee-pan in the other
classes of the Mammalia. M. Brehm has made the same remark, and
adds that in this respect the Bats differ from Birds, which never employ
their wings in seizing or retaining an object, or in supporting their body,
except when flying.

In the Inseclivorous Chiroptera the thumb is always very short, being
composed of a single articulation, and of a claw with its phalanx; the
fore-finger always wants the nail and the unguinal phalanx. The interfe-
moral membrane, with one exception, is very ample, most frequently en-
veloping the whole of the tail by means of strong tendons and of a ten-
dinous prolongation from the heel. This apparatus, directed towards
the abdomen, is employed in retaining the young as in asac during flight.

From M. Temminck we learn that a fact hitherto inexplicable, has
received an explanation from recent observations made upon these
winged Mammifere. We allude toa curious circumstance noticed in
the capture of these animals. In the haunts where they have been found
in numbers, at one time, only males have invariably been obtained, at
another only females, and, finally, at others a heap of young only, without
asingle adult of either sex. The habits of the animals, as lately ob-
served, afford an explication of these isolated unions. For it would ap-
pear that the two sexes never resort to the same retreat ; but immedi-
ately when their amours are ended, the females retire, always in com-
pany, and often in great flocks, into narrow chinks far from the company

of the males, who in their turn associate in bands; the sexes remain thus
separated till the young are in a state to fly about and take care of them-
selyes; after which they quit the society of their mothers, and choose a
new retreat, where individuals of the same age assemble, and which sepa-

rate into their severai sexes about the time of their love season. M.
Brehm has verified a part of these observations upon several of the Eu-
ropean species of Vespertilio; and testimonies to the same effect have
been communicated by the Dutch Naturalists in the East Indies. Facts
speak quite as distinctly to the point, for M. Temminck assures us that
parcels of these Bats, coming from all parts of the world, when obtained
in their native haunts are invariably composed of males, or females, or
their young exclusively. Up to the present time, he adds, we have ob-
tained females only of some species belonging to the Great Asiatic Archi-
pelago, and probably from the resorts of the males not having as yet been
discovered by Naturalists.

Two of the reflections of the eminent conservator of the Leyden Mu-
seum, after his review of the whole order, are so important that we must
not omit them. Ist, He states that his researches lead him to conclude
that in some species the function of reproduction goes on chiefly, if not
solely, not when the animals appear to have attained their full maturity,
but apparently at an earlier period. The sutures of the cranium in the
class thus signalized indicate that they have not reached their full growth,
and their length of body and span across the wings are strikingly smaller
than in their fellows, whose strong occipital and coronal crests, and every
other sign, indicate that they have attained the maximum of their de-
velopments. Some species of the genera Molossus, Pachysoma and
Pteropus, have supplied the matter for this remark, which M. Temminck
considers, in the present state of our knowledge, very inexplicable. 2d,
His concluding observation respects the markings of the Chiroptera. In
some of the species, and more especially of the Insectivorous family, he
has observed tliat there is a perfect resemblance in the colouring of the
fur of the two sexes; and when there is a difference, it is always a reddish
colour more or less pure, which distinguishes the livery of the female
whilst the male is marked with brown or grey. When, however, the
males, and sometimes those of the other sex also, are provided with unc-
tuous bunches at the sides of the neck, and generally with all the frugi-
verous family, it is the male which is adorned with red, and when there
is a difference in colouring, the female wears the dull and more obscure
livery. His study of the colours of the Chiroptera also lead to the cou-
jecture that, as in Birds, they are probably subject toa double moult, and
thus have one dress for summer and another for winter.

The Insectivorous Bats may be subdivided into two principal
tribes. The first has the middle finger of the membrane, with three
ossified phalanges, but the other fingers, as well as the index, have
only two. The second tribe has only one ossified phalanx for the
index, and the other fingers have two [or three. ]

M. Spix subdivides the Insectivorous Bats into IsttopHori, or Leaf-
nosed Bats, and into AnistTiopHort, which have the nose simple, and wholly
destitute of that singular nasal appendage. By combining his arrangement,
with the preceding, we form four tribes corresponding nearly with those
indicated by M. Lesson, and in our own country by Mr Gray, under the
names of NocTILioninA, PHYLLosToMINaA, RHINOLOPHINA, and VESPER-
TILIONINA. ;

16 ORDER CHIROPTERA—GENUS DYSOPES.

TRIBE I.

Syn.

DIPHALANGIA ANISTIOPHORA.

AnistiopHort, (in part.)—Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras.

Noctitionina.—Less. Mam.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 498.

CHARACTERS OF THE TRIBE.

Tuer Inpex with two ossified phalanges.
Tuer Nosze simple, without a leafy appendage.

GENUS VI. DYSOPES.:—BULL-DOG BATS.

Mo ossus.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. VI. 150.—Desm. Mam. p. 113.

Dysores.—Illig. Prodr. p. 122.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 205.

Dinops.—Savi, in Nuov. Giorn. di Letter. No. 21, p. 230.

Nycrinomus.—Geoff. Descr. d’Egypte, II. 28:—Desm. Mam. p. 116.
—Horsf. Jav.

CHEIROMELES.— Horsf. Jav.

THyYROPTEKA ?—Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras. p. 61.

VESPERTILIO, (in part.)—Linn. Gmel. I. 49.

Syn.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Heap thick. Tue Muzzze broad and flat.

Tue Ears very large, mostly approximated, recumbent over the eyes,
and arising from the commissure of the lips. THe Upper Lip large and
wrinkled. ;

Trae AvricutarR OprercuLum round, thick, placed in front.
Toneve smooth.

Tue Dentat Formuta varying according to the age ; as under—

24-C4(F43)M _ 14

THE

2
First Age, SE CE@Pp3)M 182
| 214 Ch (4 3)M 12
Very young, 3.C--(@F-3)M 18
AE Socone Tia
Young, 24-C+(2F--3)M 16 -°
Adult, 2 1-C+(F43)M _.12__
[T+-C+(2r--3)Mm_ 14 °°
Old, 21+ C+(F3)M __12__54

C4+(2F43)M 12

Tue Tors covered with bristles. Tae THoumss of the hinder feet free,
and sometimes opposable.

Tue Avtar MemBraneEs narrow.
the INreRFEMoRAL Mremprane.

Inuasir the tropical parts of the entire globe, and the warmest portions
of the temperate zones.

Tue Tar long, partly engaged in

The Bull-Dog Bats have the muzzle simple, their ears broad and
short, arising from the angle of the lips, and uniting together upon
the muzzle, the auricular operculum short, and not surrounded by
the auricle. The tail occupies the entire length of the interfemoral
membrane, and often extends beyond it. [Inthe adult state only
two incisive teeth appear in each jaw; according to M. Temminck,
in their extreme youth, their incisors are as many as six in the
lower, and four in the upper jaw; these are gradually reduced with
age to two in the upper jaw only. |?

The following admirable description of the characters of this genus is
supplied by M. Geoffroy. The Bats belonging to the genus Dysopes
may be easily recognised by their fierce-looking physiognomy, and the
peculiarity of their whole figure: their large head and broad muzzle has
led to their being compared to the Bull.Dog, and to their being desig-
nated by hisname. The head is remarkably full across the ears, which
approximate and are festooned over the eyes, so that they are calcu-
lated quite as much to protect these organs, as to favour the power of
hearing: they arise very near the commissure of the lips, and after pass-
ing behind the auditory foramen, sweep upwards and forwards to unite
upon the brow. Most of the Chiroptera have the tragus placed in the
auditory cavity, where it forms a kind of second external ear, and then
receives the name of auricular operculum; but in the Dysopes there is a

difference, because this second ear is situated in front and exteriorly; it
is, moreover, round and thick. Lastly, the species of this genus are re-
cognised by their tail, which is long, and generally more or less engaged
in the interfemoral membrane. The tongue is smooth, and the muzzle
unfurnished with hairs; the nose is destitute of membranes and cavities ;
the nostrils are but slightly prominent, open in front, and margined with
a small hood.

To these indications M. Temminck adds the following:—In all the
species of this genus the posterior members are very short, the fibula is
perfect, often as large as the tibia, and the wide separation of these bones
supplies large space for the strong muscles of the feet. They have all
bristles on their toes, and the outer or inner one is usually freer than the
others, and sometimes opposable. The thumb is short, strong, and
bulky; the upper lip is ample, and wrinkled ; the snout more prominent
than the lips. Their most striking characteristic, however, is the appa-
rent insufficiency of their wings, seemingly quite disproportioned to the
size of their bodies, which are big and heavy. To such an extentis this
narrowness of their wings, that in some species we should be led to con-
clude they could not serve them in along continued flight, and must be
useful only as a parachute. Forced to subsist in subterranean and deep
caverns, it would appear that it was chiefly by scaling the walls of build-
ings and the trunks of trees, or by crawling by means of their prehensile
organs, that they provided for their wants. Insects and larva are pro-
bably the food of these creatures; whose manners and appetites are,
however, as yet but little known.

All Naturalists agree that this group of animals is very distinctly and ac-
curately defined and circumscribed, and yet it was for a long time separated
into two, or more. This circumstance was owing to the reputed differ-
ences in the number of their incisive teeth, arising from changes produced
by age, and which it is now ascertained occur alike in them all. The
Molossus was said to be characterized by two incisors above and two be-
low, and the other ‘section, the Myctinomus, by two above and four bee
low; the latter being, moreover, supposed to belong exclusively to the
old world, whilst the former alone were found in the new. All this,
however, was the result of hasty inference. It would appear that the
maximum number of the incisors is not less than six above and four be-
low. To these succeed the canines, which on their mesial side are
supplied with prominent heels. These appear as the animal advances
in age, and before them the incisors, one by one, drop out till there is
only one pair left above, and sometimes none below. In the words of Tem-
minck, a part of the canines takes the place of the incisors which fall
out, and the heels of the lower canines discharge, along with the upper
incisors, the functions of mastication.

The Genus Dinops of M. Savi is formed of one of these Bull-
Dog Bats (Dysopes Cestonii) which [being examined im its first
age] was found to have six incisors in the lower jaw.

Again, M. Geoffroy has formed those with four incisors only in
the lower jaw, into the Genus Nyctinomus. [ These are the young. }

At first, the Bull-Dog Bats were found only in Americas at
present they have been discovered in both Continents, [and more
recently in New Holland.] Many of them have the thumbs of
the hinder feet more separated than the fingers, and distinctly
moveable, a character which has led Dr Horsfield to form a new
Genus CHEIROMELES, with a single species in which this character
is very distinctly marked.

It is probably to this genus that we should refer the TuyRop-
TERA of M. Spix, which have been but imperfectly described by
him. They appear to have many of the characters of the Bull-Dog
Bats, and their thumb has a concave dilatation, peculiar to them,
and enabling them to cling with greater security.

1 Dysopes, from ducw7rew, to frighten with excessive ugliness.

2 The precise words of the Baron Cuvier are, ‘* One seldom finds more than two incisors in each jaw; but, according to M. Temminck, many have at first six incisors
below, of which they successively lose four,”—a remark not strictly accurate, as an examination of the cental formule noted above will serve to explain.

THE BULL-DOG BATS OF AMERICA. 17

(A.) BULL-DOG BATS OF AMERICA.

]. DYSOPES RUFUS.—RUFOUS BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. Motossvs Rurus.—Geoff, Ann. Mus. VI. 155.—Desm. Main.
Dysorrs ruFUs, (Molosse Marron ou Doguin.)—Temm. Mon. Mam. I.
230.
Icon. DysorEs PEROTIS.—Pr. Max. Abbild.

Temm. Mon. Mam. pl. 23, fig. 17, 18, 19, (cranium and teeth.)

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tre Harr dark reddish-brown above, ].ght reddish-brown beneath.
Tue Memepranes and Ears dark brown.

Tue Muzzte very broad and short. Tue Tait robust.

InnaBits Surinam and Brazil.

The size of the Rufous Bull-Dog Bat is considerably larger than that
of the Common Bat of English authors, the length of the body being up-
wards of three inches, of the tail two, and across, from tip of the one
Wing to that of the other, sixteen inches. Its muzzle is of enormous size,
very full and short, and somewhat resembling that of the Bull-Dog; the
gape of the mouth is also very large, and the external ear exceedingly
developed ; the interfemoral membrane is connected, angle-shaped, to the
middle of the tail, enveloping the upper portion, and leaving the other
half free, and without any membraneous edging; the lips are surrounded
with hairs, but have no verrucz or warts about them; the inner parts of
the ears, and the base of the outer surface, are clad with hair. The fur
of the upper parts of the animal is of a deep reddish chestnut colour, of
the lower of a lighter reddish chestnut ; the ears and membranes dusky
brown.

M. Geoffroy first described this animal; and M. Temminck, who, in the
Low Countries, in the year 1827, examined a specimen preserved in
spirits of wine, states that its habitatis unknown. The individual which
supplied Prince Maximilian’s description and plate was procured in the
Brazils.

2. DYSOPES ALECTO.—BLACK BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. Dysopes ALEcTO, (MOLossE aLecro.)—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 231.
Mo tossus ALEcTO.—Less. Mam. 101.
Icon, ‘Temm. Mon. Mam. pl. 20, (old.)—pl. 23, fig. 23 to 26, (cranium and

teeth.)
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Haire deep and shining black. Ture Mempranes small and very
narrow. Tne Tait free for the greater part of its length.
‘Tnnasits Brazil.

The length of the body of the Black Bull-Dog Bat is very much the
same as that of the one last described, whilst its extreme breadth is not
more than a foot. The wings are hence somewhat disproportioned to
the size of the body, being very narrow, as if clipped; the tail is free for
about two-thirds of its dimensions. The ears are much broader than
they are elevated; they are united in front, and are prolonged, riband-
like, towards the nostrils, which are almost united. The head is short}
and surmounted by a very elevated coronal crest, which runs down the
chanfrin. The canines, having each a strong heel, are contiguous, and
two fine bilobed incisors project in front of them. Some long hairs ap-
pear on the lower part of the back, but the rest of the fur appears like
very fine silk velvet, having a beautiful lustre ; the membrane which con-
nects the arm with the fore-arm is clothed with close and short hairs,
which extend along the arm, and between the origin of the two last fin-
gers. The colour, above and below, is a brilliant and shining black ; the
membranes and face are also black. The additional aural appendage is
broad, and the common one, which is not high, is in the shape of a semi-
circle.

This new species was introduced ‘by Temminck, who justly remarks,
that its hideous physiognomy, short feet, and sombre colouring, make the
name he has bestowed peculiarly appropriate.

Its habits are quite unknown.

3. DYSOPES ABRASUS.—SHORN BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. Dysopes azrasus, (MOLOssE A POILs RAS,)—Temm. Mon, Mam. I. 232,
Motossus azrasus.—Less. Mam. 102.
Icon. Temm. Mon. Mam. pl. 21, (young.)

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr very short but thick, very bright reddish-brown above ;
lighter and more dingy beneath. Tue Mempranes black.
Innazits Brazil.
VOL, 1.

The Shorn Bull-Dog Bat has much the same forms, but is somewhat
less than the preceding. The lesser half of the tail is free of the inter-
femoral membrane ; the ears are nearly as broad as they are high; they
are distinct, and not united upon thé chanfrin ; the muzzle terminates in
the nostrils, which are far apart. The head is short andfobtuse. The ca-
nines have a large heel, and are continuous, whilst two delicate bilobed in-
cisors project in front of them. In the young, the canines are somewhat
separated, and between them fcur bilobed incisors are found, somewhat
crowded together.

The fur is very spare, but close; and the hairs appear more or less
to adhere throughout their course. On the forehead, and the membrane
which unites the arm and fore-arm, also on a stripe along the latter part,
and at the base of the little finger, the skin is covered with short and
close hair ; but all these parts are naked beneath. The upper parts are
of a very bright and shining chestnut colour, somewhat duller and paler
beneath ; the membranes are black. This species was first described by
Temminck. Its habits are unknown.

4. DYSOPES NASUTUS.—LONG-NOSED BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. Dysores nasutus, (MOLOssE vELOX.)—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 233.
Nycrinomus NasuTUs.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 501.
Icon. Nycrinomus Brasitrensis.—Isid. Geoff. in Ann. des Sc. Nat. I. pl. 22,

— Copied in Zool. Journ. I. pl. 11.

Mo tossus Nasutus.—Spix, Sim. et Vesp. Bras., pl. 35, fig. 7, (indif-
ferent. )

Temm. Mon. Mam. pl. 24, fig. 2, 3, (skeleton. )

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hair yellowish-brown above; greyish-brown beneath; a band
detached from the rest of the hair, on the internal surface of the mem-
branes ; the long hairs of the hinder feet silvery white. THe Memspranes
brown.

Tue Nosrrits prolonged.

Inuasirts Brazil.

The Long-nosed Bull-Dog Bat is one which has long been known as
yery common, and widely spread over the Brazils. It has been men~
tioned by M. Natterer of Vienna, by the Prince de Neuwied, and many
other travellers, and specimens have long been preserved in the museunis
of the Low Countries, of Berlin, Munich, &c. By a fortunate mistake,
however, eleven specimens haying been transmitted from South Ame-
rica by M. Augustus-St-Hilaire, they fell, many years ago, into the hands
of M. Isidore-St-Hilaire, who, apparently ignorant that they were pretty
well known, made his dédut in the Science by publishing a long account
of them in the Ann. des Sciences Naturelles. He takes occasion, from
the subject, to discuss the dogma laid down by the celebrated Buffon,
that the animals of the one Continent are wanting in the other, and shows
that, although this is very extensively, it is not universally true. At the
time he wrote, (1824,) he could say, ‘* That, of all the genera of Simia,
Lemures, Chiroptera, and Insectivora, now known, there is not one, I
may venture to affirm, whose existence in both Continents is unques-
tionable. The first instance that we find of this simultaneous existence
in the two worlds; is! in the Carnivora, where we come to the Ursi,
Feles, &c.” He then goes on to prove, at length, that this Dysopes is
unequivocally of the same genus with that section which is more common
in the Old World, and coneludes the interesting discussion in these
words :—‘‘ We must not forget, that the truth of the idea (Buffon’s)
which I have just proved erroneous, seemed demonstrated by the expe-
rience of ages, and consequently that the exceptions to the rule are very
rare. Difference of country neither can nor will any longer be a proof
of difference of organization, but it can and must always be an indication
of it: it can no longer prove it; but it ought always to make us suspect
it; in a word, it can no longer command, but it will always counsel; and
thus the Naturalist, without blindly following the route it points out,
ought carefully to collect its indications, that he may advance with firmer
and truer step in the path he has thought fit to pursue.”

The whole length of this Bat is about four inches, and its breadth across
the wings between eleven and twelve. The snoutis slender, the nostrils
prominent, the muzzle short, and the lips marked with transverse wrinkles,
The ears are broad, roundish, not united; the tail is long, and the upper
and longest portion engaged in the interfemoral membrane, the rest being
free. The fur is short, very soft, and somewhat shining. All the supe-

ior parts, and the head, are of a dull or fawn brown; beneath, greyish-
brown prevails; a stripe, distinguished from the rest of the coat, extends
along the flanks on the internal side of the membrane; long hairs cover
the toes, and these are of a silvery whiteness. The membranes are
brown.

Of its habits we have seen no account.

18 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS DYSOPES. :

. DYSOPES VELOX.—LONG-WINGED BULL-DOG BAT.

ox

Syn. Dysores VELOX, (MOLOssE véLoce.)—Natterer.—Temm. Mon. Mam.
I, 234.
Mo tossus vELOX.—Less. Mam. 102.

Icon. Temm. Mon. Mam. pl. 22, fig. 1.—pl. 23, fig. 22, (teeth. )

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Hair deep reddish-brown above; lighter beneath. Tue Mea-
Braves long and narrow.
Tue Neck with a glandular sac.

Inuazits Brazil.

This Bat was discovered and named in the Brazils, was sent thence by
M. Natterer of Vienna, and has since been examined by other Natural-
ists. Its dimensions are a trifle less than those of the preceding species ;
the wings are rather narrow, but are far from being short ; and the shorter
half of the tail is alone left free. The ears are broader than they are
elevated, and conjoined in front, but destitute of any fold of skin on the
chanfrin. The syphon of a small glandular bag may be seen in the front
of the neck, if examined when the specimen is fresh or moist, but not
when dry. The fur is very sho t and smooth, and the hairs every where
are of one colour; the side membranes are clad both above and below,
and transparent hairs run along the arm and fore-arm. The colour in-
the superior parts is of a very deep and shining chestnut colour; beneath,
the tint is somewhat duller and paler. é

Its habits have not been described.

6. DYSOPES OBSCURUS.—SOOTY BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. Motossus opscurus.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. VI. 155.—Desm. Mam.
Mo.ossus FULIGINOSUs ?—Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 501.
Dysopes oBscurus, (MOLOssE ORscurR.)—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 236..
Temm. Mon. Mam. pl. 22, fig. 2.—Pl. 23, fig. 20, (teeth. )
MOLoOssvs FUMARIUS ?—Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras. pl. 35, fig. 6.

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr of two colours; above blackish-brown at the puints, beneath
greyish-brown ; the base of the hairs white.

Tue Ears united by a band of skin, passing to the nostrils.

Innaztts Brazil and: Surinam.

The Sooty Bull-Dog Bat is three inches three lines long; its alar
membranes are somewhat broader, in proportion to the size of the body,
than in its congeners ; the-ears, not so high as they are broad, are united
at their base by a fold of skin which reaches the nostrils; the larger half
of the tail is engaged in the interfemoral membrane, and the rest is quite
free; the tibia and fibula are proportionably. longer than in the other
species. The individual hairs exhibit two colours; in the upper parts
of the body they are blackish-brown at the tip, and white at the base;
in the lower parts, with a white base, they haye ash-brown tips. There
are minute hairs at the margin of the lips,. which are smooth.

M. Temminck states that he has seen individuals of this species which.
were sent from Brazil; but he took his description from individuals trans-
mitted from Surinam.

7. DYSOPES MOXENSIS.—_NOTCH-EARED BULL-DOG: BAT.
Syn. et Icon. Motossus Moxensis.—D’Orb. Voy. (Mammiféres,) pl. 11.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hate brown above, lighter beneath ; the membranes grey.
Yue Ears uniting over the forehead with a transverse notch.
InHazits South America.

To D’Orbigny, the celebrated Naturalist, who has travelled to such
good purpose in South America, we’ owe the (as yet slight) intimations we
possess of this species, as well as the following. The description of these
Bats will appear in the splendid work of the French Government, “ Voyage
dans L’ Amerique Meridionale ;” but the portion relating to the Mam-
malia not having been published, we possess only the beautiful coloured en-
gravings without the letter-press. Compelled, therefore, to postpone the
minute description, we observe that the Moxensis, in its general appear-
ance, closely resembles its congeners. It is stout bodied and compact,
and the breadth of the membranes is moderate throughout; this is espe-
cially true of the interfemoral, which scarcely comes down to the end of
the fibula, and does not include the half of the tail; the ears are broader
than they are high, and the anterior bands hanging over the eyes, all but
meet over the nose, having a marked notch between them. ‘The

1 Act. Soc. Hist. Nat. Par.—Actes de la Societé d’ Histoire Naturelle de Paris.

9

fur over the body seems copious, and is universally of a rich brown; the
colour of the membranes and ears is of a brownish-black.

8. DYSOPES RUGOSUS.—WRINKLED BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. et Icon. Motossus rucosus.—D’Orb. Voy. (Mammiféres,) pl. 10.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Hate and Mrsranes grey-brown. Tae Ears and Urrer Lie
deeply wrinkled.

InuHasits South America.

From the same reasons as those assigned in the notice of the last spe-
cies, our acquaintance with this one is likewise very limited. In size it ap.
pears to be somewhat less, and the interfenorai membrane extends two-
thirds down the tail, which, however, is shorter. The uniform tint both
of the body and membranes is a greyish-brown. The ears are remark-
ably large and broad; and a very distinguishing character, whence the
animal has derived its name, consists in a number of marked ruge ex-
tended along both the aural membrane and the upper lip.

9. DYSOPES AMPLEXICAUDATUS.—GUIANA BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. Motossus AMPLEXICAUDATUS. — Geoff. Ann. Mus. VI. 156.— Desm.
Mam. No. 159.
VESPERTILIO BARBIPES.—Act.! Soc. Hist. Nat. Par. I. 115.
Icon. La CuHauve-Souris DE LA GuyanE,—Buff. Hist. Nat. Suppl. VII. pl.

75.
SPECIEIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr black ;. lighter beneath; grey on the sides of the abdomen.

Tue Tarr entirely enveloped in the interfemoral membrane.
Inwasits Cayenne.

The fur of this Guiana Bu!l-Dog Bat is blackish, darker ahove than
below, the flanks ash-coloured; the ear is wrinkled, and extends over
the cheeks ; the tail is wholly enveloped in the interfemoral membrane,
which is much more ample than in the other species. It is said to be of
the size of the Serotine Bat, and to be very common in Cayenne, where
it flies about in large troops.

10. DYSOPES CASTANEUS.—CHESTNUT BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. Mo tossus casTaNeus.—Geoff. Ann, Mus. VI. 155.—Desm. Mam. No.
156. ’
CHaAUVE-SouURIS CHATAINE, ou SIxIEME D’AzAR.—Quadr. Parag. II.
282.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Har chestnut brown above, whitish beneath; a band extending
from the muzzle to the forehead.

Tue att free for one-third of its length.

Inuasits Paraguay.

Our acquaintance with the Chestnut Bull-Dog Bat rests solely on the
short description of Azara, this one forming the sixth of the twelve he has
described.?_ It is chestnut-coloured above, and whitish beneath. It hasa
cutaneous band extendiug from the muzzle to the forehead; the alar
membranes are blackish; the tail free only in its last third; the external
ear is six lines high, rounded towards the point, and inclined somewhat
forward, extending to the front band. Its length is four and a half
inches; its extreme breadth fourteen. Its fur is short, soft, and close.
It inhabits Paraguay, where, however, Azara states he never saw any
other than the one from which he took his description, and which he
bought.

(B.) Buti-Doc Bats of tHE Op Continent.
H. DYSOPES TENUIS._SLENDER BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. Dysopes TENuIs, (Molosse gréle.)—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 228.
Icon. Nyctinomus TENUIs.—Horsf. Jav.
Temm. Mon. Mam. I. pl. 19, (bis.)—Pl. 23, fig. 10 to 16, (crania and.
teeth, )—Pl. 24, fig. 1, (skeleton. )

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr blackish-brown above, ash-coloured beneath.
’ Tue Arar Memsranes very long and narrow.
Tue IntTeERFEMoRAL Memprane sustained by scattered muscular fibres.
Tue Tait free for one-half of its length. ; 7
InHaBiTs Java.

Paris, 1792.

2? Essais sur I’ Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupedes de la Provence du Paraguay, tome II. 264—295.

THE BULL-DOG BATS OF THE OLD CONTINENT. 19

The first published description and representation of this Bat of the Old
Continent was supplied by Dr Horsfield, in his Zoological Researches in
Java, and this was shortly afterwards followed by the original drawings and
accounts of Temminck; so that our information regarding it is toierably satis-
factory and minute. Itis about the size of the Barbastelle Bat, being nearly
four inches long, and a foot across from tip to tip of the wing. ‘I'he alar
membranes appear long and slender, on account of their narrowness.
The lips are very thick and broad; the upper being wrinkled vertically
with very deep folds, the lower being covered with warts. The inter-
femoral membrane proceeds nearly at right angles from the ankle-joint,
and envelopes the larger half of the tail; the remainder is quite free.
The ears, which are very large, are united on the chanfrin, and have a
border on the outer margin.

The following is Dr Horsfield’s description of the canine teeth. The
canines are remarkable in both jaws ; in the upper they present interiorly
a very sharp cutting edge; in the lower jaw they are of uncommon size,
greatly distended at the base, and provided with a strong, obliquely di-
verging process, resembling a thorn, which forces the front teeth in an
oblique direction forward. This peculiar structure serves to prevent the
escape, and to secure in the interior of the mouth, the minute insects
which are seized in the rapid movements of these creatures, until they
can be conveyed to the back part of the mouth. where the grinders fur-
nish a most effectual apparatus for their immediate destruction.

The fur is very short, soft, and smooth; that on the upper part of the
body is a blackish-brown, underneath it is ash-coloured. The very thick
upper lips are studded throughout their whole length with a series of
transverse warts, as is also the lower, but to an inferior extent. The in-
terfemoral membrane is supported by rudimentary ossicula.

The Islaad of Java is the only locality in which this species has hitherto
been observed, though it is probable that they are also observed in Su-
matra and Banda.

Dr Horsfield supplies the following particulars concerning the habits
of this and the allied species. They feed at night. During my residence
on the hills of Prowoto, their pursuit afforded me occasional amusement.
They are peculiarly abundant on these hills, which are covered with a
luxuriant vegetation, and afford a plentiful supply of their favourite food.
They appeared after sunset, while the light was still sufficient for the
purpose of distinguishing objects clearly. Observing them almost uniforinly,
and in quick succession, to direct their flight along the hedges which sur-
rounded a village in which 1 had my abode, I watched them in this situa-
tion, and readily caught them with a large net. By this means 1 obtained
them in great numbers.

12. DYSOPES GYPTIACUS.—GEOFFRO Y’S BULL-DOG BAT.
Nycrinomus /Ecypriacus.—Geoff. Descr. D’Egypte, tome I.
pl. 2, fig. 2.
Dysores GEOFFROYI.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 226.—Pl. 19.—
Fi. 24, fig. 9, (teeth.)
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Syn. et Icon.

t

Tue Harr red above, brown beneath; a margin of white hairs on the
alar membranes along the sides.

Tue InrerFeMoRaL MempBrane destitute of muscular bands.
Tait free for one-half of its length.
Inuasits Egypt.

THE

This species was first discovered by M. Geoffroy during the French
Expedition to Egypt, was described by him in the Mem. de l'Institut
a’ Egypte, and represented in the accompanying atlas. More lately it was
again sent from Egypt by M. Ruppell to M. Cretzschmar, keeper of the
Museum at Frankfort, who subjected it to M. Temminck's inspection, so
that all doubt is removed from its leading characteristics. Its habits,
however, are still but little known ; it is found among the catacombs and
the subterranean vaults of the great deserted edifices.

The length of this Bat is about four inches, with an extreme breadth
often. The ears, moderate in size, are roundish, but curved somewhat
irregularly at their anterior margin; its base is provided with an internal
operculum, and a second one externally, which is of a lenticular shape.
Their inner margins do not coalesce. The tail is of the length of the
body, half enveloped in the interfemoral membrane, and without mus-
cular bands. The fur is close, the liair on the occiput and back of the
neck being somewhat longer than elsewhere ; a stripe of white hair ex-
tends along the alar membrane at its union with the sides. The upper
lip is coyered with wrinkles, which, however, are not very deep. Its
markings are red above, particularly on the occiput; brown on the abdo-
men, with a faint white line running along the mesial line, and assuming
somewhat of a rosy tint towards the flanks.

13. DYSOPES CESTONII.—CESTONI’S BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. Dinors Cestonu.—Savi, in Nuov. Giorn. di Letter, No, 21, p. 230.—
No. 37, p. 46.
Mo .ossus RuprpeLtn.—Less. Mam.
Icon. Dysorrs RupreLtu.—Temm. Mon. Mam, I. 224, pl. 18.—Pl. 26, fig

6, 8, 9, (cran. and teeth. )
Dysores CesTont.—Bonap.' Faun. Ital.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hair uniform mouse grey above; paler beneath. ‘THE Ears ex-
cessively large, shading the face not approximated.

Tue Inrerremorat Membrane without muscular bands.
or the major part free.

Innazits Egypt and Italy.

Tue Tait

Cestoni’s Bull-Dog Bat is about the size of the Common Bat of
Europe. The external ears, especially the conche are excessively large,
quite overshadowing the face; their internal margins, however, are not
united, but project from the forehead by a common base, a large internal
fold at the same time covering the eyes. The base of the ear is pro-
vided with an internal operculum, and with a second which is external,
and lenticular in shape. The tail is of the same length with the body
proper, and is thick, depressed, being more than half enveloped in the
interfemoral membrane, which is destitute of muscular bands. The toes
are covered with whitish bristles ; and the great one is considerably freer
than the others. The two upper incisors are wide apart, the six or four
(as it may happen) inferior are crowded together, and the internal ones
are projected forwards. There is a very small anomalous tooth in the
upper jaw, between the canine and the first false molar. The fur is abun-
dant, fine, close, and smooth, a large border of close hairs running along
the origin of the alar membranes at the flanks. The muzzle is covered
with black hairs, few and diverging; the lips are large, pendant, and
folded. The upper parts of the body are throughout of a uniform mouse-
grey colour, as are also the lower, but of a somewhat lighter shade. The
alar membranes are very narrow, but the expanse from tip to tip of the
wings is great, amounting to fifteen or sixteen inches.

The fiist notice of this species was given by Professor Savi of Pisa,
who, however, was acquainted with the young only.

We owe our knowledge of the adult to the researches of M. Ruppell
in Egypt, who has brought to light many of those animals which had
been indicated by Aristotle and Piiny, and concerning which modern Na- °
turalists had erred when they imagined that their prototypes were to
be found in Southern Africa.

14. DYSOPES PLICATUS.—CHAMCHECKA BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. Nycrtinomus BENGALENsIs.—Geoff. in Instit, d’Egypte Hist. Nat. IT.
130.
Dysopes piicatus, (Molosse Chamché.)—Temm. Mon, Mam. I. 223.
Icon. VESPERTILIO PLICATUS.—Buchanan, in Linn. Trans. V. pl. 13.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr of a sooty brown, mixed with grey above; paler beneath;
a broad hairy band, arising from the sides, at the margin of the alar mem-
brane.

Tue InTeERFEMORAL MempraNeE naked, with muscular bands.
Tart free for one-halt of its length.

Inuasits Bengal.

THE

The Chamchecka Bat, to adopt its Hindoo name, was first described
by the late celebrated Dr F. Hamilton Buchanan in 1799, in the fifth vol. of
the Linnzan Transactions ; it was then noticed in Egypt by M. Geoffroy,
and Temminck tells us he saw a couple of specimens in the collection of
a dealer iu articles of Natural History in London. We shall here con-
dense Dr Buchanan's account.

From the point of the nose to the root of the tail it measures three
inches; from the extremity of one wing to that of the othertwelve. The
wings and naked parts of the body are soot-coloured; the lair is mixed
with ash-colour, and is paler below than on the back. ‘The head is
large, thick at the shoulders, and tapers gradually to the snout, which is
blunt, terminates in a heart-shaped margin, and projects far before the
lower jaw, mostly naked; it has still some long erect bristles on it. The
nostrils are small circular holes, remote from each other, and placed under
the margin of the snout. The upper lip hangs over the under jaw,
at the sides, and is there deeply wrinkled with seven or eight vertical
folds. The ears are large, blunt, wrinkled, and somewhat pendulous:
from being bent into several folds, they at first sight appear to be

EEE

1 Bonar. Faun. Irat.—Iconografia della Fauna Italica di Carlo Luciano Bonaparte, Principe di Musignano. Roma, 1835, et seq.

20 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS DYSOPES.

thick and fleshy ; they approach near at their insertion on the brow, and
are naked, except in a sharp sinus towards the hinder part. of the head;
on their edge, near the tip, are five or six small warts. The eyes are in
two small'slits, above the angles of tle mouth, and are almost covered
by the ears, The eck is very short, and so covered with hair as to be
scarcely observable ; the shoulders are high and round, with a deep cavity
between them; the body at the shoulders is much wider than at the
haunches; the buttocks are bare. The ¢ai/ is naked, round, and blunt,
and is half inclosed in the interfemoral membrane. A broad hairy list
surrounds the whole body, and covers the bottom of the membrane.
This animal inhabits caverns and old buildings.

15. DYSOPES TORQUATUS.—COLLARED BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn. CHEIROMELEs TORQUATUs.—Horsf. Jav.
Dysores cHEIROPUS, (Molosse pédimane.)—Temm. Mon. I. 218.
Jcon. Horsf. Jav.—Copied in Temm. Mon. I. pl. 17.—Pl. 25, fig. 15, (cra-

nium and teeth.)
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr wanting on the back, somewhat long on. the neck, forming
cellar.

Tue Txumss of the feet entirely free and opposable.

Inwapitrs Siam.

This very remarkable Bat was first obtained either at Penang or Sin-
gapore, by the late Dr George Finlayson, the meritorious Naturalist, who
accompanied Mr John Crawfurd in his mission to Siam, Cochin-China,
and the Indian Archipelago. On Dr F.’s decease, it was deposited, with
he rest of his collection, in the Museum of the Honourable East India
Company, and was minutely described and depicted by Dr Horsfield in
his Zoological Researches. — It was also carefully examined by M. Tem-
minck during his visits to London.

It is the largest known species of the genus. The great toe, completely
separated from the others, is quite free and opposable, like the thumb
in the Quadrumana, and must greatly assist its powers of prehension.
The ears, not united in front, are long and pointed, having a lobe or
operculum at the inferior part, and a second or rudimentary one proceed-
ing from the interior. Its large tail is half enveloped in a very short inter-
femoral membrane. The alar membranes proceed from the upper part
of the back, very near the mesial line, but adhere to the sides in their
progress downwards. This animal may be said to have no fur except
along the sides, and on the front of the neck, where the hairs are coarse,
very short, and far apart; a few slender hairs cover the interfemoral
membrane and the thighs; whilst a kind of down, extremely short, and
only recognizable by the touch, or the magnifying glass, covers the abdo-
men ; the back is completely naked, and the muzzle is very sparingly pro-
vided with minute hairs; a sort of ruff, composed of brown-hair, sur=
rouuds the neck. The great toe is not only free, but is supplied with a
very large nail, broad and obtuse, and hid under agreat.tuft of hair, The
tail is quite wrinkled in that part of it which is.free, The-ears are wide
apart, long, and pointed.

To this condensed summary of characters by the accurate Temminck
we shall add some further details, supplied by. Dr Horsfield. ‘Fhe en-
tire length, he remarks, of the specinien now before me is five and a half
inches ; its extreme breadth two feet. The great extent of the internal
ear is one of the peculiarities of the animal; the entrance to the cavity
of the tympanum is likewise of extraordinary size; the bones of the ear,
in comparison with those of the human, are of enormous dimensions ;
the cochlea, too, is of uncommon extent. The eyes are small, and par-
tially concealed; the eyelids are surrounded by a minute circle of rigid
hairs, regularly disposed. The pouch or cavity, behind and below the
arm-pit, and formed by the connection of the alar membrane with the
body of the animal, though not peculiar to this species, is well worthy of
attention. This cavity is about an inch deep, and nearly two inches
long, and is lined by a very delicate membrane. It is bounded anteriorly
by the membrane extending from the arm to the pectoral muscle, and
posteriorly by the spine and haunches. This organization renders the
animal specifically lighter, and assists its flight ; and, by supplying a deep
and extensive pouch, it affords to the young, while they continue at the
breast, a convenient covering, and a retreat in which they find the secu-
rity and warmth they require. The skin throughout is marked with very
minute dots, and, when closely examined, exhibits the appearance oe
shagreen. The membranes of the wings and back, as well as the head,
feet, and tail, are of a sooty black colour, with occasional modifications
of tawny; the nails of a yellowish-brown colour. The brush on the
great toe is of a peculiar character. It consists of stiff hairs, directed to
one side, and forming a regular series along the outer margin of the thumb.

a a LM Se aaa ake er de RE

At the extremity the hairs are long, and spread like a fan over the nail ;
they gradually decrease in length, preserving the same direction; the
separate hairs are rigid, and terminated by a hook ; its use remains to be
determined.

(C.) Buit-Doe Bars or Ausrraia.

16. DYSOPES AUSTRALIS.—SOUTHERN BULL-DOG BAT.

Syn.
Icon.

Mo ossus AusTRALIS.—Gray, in. Mag, Zool. and Bot. II. 501.

SPEOIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hair dark brown, paler beneath, a broad white streak on each
side, a narrow white streak beneath the edge of the rump.

Tue Ears large, broad, rounded, ‘Tue Tatu nearly one-half free.

Innasits New South Wales.

A specimen of this Bat, very recently discovered by Major MacArthur,
is deposited in the Museum of the United Service Club, London.

DOUBTFUL SPECIES.

1. Motossus crassicaupatus, (Geoff. Ann. Mus. VI. 156.)—The hair
is of a cinnamon brown colour, somewhat lighter beneath ; the tail emar-
ginated on each side by a prolongation of the interfemoral membrane. It
is the tenth species mentioned by Azara. The hair is very short and soft..
The interfemoral membrane envelopes more than half the tail.

2. M. aver, (Geoff: loc. cit. p. 155.)—The fur is black and shining
above. Habitat unknown. Specimen in the Paris Museum.

3. M. toneicaupatus, (Geoff. loc. cit.)—Of a fawn grey colour; a band
extends from the tip of the snout to the forehead ; the tail nearly as long
as the body. M. Geofftoy conceives this was the species described by.
Daubenton under the name of the Mulot volant, and figured by Buffon;
but this is doubtful.

4, M. rusciventer, (Geoff. loc. cit.)—The fur brownish-grey above,
and ash-coloured beneath, except on the abdomen, which is brown in the
middle. This was also described by Daubenton.

5. M. raricaupa1us (Geoff. loc. cit.)—is Azara’s eighth species, and
inhabits Paraguay. The fur dull brown above, somewhat lighter beneath.
The tail emarginated by a continuation of the interfemoral membrane,
The upper lip marked by vertical ridges ; the tongue is also wrinkled.

6. M. ursinus, (Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras. p. 59, pl. 35, fig. 4.)—
According to Spix, this species is black all over; the body and snoutare.
very stout ; and the anterior tolds of the auricles meet on the foreliead.
It, was found in the province of Para.

7. Nycrinomss acETaBuLosus, (Geoff. in Mem. de I’Instit. d’ Egypte
Hist. Nat. I]. 130.)—This species was discovered by Comniergon, and.
was found near Port Louis, Isle of France. Its fur'is of a blackish-brown
colour. The tail, for two-thirds of its extent, is enveloped in the interfe-
moral membrane.

8. D. rriconor, (Spix, p. 61, pl. 36, fig. 9.)\—The genus Thyroptera
of M. Spix is founded upon the following character :—Pollice manus infra
patella subconcava armato. The specimen (a young one) was dark brown
above, and quite white beneath, the, membranes and feet black.

9. D. aurirenpuLos, (Shaw, Gen. Zool, I. 137.)—The Slouch-eared:
Bat, with obtuse nose, and large pendant ears with pointed tips. Tail
long, included in a membrane, and terminated with a hook. Colour
above, deep chestnut, lighter in the belly ; length three inches, extent of
wing fifteen. Native of Guiana.

10. D. Moors, (F. Cuv. Dents des Mam.)—The specimen upon which:
this species is founded was sent from India by MM. Diard and Duvaucel.

11. D. pumizus, (Rupp.' Atl., pl. 27, fig. a,)—scarcely three inches in
length, is the smallest of those Bats which M. Ruppell has discovered.
in Northern Africa. It is dark brown above, light grey beneath, the limbs
reddish, the membranes dark brown. It seems a miniature representa-
tion of D. Cestonii, already described, and is in all probability the young
of D. Agyptiacus,

IMAGINARY SPECIES.

1. Dysoprs perotis (Pr. Maximilian Abbild.)—is identical with D.
rufus.

2. D. Rurrettu (Temm. Monogr.)—is the adult of a Bat previously
described by Professor Paolo Savi of Pisa, under the name of Dinops
Cestonii. '

Note.—Nvyctinomus Brasitiensis (Isid. Geoff. Ann. Sc. Nat.)—is the
same as Dysopes nasutus ; and

Dysores Grorrroy1 (Temm. Monogr.)—is but another name for D.
ffgyptiacus.

} Rorp. Att.—Atla’ zu der Reise im Nordlichen Afrika, von Eduard Riippell. Frankfurt am Main, 1826. (Satighthiere bearbitel von Ph. J. Cretzschmar. Med. Dr.)

STENODERMA.—DICLIDURUS.—NOCTILIO. 2)

STENODERMA.—_NARROW-BANDED
BATS.

GENUS VII.

Syn. STENODERMA.—Geoff. in Mém. de I’Instit. d’ Egypte Hist. Nat. II.—
Desm. Mam. p. 117.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 50.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Ears small, lateral, isolated, with an auricular operculum.

Tue InrerremMonaL Mempranxe rudimentary, lining the thighs like a
band.

Tae Tatu wanting.

Tur DentaL Formuta varying according to age.
2 ny
Pete Oop AMins TA 9g (Geoffroy.)
24C+4mM 14

214C44M 12

gute, | eaewestan sao

"CaM 14

2

Young?

26 (G. Cuvier. )
INHABIT

To this place appears to belong a Genus of Bats, of which little is yet
known beyond the characters enumerated above. It consists of a single
species, the fulse molars of which are undetermined.

1. STENODERMA RUFUM.—RED NARROW-BANDED BAT.

STENODERMA RUFUM.—Geoff. in loc. cit.
Dict. des Sciences Naturelles, L. p, 499.

Syn.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Hair uniform reddish-brown.
slightly notched on their external margin.
INHABITS .

Tue Ears middle-sized, oval,

The length of this animal, of which nothing further is known, is about
three inches; the expansion of its wings eleven inches nearly.

GENUS VIII.
Syn.

DICLIDURUS.—BOX-TAILED BATS.
Dictmvurvus.—Pr. Max. Reise. — Abbild.—Beitr.
GENERIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Heap broad. Tue Muzzze pointed.

Tue Ears broad, inserted over the eyes.

TuHeE Tait consisting of two corneous valves, moveable and hollow;
the os coccyx entering the upper valve.

Tue InrerremoraL Membrane extending beneath and beyond the
caudal valves.

Tuer Denar Foruuna spetetyM= i= in the single spe-
cimen examined by Prince Maximilian.

Innazits Brazil.

This genus consists at present of one species only.

1, DICLIDURUS ALBUS.—WHITE BOX-TAILED BAT.

Syn. Dictwworvs Freyresssi.—Pr. Max. in Isis, 1819, p. 1629, Reise, II. p.
76.
Dictipurus ALBus.—Ib.—Beitr. IT. 242.

Icon. Dictipurus atpus.—Pr. Max. Abbild.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

> Tue Harr bushy, long, and whitish.
Inwasrts Brazil.

Tue Anms long and robust.

The White Box-Tailed Bat, the only one as yet referred to the
genus Diclidurus, is in various particulars strikingly different from the
nearest allied genera. The most remarkable feature unquestionably is
the tail, distinct from all other tails we nave heard of.

Tt is formed on the following plan: The coccygeal bones run out
jointed into two horny pieces, covered by the skin of the body, thus
forming a kind of box out of the two capsules or valves taken together.
The upper valve is shaped like a half moon, corneous,. hollow, with
somewhat of a protuberant and thickened edge, and hence in all respects
1s a hollow capsule. The lower valve smaller, somewhat triangular,
pointed, applied horizontally against the upper, is likewise covered by the
skin, and hollow. Both these corneous pieces are placed with their
flattest surfaces horizontally ; they are capable of moving upwards or
downwards, of separating from each other, and being closed or applied
to the body through a particularly fine membrane at their base. The
coccygeal bones proceed into the upper valve.

The coat of the animal is white, and the box-like appendage is a
deep black. The latter extends but a little way down the interfemoral

VOL. If.

membrane, which in its mesial part is festooned up in a deep seniicircle-
The tibiae are very slender; and the feet, the long muzzle, and upper
part of the face, are black; the membranes are of a dark flesh colour.
The ears are short and broad, and overhang the eyes; the fur is bushy,
composed of fine long whitish hair, and the arms are strong and long.

This singular Bat was discovered by M. Freyreiss upon the cocoa-trees
near Canavievas, at the mouth of the Rio Pardo, where it concealed itself
during the day in the foliage of those majestic palms. Of its habits
nothing has been ascertained. The specimen is in the Neuwied
Museum.

GENUS IX. NOCTILIO.—HARE-LIPPED BATS.

Les Nocritions.—Cuy. Reg. Anim. I.
Nocritio:-—Geoff.—Cuv.—Temm. et al.— Preropus.—Erxl.
VESPERTILIO (in part. )—Linn. Gmel. I.

Syn.

GENERIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Heap broad. Tue Muzzte short, swelling, cleft, and furnished
with warts, or fleshy tubercles.

Tuer Noss confounded with the lips. Tur Nosrarzs almost tubular,
approximated, prominent. °

Tue Ears small, lateral, isolated, with the auricular operculum placed
interiorly.
224+CH(F+3)M 145. 3

I+-C+42 F+3)M 14 .

Tse InTeRFemMorAL Mraprane very broad, projecting, entire, with
two prominent obtuse angles. Tue Taiz mostly enveloped in the mem-
brane, but free at the point above.

Inuasir South America.

Tue Dentat FormuLa

The Hare-lipped Bats have a short swelling muzzle, cleft like a
Hare-lip, and furnished with warts and uncouth fleshy tubercles ;
their ears are separate. They have four incisors above, and two
below; their tail is short, and free above the interfemoral mem-
brane.

1. NOCTILIO LEPORINUS.—RUFOUS HARE-LIPPED BAT.

Vesrertitio Lerorinus.—Linn. Gmel. I. 47.

Nocritio AMERiIcANUs.—Linn. Syst. Nat. (Ed. 12,) I. 88.

Nocrizio unicoLor.—Pr. Max. Beitr. II. 223.—Desm. Mam. No.
165.

NOcTILIO ALBIVENTER, (young.)—Desm. Mam. No. 167.

Nocriiio porsatus.—Pr. Max. Beitr. II. 218,

Peruvian Bat.—Penn. Quadr. II. No. 500. —Shaw, Gen. Zool. I.
139.

Nocritio virratus.—Schinz Thierr. I. 170.

VesPERTILIO Leporinus.—Schreb. Saiigth. pl. 60.

Nocritio unicoLor.—Pr. Max. Abbild.

NocriLio porsatus.—Pr. Max. Abbild. (var.)

NOcTILIO ALBIVENTER, (young. )—Spix, Sim. et Vesp. Bras. pl. 35, fig.
2 and 3.

NocriLio rurus.—Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras. pl. 35, fig. 1.

Syn.

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Hate uniform reddish-yellow above, paler beneath.
Inuwazits South America.

Though this large and beautiful Bat has been long known, there is by
no means all the accuracy and satisfaction concerning its appearance and
history which is desirable. The difference between the only British
representation of the animal which exists (Shaw’s) and the foreign ones is
so great, that they would never be taken for the same animal; and the
shades of colour given in the plates of Schreber, and the albiventer and
dorsatus of Prince Maximilian, are respectively pale straw coloured, light
tobacco brown, and a very dark, almost black brown. Of its habits we
have seen no account; and no description equal to that of the accurate

_ Azara, which we, therefore, embody in our pages.

The celebrated Spaniard tells us he had been in possession of many of
these animals, and that they were strikingly similar to each other. He
gives the length of the body at five inches, the tailone; and the expanse
across the wings scarcely two feet, whilst our English authorities make it of
« the size of a middling rat, and the extent of the wings two feet five inches.”
The fur underneath, says Azara, (Quad: Parag. II. 280,) is of the colour of
pale Seville tobacco ; it is the same above, but mixed with brown, and along
the back-bone there is astreak of alightercolour. The interfemoral mem-
brane originates as high up as the ankle, and the alar from the middle of the
tibiee, a striking character in which most of the figures agree. The mem-

F

22 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS NOCTILIO.

branes are ample; the interfemoral extends considerably beyond the
feet, and the tail descends about a fourth of it. The ear is directed for-
wards ; it is yery acute, transparent, and more than an inch long. The
head above is very flat. The muzzle is naked, very acute, and bent up-
wards, so that the animal has been compared to a pug-dog; the lip is
divided by the cleft which separates the nostrils, and the mouth is fes-
tooned in a very peculiar manner. ‘There is a white stripe along the
dorsal ridge in some specimens.

2. NOCTILIO RUFIPES.—RED-CLAWED HARE-LIPPED BAT.

Syn. et Icon. Nocrtitio rurires.—D’Orb. Voy.—Mammiféres, pl. 9.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr uniform reddish-yellow. THe Mempranes, Ears, and
Feer, grey. Tue Crawsreddish. Tue Auricutar OrercuLum deeply
notched.

Inuazirs South America.

This species is known to us only through the figure of M. D’Orbigny!
above quoted.

IMAGINARY SPECIES.

1. NocrrLio ALBIVENTER, (Spix, Sim. et Vesp. Bras. pl. 35, fig. 2 and
3,) is the young of N. Leporinus according to Temminck.

2. N. porsatus of Geoffroy is a variety of sex or age of the same
species.

DOUBTFUL GENERA AND SPECIES.

1, Agtro,—Dr Leach (Linn. Trans. XIII. p. 71) has described a Bat
under the name of Aéllo Cuvieri, now in the Museum of the University
College, London. The head is nearly conical; the foreliead flat; the

ears large and separate, apparently truncated at the extremity; the tail
with a membraneous band produced to the point of a large interfemoral
membrane. Its colour is rusty brown; its alar membranes dark brown ;
the dimensions are not indicated, and its country is unknown. The den-
«. 27+C+4M_ 12

tition oct Mae.

2. Cermnxo.—This is another of Dr Leach’s genera, reposing on a
single specimen, which he styied Celeno Brooksiana, (Linn. Trans,
XIII. 70.) According to Mr John Edward Gray, the specimen in the
Museum of the University College, London, is merely a Noctilio, in which
the bones of the tail had been withdrawn from the skin.

3. Preronorus.—Mr Gray (Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 500) proposes a
new genus to contain a Bat, named by him P. Davyi, from Trinidad.
His account is as follows: Ears lateral, tragus elongate lobed; chin with
a reflexed cartilaginous edge to the lower lip, and an erect membraneous
ridge across its lower part; wings only affixed by a narrow line to the
middle of the back, which is covered with fur beneath them; hind-feet
long, the ankle rather produced and exposed ; the lower angle of the wing
lies folded over it. Its dentition is not stated. Mouse-coloured, wings
baldish: expanse of wing twelve inches. From a specimen in the Mu-
seum Fort Pit, Chatham.

4, Myopreris.—M. Geoffroy (Mém. de l’'Inst. d’Egypte, Il. p. 118)
describes a Bat under the name of Myopteris Daubentonii. The nose is
simple, the ears broad, separate, and lateral, with an internal operculum ;
the tail long, one half enveloped in the interfemoral membrane; the
muzzle short and thick. The upper parts of the head and body are
brown, beneath x is lighter. The dentition is ee
This is the Rat volant of Daubenton, (Mém. de !’Acad. de Paris, 1759.)

rRIBE IIl—DIPHALANGIA ISTIOPHORA.

Syn.

Isti@pHoRi, (in part.)—Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras.

Puy.iostomina.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. et Bot. II. 486.—Less. Mam.

CUARACTERS OF THE TRIBE.

Tue InpEx with two ossified phalanges, the middle finger with three.
Tue Nose with one or two leafy appendages.

We have now arrived at that group of Bats where the cutaneous system,
ample in them all, acquires its maximum development. ‘This is aided by
the two phalanges of the index finger, and the three of the middle one;
the phalanges being the frame-work of the membranes; and is manifested
by the nasal appendages, consisting of the horse-shoe, (fer-d-cheval,) a
semi-circular cutaneous excrescence immediately below, and often involv-
ing the nostrils, and the nose-leaf, usually rising up at right angles to the
horse-shoe, and exhibiting aresemblance to the leaves of some vegetables.
A few remarks, then, on the more prominent peculiarities of this deve-
lopment, and the uses it subserves, are more especially required. In
many of the genera the tegumentary folds, more especially the alar and
interfemoral, are so superabundant, as well as those of the ears and nose,
that the bodies themselves of these animals can scarcely be perceived:
their aspect is thus rendered more shadowy, their physiognomy wilder,
and, finally, their forms so vague and indistinct, as greatly to increase the
horror which their alleged devastations inspire.

In the Anistiophora division just described, we had occasion to allude
to the extraordinary development manifesting itself in the external ears,
which, in some species, are approximated and festooned over the eyes ; but
in some of those we have yet to review the external auricle nearly equals
in dimensions the whole bedy. The external ear, in fact, instead of being
single, as in all other animals, may be said to be double in many of the Bats;
for, in addition to the external concha, which they have incommon with
other terrestrial Mammalia, they have asecond and internal one, which
more directly surrounds the auditory foramen. This second auricle is
derived from the tragus, or rather, according to M. Geoffroy’s well known
views, is the tragus itself, though we are led to suppose it a distinct
part, on account of its great volume, in proportion to that of the ear, and
on account of this latter being so folded and rolled upon itself. A
precisely corresponding change takes place at the nostrils, which are fur-
nished with borders in the form of crests and leaves supplied by duplica-

tures of the skin ; these membranes are somewhat tubular in shape, and
the bottom of the funnel constitutes the entrance of the nasal apertures.
This arrangement then prevails in the organ of smell as of hearing ; both
being provided with conche, or external trumpets.

The consequence of this is not less apparent than it is striking.
Most of the senses of these Bats are thereby rendered exquisitely acute.
From the great expanse of their alar and interfemoral membranes, they

acquire, by means of the aérial vibrations, information of many minute ,

bodies, of which other animals are perfectly unconscious. Hence the
observations of Spallanzani led him to infer, that most frequently they
perceive the indications of touch without requiring immediate contact ;
and hence, according to the judicious remark of Cuvier upon these expe-
riments, all that they require to be advertised of the immediate presence
of corporeal objects, is to beat, or rather feel, the air which is interposed
between them and these objects, judging by the manner in which it acts
upon their membranes. Spallanzani states this may be considered as the
possession of a sixth sense. ‘That the ample dermal apparatus at the
ears and nostrils produces corresponding effects on the senses of hearing
and smelling, is too evident to be dwelt upon,—a remark the more valu-
able when associated with an observation of Dr Horsfield formerly noticed
with regard to the Dysopes torquatus, (p. 20,) that the development of
the internal ear, when compared to that of Man, is enormous. All this
acuteness of apprehension is necessary for the exercise of their predatory
propensities against nocturnal insects, during the twilight, and even
midnight darkness. And, lest the sensibility should overwhelm them un-
der the scorching influence of a tropical sun, it is not less interesting to
observe, that these same tubes and concia are, by a slight muscular
agency, at the will of the animal, converted into so many plugs and valves,
whereby all smells and sounds are shut out as effectually as is the light
by the closed eye-lids. The ‘‘ operculum,” says M. Geottroy, ‘is placed
at the margin of the meatus auditorius, in such a way as at will to be-

1 It is much to be regretted that the elegant Work of M. D’Orbigny, published under the auspices of the French Government, proceeds at a rate of intolerable slowness 5
the descriptions of many Plates, which have long been in our possession, are still withheld.— Should not a public work of that kind be issued at a lower price, and the separ-

able portions in distinct series ?

VAMPYRUS.—THE VAMPYRE BATS. . 23

come a valve which closes its entrance, and the folds and pads of the
nose-leaf effect the same object at the nostrils ; so that,” continues the in-
genious Naturalist, ‘*it is not without a purpose that, in the Bats, the
cutaneous system acquires so great a development.”

GENUS X. VAMPYRUS.—VAMPYRE BATS.

PHYLLOsTOMA, (in part.)—Cuv. Geoff. et al.
Vameyrus.—Leach, in Linn. Trans. XIII.—Spix, Less. et al.

Syn

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Muzzter lengthened.
THe Auvricutar OprrcuLum

Tue Heap long and narrow.

Tue Ears middle-sized, separate.
notched, placed interiorly.

Tue Toneue extensile; point formed for suction ; the papillz directed
backwards.

Tur Nose with two appendages, the one horizontal, in the form of a
horse-shoe, the other erect, resembling a javelin.

Tue Dentar Formuca eee ym Tee
Inuasir South America.

The appellation Vampyre was introduced into Natural History by Lin-
nus, and applied by him to the Great Roussette Bats already described.
Buffon again applied it to the animal we are now about to consider, un-
der the conviction that the habits which made the name applicable be-
longed exclusively to this species. In this conclusion, it speedily ap-
peared he was mistaken, as there were many South American Bats,
closely allied in several of their features, all of which have blood-sucking
propensities. MM. Cuvier and Geoffroy, about the year 1809, in exa-
mining together the family of Bats, associated these together under the
name of Phyllostoma, which group becoming very numerous, has again
been subdivided into smaller sections. The Vampyre was, of course, for
a long time ranked by all writers, foreign and domestic, as a Phyllostoma,
M. Geoffroy, twenty years later, (in 1829,) in his Legons, separated the
Vampyres from the last named group, grounding the distinction on the
difference of the shape of the crania, those of the Phyllostomes being
short, with a broad muzzle, whilst the cranium and muzzle of the Vam-
pyre are very narrow: a difference likewise exists as to the number of the
teeth.

After these explanatory remarks, it will readily be understood that many
of the relations which have been published concerning the blood- thirsty
propensities of Bats, do not refer exclusively to what is now considered
as the true Vampyre: though this, however, is the case, yet, as the last
named animal possesses them in a prominent degree, we shall in this
place introduce such general observations as are required for the illus-
tration of the subject.

It is not for a moment to be imagined that any of these animals live on
blood alone. No more is it to be supposed that, though distinguished as
the insectivorous tribe, they confine themselves to this species of food.—
On the cther hand,itis:- 1e, as previously observed, that as the frugivorous
Bats sometimes devour flesh, so these insectivorous Bats are sometimes
frugivorous. Nor is this to be regarded as a rare or trivial occurrence.
“It would, on the other hand, appear that the Bats immediately under
consideration are decidedly omnivorous, and that their depredations upon
fruit are occasionally troublesome and as vexatious, as is experi-
enced from the ravages of the true Frugivore. <A fact or two will
illustrate this. ‘‘ When the moon shone bright,” says Mr Waterton,
‘and the fruit of the Banana-tree was ripe, I could see the Vampyre ap-
proach and eat it. He would also bring into the loft where I slept, from
the forest, a green round fruit, something like the wild guara, and about
the size of a nutmeg. There was something also in the blossom of the

’ Sawarri Nut-tree which was grateful to him.”—( Wanderings, 179.) M.
Palissot-Beauvois again, as mentioned by M. Geoffroy, was an eye-witness
of the devastations they made of fruit, to the great annoyance of the agri-
culturist. From Hayti this gentleman wrote: ‘ One morning my friend
exclaimed, ‘ Shall I gather the beautiful fruit from that superb tree to-day,
or wait forits perfect maturity to-morrow ? If I take this latter course, am
afraid of the Bats.’ The fruit was left, and the gentleman’s worst anticipa-
tions were realized. During the night a cloud of Bats made their appear-
ance, and left scarcely a sample behind.” M. Geoffroy was so much in-
terested in this recital, that he wrote inquiring what particular Bat had
wrought the mischief; specimens both of the fruit and its devourer were
transmitted to France, and the latter turned out to be the Spectacled Ja-
velin-Bat soon to be noticed.

That they are also pre-eminently insectivorous cannot be doubted;
often have multitudes of these troublesome tribes been found in their
Stomachs after death, and in this way much must be done to keep these
hordes in their proper subordination.

With regard to the attacks of these creatures on the other animals and
Man, D’ Azara states thatit is only in lack of their more common food that
they resort to nobler prey. Be this asit may, they are in this way often
troublesome, and sometimes, it would appear, destructive. The range
over which they extend seems to be wide. P. Martyr mentions the ex-
istence of these animals at the Isthmus of Darien; both the Ulloas report
their presence at Carthagena; Roume discourses of the Vampyre of the
Island of Trinidad, and D’Azara encountered them in Paraguay. The
injury they produce has probably been exaggerated, and yet it is such as
not to be despised. The great Spanish Naturalist informs us that they
frequently attach themselves to the combs and wattles of the domestic
fowl and destroy them; not so much by the hemorrhage they produce, as
from the injurious effects of their wounds. Mules, Asses, Horses, and
horned Cattle, in fact, all Quadrupeds are exposed to their attack, and to
an extent which is characterized by Mr Darwin in relation to the Horse, as
* often the cause of much trouble.” M. Geoffroy seems perfectly to cre-
dit the narrative related by M. de la Condamine, that the attacks of these
animals destroyed the herds and flocks which the first European settlers
succeeded in conveying to the New World. ‘* When some Spaniards,”
says he, ‘‘ at the epoch of the disccvery of America, detesting the cruelty
and villany of their compatriots, were led to cherish more honorable
sentiments towards the Aborigines, and, in the exercise of their philan-
thropy, thought of compensating for the massacre of man by the gift of
the European domestic animals, the Phyllostomes frustrated this generous
enterprise; these Bats in numbers attacked the first Cattle and Sheep
which the missionaries transported into America, and destroyed them by
sucking their blood.”

Finally, in relation to Man, it is certainly not a little curious that the
attacks of the Vampyres should be confined to his great toe; for of all
narratives we have met, this part alone has been signalized. Another
curious fact is, that it is only during sleep that they commit their depre-
dations, and so dexterously as not even to awake the sufferer. These
certainly curious circumstances have led to various hypotheses for their
explanation, none of which, however, appears very satisfactory, and hence
the phenomena are still regarded as mysterious. Buffon detected some-
thing peculiarin the tongue of his ‘‘ Vampyre,” which, in his estimation,
constituted it a peculiar organ of suction, capable of drawing blood without
inflicting a wound ; but unfortunately for this ingenious speculation, Buf-
fon’s Vampyre, as stated above, wasa Roussette, and not a Vampyre—a
frugivorous, not aninsectivorous Bat,—and guiltless, in short, of such bloody
deeds. Ledon Buffon’s track, M. Geoffroy assures us he has made the
identical discovery which Buffon had anticipated. ‘* The tongue of the
Phyllostomes presents a very curious organization, whence they are en-
dowed with a power of suction. Close to its extremity is a cavity, in the
centre of which there is a small point in relief, and round its circumference
are placed eight warty projections, somewhat less prominent than the cen-
tral one.” (Ann. des Sc. Nat. XV. 165, Legons, XIV. p. 31.) And
again, “ I have now satisfied myself that the Phyllostomes are endowed
with a real organ of suction at the extremity of the tongue, in the midst
of a circle of warty papillz. The tip begins to act in a plane, which is
quite level: in this state it is applied in immediate contact to the point
about to be operated upon; the muscular fibres, which are attached by
a tendon to each wart, now contract, hence they are all simultaneously
approximated, and asmualler circle is formed within the original one.”
(Lecons, X1V. p. 35.) This is a curious fact; but the ingenious Natural-
ist does not rest here. In connection with the admitted truth, that the
blood is abstracted during sleep without wakening the subject of at-
tack, he concludes that this could not occur if the skin were wounded as
in an ordinary bite, and that sometimes there is no leasion ia the integu-
ment at all. This we appreliend is carrying the matter too far. That
they inflict a wound is attested by numerous eye-witnesses. ‘The
wounds on my toes,” says D’Azara, “ which, however, I knew nothing of
at the time of their infliction, were circular or elliptical, from a line to a
line and a half in diameter ;” and Waterton, ‘‘on the great toe there
was a wound somewhat less than that made by a leech, whence the blood
was still oozing.” That they give pain is no more doubtful :—‘* When
bivouacking late one evening,” says Mr Darwin, ‘‘ near Coquimbo, my
servant noticing that one of the horses was very restive, went to see what
was the matter, and fancying he could distinguish something, suddenly
put his hand on the beast’s withers, and secured a Vampyre.” (Zvol.
of the Beagle, Mam. p. 2.) The mystery is probably less than usually
imagined. The leech, though its bite is sufficiently sharp, is often ap-
plied to man asleep without awakening him. The teeth of the Vam-
pyre are sharp; a slight incision, with the help of the sucking apparatus,
is all that is required, and the sleeper’s repose is undisturbed.

The quantity of blood drawn by the Vampyre does not appear to be very
great ; but considerable oozing often continues, so that much may be lost.
The wound is troublesome for a few days, but in man usually heals without

24 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS PHYLLOSTOMA.

difficulty. D’Azara, who was himself bitten four times, states that the
inhabitants of Paraguay thought but little of these attacks, or of the ani-
mals which made them.

1], VAMPYRUS SPECTRUM.—COMMON VAMPYRE BAT.

Syn. Vespertitio Specrrum.—Linn. Gmel.
PHyLtosroma SeectrumM.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 174, 186.—Desm.
Mam. No. 175.
Vameyrus SeecrruM.—Leach, in Linn. Trans. XIII. 80.
Le Vampyre.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 117.
Sprcrre Bat.—Penn. Quadr. II. 508.—Shaw, Zool. I. 143.
Icon. Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. pl. 1], fig. head, cran., and teeth.

Seba, pl. 58.—Schreb. Satigth. pl. 45, B.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tur Hare reddish-brown above; reddish-yellow beneath.

This Vampyre is the Andira-guacu of the Brazilians, figured in
Seba, pl. 58. Its leaf is oval, and hollowed in the shape of a fun-
nel. This animal comes from South America; it is reddish-brown,

and about the size of a Magpie. Ithas been accused of destroy-

ing men, and the lower animals, by sucking their blood, but it
merely inflicts some very small wounds, which may sometimes be-
come inflamed by the climate.

Though much of the alarm and apprehension which attached to
this animal, and led Dr Shaw to dilate upon it. as ‘a tremendous crea-
ture, said to be sometimes six feet in extent,” is now removed, yet its
habits are so peculiar, annoying, and, we may add, destructive, that the
popular interest with which it is still regarded is not by any means
surprising,

We believe it is larger than any of the Phyllostomes, with which it is
so closely associated. It is commonly stated to be about nine inches in
extreme length, from the tip of the nose to the termination of the hind-
feet, and from eighteen inches to two feet in extreme breadth, though Mr
Waterton informs us he once killed one which measured thirty-two inches
across, from the tip of one wing to that of the other; the ears are about
fourteen lines high; the nasal leaf six; the interfemoral membrane nearly
three inches. he incisor teeth are closely set between the canines; in
the upper jaw the two mesial ones are larger than the lateral; and in the
lower they are all very small and pushed forward; the canines are strong;
the molars have all the characters of a carnivorous animal. Its physiog-
nomy is singular, and far from being captivating; its muzzle is long, its
mouth large, its teeth formidable, and the ears are of great size in length
and breadth, with a marked operculum; the nasal leafis of medium size,
prolonged from the horse-shoe, without any intervening division; its
middle stem is not very thick, and the lateral lobes are rounded, and ter-
minate somewhat on this side of the point. The alar membranes extend
from the ankle to the origin of the thumb ; the interfemoral occupies the
whole space included between the limbs; its terminal edge forming a
salient angle, shaped, as in a demi-hexagon, the product of three equal
lines, the two external terminating at the spurs, and the third at that
part of the membrane which is destitute of support. We need scarcely
remark, it has no vestige of a tail, though this appendage is conferred
upon it in some of the older descriptions. The fur is soft, chestnut-
coloured above, and of a reddish-yellow colour beneath.

The whole extent of the South American Continent is usually assigned
as the habitat of the Vampyre, though this probably has arisen from the
name being applied indifferently to a number of the Phyllostomes. That
it occurs in Guiana seems to admit of no doubt; and in proof of this,
as well as illustrating its habits and blood-thirsty propensities, we shall
quote some of Mr Waterton’s interesting remarks. ‘As there was a
free entrance and exit to the Vampyre in the loft where I slept, I had
many a fine opportunity of paying attention to this nocturnal surgeon.
He frequents old abandoned houses and hollow trees; and sometimes a
cluster of them may be seen in the forest hanging head downwards from
the branch of a tree ; as stated by Goldsmith—

‘In matted woods, where birds forget to sing,
And silent Bats in drowsy clusters cling.’

“Some years ago I went to the river Paumaron with a Scottish geatle-
man. We hung our hammocks in a thatched loft of a planter’s house.
Next morning. as soon as there was light enough, 1 went to his hammock,
and saw it was much stained with blood. Oa examining his foot, I found
the Vampyre had tapped his great toe; there was a wound somewhat
less than that made by a leech; the blood was still oozing from it; I
conjectured he might have lost from ten to twelve ounces of blood. On
another occasion, they sucked a young man of the Indian breed very

severely, as he was sleeping in the shed next to mine; his great toe
seemed to have all the attractions. I examined it minutely as he was
bathing it in the river at day-break. The midnight surgeon had made a
hole in it, almost of a triangular shape, and the blood was then running
from it apace.” —( Waterton’s Wanderings, pp. 179, 301.)

DOUBTFUL SPECIES.

1. Vampyrus sorrcinus, (Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras. pl. 36, fig. 2
and 6.)

The body rather slender; incisors with a somewhat diverging apex ;
the nose-leaf entire, continuous below and in front with the lip; the
lips are undivided, and free from warts; a few on the chin.

Frequents the roofs of the honses of Rio Janeiro, and the banks of
the St Francis.

2. V. crrrHosus, (Spix, pl. 36, fiz. 3.)

The head somewhat prolonged; the lips, sides, and lower part of the
nose-leaf, and especially the chin, studded with warts.

Habitat not ascertained.

3. V. BIDENS, (Spix, pl. 36, fiz. 5.)

The muzzle acute ; the incisors long ; ears wide spreading ; the fur abave
is brownish-black, beneath mouse-colcured ; the alar membranes are black
and naked; the point of the tail perforates the interfemoral membrane
externally; the spurs are very long, and concave towards the lower mar-
gin of the membrane, to which they give a biiurcated appearance.

Inhabits the banks of the St Francis.

GENUS XI. PHYLLOSTOMA._JAVELIN-BATS.
Syn. PHYLLOsTOMA, (in part )—Geoff. Cuv. et al.
MOnNoOPHYLLUs et ArRTIBEUS.—Leach, in Linn. Trans. XITT.
CarOLita et MacropHyLtum.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. If.
LorHostoma.—D’ Orb. Voy.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

Tse Heap short and thick. Tse Mozzce short and broad.
5 2/24 C-4+(2 F-43)M_16_
2+C+(2 F+3)M 16
(For the other characters, see Vampyrus, p. 23.)

Tue Dentat Formvuta

32.

Among the Javelin- Bats the normal number of incisors is four in
each jaw, but a part of those in the lower often fall out, expelled
by the growth of the canines. They are further distinguished by
their leafy appendage being turned up across the tip of the nose.
The tragus or operculum of the ear is shaped like a small leaf more
or less dentated. Their tongue, capable of great extension, is termi-
nated by papillee, which appear to be so arranged as to form an organ
of suction, and, further, their lips have tubercles symmetrically ar-
ranged. These are American animals, which run upon the ground
with more facility than the other Bats, and (along with the Vam-

pyres and Long-tongued Bats) are in the habit of sucking the blood
of animals.

Having already, under the genus Vampyrus, treated so fully of the
characters and habits of the Phyllostomes, little additional will be re-
quired in this place. The alar membranes are of large dimensions, arising
from the additional phalanx of the middle finger, viz. the unguinal one,

which, however, has no nail, but a cartilage bent and drawn inwards hy

the membrane. The interfemoral extends across from limb to limb, and
usually projects outwards; at the same time this great extent receives
but an inconsiderable support from the os coccyx. Some of the Phyl-
lostomes are destitute of tails; and among those in which they appear
they are usually short, and very partially engaged in the membrane, pierc-
ing it either above or beneath.

e

(A)

1. PHYLLOSTOMA PERSPICILLATUM.—SPECTACLED
JAVELIN-BAT.

'TAIL-LESS JAVELIN-BATS.

Syn.
Icon.

La Lunetre.—Cuv. Regn. Anim. J. 117.

PHYLLOSTOMA PERSPICILLATUM.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. pl. 11, (head. )
D’Orb. Voy. (Mamm.) pl. 9, fig. 7 and 8.

GRAND FER-DE-LANCE.—Buff. Hist. Nat. Suppl. pl. 74.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tar Harr dark brown above, light brown beneath ; a white band ex-
tends from the nose to each ear. ~

THE JAVELIN-BATS.

|; Tur Nasat APPENDAGE snort, furrowed towards the point.

Innavits South America. Also Hayti.

The Spectacled Javelin-Bat was designated the Grand fer-de-lance by
Buffon, and yet, according to M. Geoffroy, it is of smaller dimensions
than the Common one bearing the name. Its extreme length from the tip
of the nose to the extreme part of the interfemoral membrane is five
inches; its extreme breadth eighteen inches. The muzzle is short and
proad ; the lower incisors are regularly placed between the canines, which
are far apart, and the two internal ones are bilobed ; the external ears are
slightly emargined at their external border, and the opercula are deeply
denticulated ; an irregular row of warts encircles the lips, and there are
considerable excrescences on the articulations of the third and fourth
toes; the interfemoral membrane forms an entering angle with the hind-
feet, and the inferior support it receives is inconsiderable on account of the
diminutive size of the bony spurs. The nasal leaf is formed of a strong
central part, with membranes at its sides, which do not extend quite
to the point; it is sloped, oval-shaped at its lower extremity, and termi-
nated in front by the common horse-shoe membrane. The fur is of a
blackish-brown colour on the back, and ofa light brown on the abdomen; a
white line rises at the nose, and extends along the side of the head as far
as the ear.

It has been clearly ascertained that this Phyllostome (and probably its
congeners) is not only insectivorous, but is frequently a great annoyance
to the agriculturist, from the immense quantities of ripe fruits it devours.
Thus, in M. Geoffroy’s 14th Legon, (Cours de l’Hist. Natur.,) we have
the following interesting particulars extracted from a letter of Dr Alex.
Ricord, an able Naturalist, who has long resided in Hayti. ‘‘ After leav-
ing Hayti I preserved these animals alive, and fed them on Common Sa-
potas, (Achras Sapota,) the fruit of a Mammee tree, which they prefer to
all others. Every evening, two hours after sunset, they leave the vir-
gin forests which they frequent during the day, and, in flocks of thou-
sands, precipitate themselves upon the Naseberry trees. I have often
observed them bite indiscriminately every one of the fruits on the trees,
to discover those which are ripe, for by the touch alone they cannot do
this ; and hence great mischief follows, for the fruit has but a slender hold of
the tree, and falls on the slightest injury. Often have I noticed these
animals suspending themselves on the wing, without changing their posi-
tion, and devouring the ripe fruit with the greatest avidity. They do not
quarrel much, but rather maintain a mutual good understanding. The noise
which they in this way produce among the branches resembles that made
by birds about to rest on ceasing their flight. They utter a feeble cry;
and nothing can scare them away. Shots from a musket do not annoy
them. I have watched these Bats throughout the whole night, and have
seen them depart an hour before the break of day, betaking themselves to-
wards the forests, where they reside, at the foot of the mountains, in
places not far distant from human habitations.”

Var. SupERcILIATUM.—ReppisH S. J. Bat.

Syn. PxHyYLLostoMa Surercitiatum.—Pr. Max. Beitr. II. 200.
CHAUVE-SOURIS OBSCURE et RAYSE ou Cu. Premiene.—D’ Azer. Quadr.
Parag. II. 269.

We are inclined to consider the Ph. Superciliatum of Prince Maximi-
lian to be merely a variety ofthe Spectacled Javelin-Bat already described ;
its ears are short, pointed, and white; the hair is dark brown; there isa
white streak from the nasal appendage to each ear. It was found on the
Sea coast to the north of Cabo Frio.

2. PHYLLOSTOMA LINEATUM.—STRIPED JAVELIN-BAT.

Syn. CHAUVE-sOURIS BRUNE et RAYGE.—Azar. Parag. II. p. 271.
PHYLLOsTOMA LINEATUM.—Geoff. Ann, Mus, XY. 186.

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Ham brown above, lighter beneath; four white stripes on the
face, and one on the back.

Tue Nasa Appenpace entire.

Inwanrrs Paraguay and Brazil.

This Striped Phyllostome, and the two which succeed, are founded
upon the descriptions of the indefatigable D’ Azara, and, though defective
in the synonomy, and incorrect, in so far as he has identified them with
previously described species, yet they so conspicuously bear the traces of
his accurate hand, that it is impossible for a moment to doubt their spe-
cific and distinct existence. The Lineatum forms the second on his list,
and he remarks that he had possessed many of them, and that they
Strongly resembled each other. Their length very nearly reached three
inches, their extreme breadth fourteen. The colour of the fur is brown,

lighter beneath. A white stripe commences at the coccyx, and iuns in a
yOL, Il,

straight line to the occiput: besides this great band, two others, which,
like it, are white, extend from the nostril to the ear, at the elevated part
of the hind-head, and two others, also white, from the angle of the mouth
to the lower part of the ear. The ear is very narrow, and shovel-shaped,
generally flat, but reflected onits edges. At about a line from the extremity
of the muzzle, which is not acute, the horse-shoe membrane commences,
from the centre of which springs the nasal one, forming an angle with the
forehead of seventy degrees, extending four lines, and terminating in a
point. D’Azara says nothing of its habits.

3. PHYLLOSTOMA ROTUNDUM.—ROUND-LEAFED JAVELIN-

BAT.
Syn. CHAUVE-SOURIS TROISIEME ou CH. BRUN.—Azar. Parag. II. p. 277.
Puyttosroma Rorunpum.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 181.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr reddish-brown.
Tue Nasat AppenpAcE entire, rounded at the extremity.
Inuazits Paraguay.

This Javelin-Bat was supposed to be the true Vampyre by the Spanish
Naturalist D’Azara,—a mistake arising partly from the imperfect descrip-
tions of these South American species, current in his day, and partly
from his not being aware that most of them had never been described ;
hence he erroneously identifies them with their congeners. The length
of this Bat is three inches and a half; its extreme breadth nearly seven-
teen. Its colour is brown, somewhat lighter underneath. The alar
membrane arises from the tibia four lines from its articulation. ‘The ear
is acute, straight, eight lines high, and has a projecting operculum. The
muzzle is rather acute than flat, and the nasal leaf, flatter than in most
others, does not terminate in a point, but is rounded. The lower jaw is
somewhat the largest, and the whole physiognomy may perhaps be con-
sidered by some as yery ugly. In this description the colour, the rounded
leaf, and the dimensions reaching only one half, distinguish this Bat from
the true Vampyre. It is very common in Paraguay, where D’ Azara says
it differs from all the others, in running as swift as a Rat when on the
ground, and in delighting in sucking the blood of men and animals.

4, PHYLLOSTOMA LILIUM.—FLEUR-DE.-LIS JAVELIN-BAT.

CHAUVE-SOURIS BRUN-ROUGEATRE ou CH. QUATRIEME.—D’ Azar. Quadr.
Parag. II. p. 277.
Payiiostoma Litium.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 186.

Syn.

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr reddish-brown above, lighter beneath.

Tue Nasat AppenpaGe entire, length equal to its breadth, narrow at
the base. Tur Jaws elongated.

Inuasirs Paraguay.

D’ Azara imagined that the animal described by him as his fourth species,
under the appellation of the Brun-Rougeatre, was identical with Buffon’s
Fer-de-lance; but thisis manifestly a mistake. The one in hand is three
inches and a half long, and thirteen inches across the wings, and is desti-
tute of a tail, whilst the hastatum has a tail, and measures seven inches
by nineteen. Its ear is straight and acute; its eye, though small, is, ac-
cording to Azara, somewhat larger than in his other Bats, and is placed
equidistant between the ear and tip of the muzzle, which is very obtuse,
and somewhat cleft. M. Geoffroy assigned it its specific name, from the
resemblance of the leaf to that of the middle petal of the fleur-de-lis of
heraldry ; it is pointed at its tip, and as straight as that of the hastatum at
its extremity, but it bulges out more, being as broad as itis long. D’Azara
compares its form to that of a military spear.

5. PHYLLOSTOMA BRACHYOTUM.—BROAD-EARED JAVELIN-
BAT.

PHYLLOsTOMA BRACHYOTUM.—Pr. Max. Beitr. II. 196.
Caroi1a BraziLiensis.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 488.
Pr. Max. Abbild.

Syn.

Leon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tne Harr dark greyish-brown above ; the points of the hairs sooty ;
lighter beneath.

Tur Ears short and broad. Tue Orercutum short and rounded.
Tue Nasat AppenDAGE narrow and pointed.

Inuazirs Brazil.

This Phyllostome micht with as much propriety be designated broad-
bodied as broad-eared. It is singularly broad across the shoulders, and

short in the length of the body; head included, it is somewhat heart-
G

26 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS PHYLLOSTOMA.

shaped, and its shoulders seem covered with a short mantle. The
hair of the entire body is soft, tolerably long, and plentiful, of a dark
russet colour all over. The hair on the throat is greyish-brown, dark at
the points. The under part of the body is lighter, tending more to a
greyish-brown. These animals fly about the dense foliage of the forests,
and towards the approach of night. The only known specimen was cap-
tured by Prince Maximilian in his apartments near the Mucuvi in the
Brazils,

6. PHYLLOSTOMA JAMAICENSE.—LEACH’S JAVELIN-BAT.

ARTIBEUS JAMAICENSIS.—Leach, in Linn. Trans. XIII. 75.
Puytiosroma JaMAIcENSE.—Horsf. in Zool. Journal, III. 236, and pl.
21, Suppl.

Syn.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr greyish-brown above, lighter beneath, and blueish.

Tue Nasa Appenpaces and Mremsranss nearly black. The-sides of
the nose without warts.

Inuasits Jamaica and Cuba.

This species was first described shortly, in the year 1820, by the late
Dr Leach in Vol. XIII. of the Linnean Transactions as noted above, from
a specimen sent him from Jamaica by a correspondent; and in the year
1827, the well-known Naturalist, W.S. Macleay, Esq., sent another
specimen to Dr Horsfield from the Havannah, of which the Doctor sup-
plied an excellent description in the Zoological Journal, after having com-
pared it with the identical individual which had fallen into Dr Leach’s
hands, and which had formed a part of Mr Brooke’s museum.

The body of this Phyllostome is robust, and covered both above and
beneath with long silky hairs of a very soft texture; the colour of the body
and head above is grey, inclining to brown, but without any tinge of yellow
or red ; underneath it is paler and blueish; the hairs above are darker at
their extremity, so that the fur appears of darker and lighter shades, ac-
cording to the position of the hairs, and underneath it has a silvery gloss
on the surface. The wings, interfemoral membrane, and nasal appen-
dages, are nearly black; the ears are narrow, rounded, and somewhat
lengthened ; the nose is covered at the sides with a soft down, through
which a few bristly hairs are scattered; its leaf is horizontally somewhat
undulated, is acute towards the point, and marked in front with striz.
Cf the four upper incisors the two lateral ones are smaller; the lower
are uniform in size, and regularly disposed. The interfemoral mem-
brane is deeply excavated; the toes are uniform in length and size, and
have all the same direction; the claws are partially covered by stiff pro-
jecting bristles. The lower lip is surrounded with a regular row of warts,
and ‘‘the mouth is provided internally with a narrow, fimbriated, cribri-
form membrane.” The specimens examined by Dr Horsfield had an ex-
pansion of the flying membranes, amounting to one foot and three inches ;
and the entire length from the muzzle to the extremity of the interfemoral
membrane is four inches and ten lines.

7. PHYLLOSTOMA OBSCURUM.—SOOTY JAVELIN-BAT.

PHYLLOsTOMA OBscURUM.—Pr. Max. Beitr. II. 203.
Pr. Max. Abbild.

Syn.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr sooty-black above, ash-grey beneath.

Tue Ears nearly ovate. THs Avricutarn Opercutum very small,
rather broad.

Innazits Brazil.

This specimen was found by Prince Maximilian at Villa Vicoza, on the
river Peruhype.

(B.) Tatep Javeuin-Bars.

8. PHYLLOSTOMA HASTATUM.—COMMON JAVELIN-BAT.

Syn. LE FEr-DE-Lance.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 117.

VESPERTILIO HASTATUS.—Linn. Gmel.

PHYLLOsTOMA HasraruM.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. pl. 11, (head. )—
Pr. Max. Abbild. ~

Buff. Hist. Nat. XIII. pl. 33.—copied in Schreb. pl. 46, B

VESPERTILIO PERSPICILLATUS.—Schreb. pl. 46, A.

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr varying from dark to light brown, sometimes tipped with
grey.

Tue Nasat AppENDAGEs smooth on the margins.
engaged in the interfemoral membrane.

Inuasirs Brazil.

Tue Tart wholly

Buffon first described this Bat under the appellation of Fer-de-lance,
This ap-

from the resemblance of its nasal leaf to the head of a spear.
pendage is undivided, without any ridge at its point, or any heel or pad;

the middle line is somewhat elevated, and its base is so narrow, that the
leaf seems as if supported by a slender petal ; the horse-shoe, on the other
hand, is broader than in any other species of the genus. It is a strong,
robust-looking animal, largely endowed with membranes; its extreme
length, including the head and membrane, is about seven inches, and
breadth between nineteen and twenty inches. The fur is short, of a
chestnut colour above, and fawn brown on the abdomen; the membranes
are reddish-brown, and the Jeaf, cars, and limbs, of a blackish-brown,
The muzzle is short and broad; the incisors regularly set between the
canines, which are wide apart; the ears are long, and project upwards;

a row of warts, in the form of the letter V, appears on the lower lip ; the

tail, half an inch long, is all but completely enveloped in the interfemoral
membrane, which is prolonged as far as the toes, and is abundant.

9. PHYLLOSTOMA ELONGATUM.—SHORT-TAILED JAVELIN.
BAT.

Syn. et Icon. Lz PHYLLOsToME A FEUILLE ALLONGEE, (Ph. elongatum.)—
Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 185, pl. 9.
PHYLLOSTOMA BREVICAUDUM ?—Pr. Max. Abbild.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr reddish-brown above, lighter beneath.
Tue Nasat Appenpacs long, pointed, and entire.
Tue Tart free at the point.

Innatits Brazil.

It is to M. Geoffroy that we are likewise indebted for all our knowledge
of this very remarkable-looking species. He found it in the Paris Mu-
seum, and could learn nothing ‘ofl its origin or history. This anirnal strik-
ingly illustrates the superfluity of cutaneous texture with which this genus
abounds; the wings are most ample, and the interfemoral membrane a
large parachute; its lower margin springing at right angles from the
ankles : the tail extends about one third of its length, and then perfor-
ates it, not, as in the former species, on the inside, but on the outside.
The nasal leaf of this species surpasses in length that of all the other
known species ; it is terminated at its base by a sinuose border, and united
in front with the horse-shoe, both being narrow at their junction. The
ears are broad, striated, and straight towards the point; the operculum is
notched as mentioned in the last species; the muzzle is large and short,
a regular row of warts appears on the under lip, and the incisors are regu-
larly arranged. Its extreme length from the snout to the inferior extre-
mity of the interfemoral membrane is about six inches ; its breadth across
one foot four inches.

10. PHYLLOSTOMA CRENULATUM.—NOTCHED JAVELIN-

BAT.
Syn. LE Frr crfineLé.—Cuyv. Reg. Anim. I. 117.
Icon. PHYLLOsTOME CRENELE, (Ph. crenulatum. )—Geoff. Ann, Mus, XV. pl.

10.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tae Nasat Appenpace triangular, notched on the margin.
Tue Tait free at the point.
Inuasits South America.

This species was first noticed by M. Geoffroy in the vear 1810, and
we are not aware that any further information has since been added to his
short, but excellent description. The French Naturalist found a speci-
men in the Paris Museum, and inferred that it came from South America.
Its habits, accordingly, are quite unknown.

The most marked peculiarities of this interesting species are the strik-
ing indentations or notches upon the outside of the leaf of the nose and
the projecting operculum of the ear, which at once attract attention on a
front view of the animal, and from which it has received its specific name.
The leaf is, moreover, singular in these respects, that it is the only one
known in which the edge is straight, not curved, but like an isosceles
triangle, or a serrated halbert head, and does not spring from the horse-
shoe. Its muzzle is short, thick, and obtuse; its lower lip is studded
with warts; its ears are broad, and nearly regularly oval; the tail extends
more than half way down the interfemoral membrane; and its point, for
more than a line, is free from the membrane, projecting on the inner side.
The body is stout, and about two inches and a half long ; the head is an
inch; the ears ten lines, the leaf nearly six ; the extreme breadth from the
tip of the one wing to that of the other thirteen inches, the tail eleven
lines.

GENUS GLOSSOPHAGA.—_LONG-TONGUED BATS. 27

ll. PHYLLOSTOMA MACROPHYLLUM.—LONG-TAILED
JAVELIN-BAT.

Syn. Das Grospiat.—Pr. Max. Beitr. II. 188.
Teon. PHYLLOsTOMA MACROPHYLLUM.— Pr. Max. Abbild.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr sooty-black.

Tur Nasat Aprenpace very long and pomted.
long as the body.

Tue InrErFemoraAL Meuprane marked with concentric lines, and
semicircular.

Inuasirs Brazil.

This Bat is found, though rarely, in the large forests which skirt
the banks of the Mucuri. During the day they remain suspended by the
rocks and trunks of trees. The interfemoral membrane is much longer
than in most of its congeners, and the species can be at once distinguished
by the semicircular ruge.

Tue Tat nearly as

12. PHYLLOSTOMA GRAYII.—GRAY’S JAVELIN-BAT.

Syn. et Icon. PuytLostoma GRayu.—Waterh.! in Voy. Beagl. II. 3, Mamm.
pl. 2.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Hate dark brown, mixed with grey. THe Mempranes sooty-
black.

Tue Tat short, included in the interfemoral membrane.

Tue Unper-ir with an ovate group of warts.

Innasits Pernambuco, Brazil.

_ Mr Darwin informs us that this species appeared to be common at Per-

nambuco, (five degrees north of Bahia.) Upon entering an old lime-kiln
in the middle of the day, he disturbed a considerable number of them ;
they did not seem to be much incommoded by the light, and their habi-
tation was much less dark than that usually frequented as a sleeping
" place by these animals.

13. PHYLLOSTOMA ? SYLVICOLUM.—RUSTIC JAVELIN-BAT.

Syn. et Icon. LoprHosroMa syLvicoLa.—D’Orb. Voy. Mamm. pl. 6.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.
Tue Hare on the face brown, whitish beneath the neck, eisewhere
grey.
Tue Nasat Apppnpacss entire, long, pointed.
Tue Ears divided by a membrane into two compartments.
Tue Tait short, free at the point.
Innasits South America.

This animal is only known to us through the beautiful drawing of M.
D’Orbigny. As that Naturalist has not yet published the characters on
which he reposes the genus Lophostoma, we are unable to speak with
certainty thereon; but from the appearance of the cranium, we are in-
clined to regard it as a Phyllostome which had lost two of the lower in-
cisors through the development of the canines.

DOUBTFUL SPECIES.

1, Px. Pranirostre, (Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras. pl. 36, fig. 1.)—
The head is broad, and depressed above : sides of the nose studded with
verrucose tubercles, the lower margin of the nose-leaf is free and hang-
ing; lips notched at the margin ; chin not deep but broad.

It frequents the suburbs of St Salvador.

2. Po. Cuitpreni (Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. IT.) has the lower
lip studded with an half ovate group of crowded warts. It is brown,
slightly grizzled, hairs grey-tipped ; it is greyer beneath ; ears large, mem-
braneous, rounded at the ends ; nose-leaf ovate, lanceolate, rather longer
than wide ; wings brown; warts of lower lip in three or four arched series ;
expanse twelve inches.

it inhabits South America.
from J. G. Children, Esq.

8. Pu. Bennerti, (Gray, loc. cit.)—We are informed that, on the
front of the lower lip of this Phyllostome, there is a small ovate space
formed of two small tubercles, as inthe Vampyre. Its colour is fulyous
brown, rather paler beneath; hair is very long, soft, with greenish tips ;
ears very large, rather acute ; nose-leaf very large, ovate, lanceolate, with
a thick convex midrib; wings brown. Expanse twelve inches; nose-
leaf eight lines.

It imhabits South America. Specimen in the British Museum.

4, Pu. BREvicaupuM, (Pr. Max. Abbild, and Beitr.) —The length of this
species is described as about two inches and three lines, and the extreme

Specimen in British Museum, received

breadth eleven inches ; the ears are broad, and the short tragus is narrow
and lance-shaped. The muzzle is broad and obtuse; the interfemoral
membrane springs from the upper part of the ankle, and, approximatiag
the tail, is crescent-shaped. The fur on the body appears to be copious ;
it is russet brown on the head and back, and somewhat paler underneath.
The ears, nasal leaf, and membranes, are dark brown. It is gregarious
in the old buildings of Coroaba, and in the Brazilian forest on the banks
of the Jucu.
Is this not the young of Ph. elongatum ?

Note.—Puy.iosroma soricinum, Geoff., belongs to the Genus Glosso-
phaga.
Puytiostoma Spectrum, Geoff., belongs to Vampyrus ; probably
also Ph. soricinum, cirrhosum, and bidens of Fischer, (Syn.
Mamm.)

DOUBTFUL GENUS AND SPECIES.

1. Monorayrtitus Repmannt, (Leach, in Linn. Trans. XIII. 75.)
This species was sent to the British Museum by R. S. Redman, Esq. ;
and Dr Leach precipitately regarded it as entitled to a generic distinction
from haying four incisors in the upper jaw, and none in the lower. This
animal had a short tail, and the nose-leaf was erect. The colour above,
as of the membranes, ears, and nose-leaf, was brown; beneath mouse-
coloured. The ears were round, and the beard long.

GENUS XII. GLOSSOPHAGA.—_LONG-TONGUED

BATS.

Lrs GLossopHaces, (Glossophaga. )— Geoff. Mém. Mus. IV. 418, et al.

DipHYLLa.—Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras. —D’Orb. Voy.

Mapatevus.—Leach, in Linn. Trans. XIII.

PuyLiorHora, ANouRA, and BRACHYPHYLLA?—Gray, in Mag, Zool.
and Bot. II.

Syn.

GENERIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Heap broad. Tue Muzzte produced and narrow.

Tue Ears small, with an operculum.

Tue Nasat Aprenpace double; the upper one erect, almost hastate
small ; the lower blending into the upper lip.

Tur Toncue very long, extensile, slender, channelled, and rough,
with reversed papilla. 2

Tar InrerremoraL Mrmprane imperfect or wanting.

Tue Tair short or wanting.

Tue Dentar Formura Peet tyne

Ingazir South America.

M. Geoffroy (Mém. du Mus. IV. p. 418) separates from the Ja-
velin-Bats those species having the tongue slender, capable of ex~-
tension, and furnished with papillz resembling hairs. To these he
assigns the name of Glossophaga, all of which are likewise from
America.

By the above arrangement of M. Geoffroy, proposed in the year 1818,
the blood-sucking Bats were thus divided into three groups, Vam-
pyrus, Glossophaga, and Phyllostoma, their natural arrangement, accord-
ing to him, being in the order in which they are above enumerated.

The chief distinction of the Glossophaga, as may be supposed, is
founded on the characters of their tongue, which is very long, straight,
extensible, and capable of longitudinally folding upon itself. Its length is
so great, that, after death, it generally projects to a great extent from the
mouth, and it is next to impossible by any means to return it: hence
these animals are usually represented with this member protruding. But
the most remarkable peculiarity of their tongue consists in its edges, or
what may be called its border. It has the power of being folded superi-
orly upon itself from side to side, so that there is a deep hollow, or ra-
ther a true canal, formed throughout its whole extent; the edge being
surmounted with small papillae, and covered with ciliz. Pallas long ago
represented this in his Spicilegia Zoologica, both of the natural size, and
as seen under the microscope. It will be recollected that, whilst dwell-
ing upon the sucking apparatus of the Vampyres, we remarked that par-
ticular attention had been paid to a number of warts, which were arranged
in a circular form upon the centre of the tongue, and considerable dis-
cussion maintained upon the manner in which these acted in the produc-
tion of a vacuum. But, however admirably those parts may in them dis-
charge this function, their efforts are feeble when compared with this
interesting piece of anatomy in the glossophage. The resources in these
latter for the production of a vacuum is augmented in proportion to the

a eee ee ee ee eee EEE

? Watenu. 1x Vor. Beact.—The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N., during the girs 1832 to 1836, published
with the approval of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury. Mammalia by George R. Waterhouse, London, 1838.

a

number of the points of the tongue they apply ; and it is manifest, that
the whole organ is engaged in the operation.

The cranium, moreover, is broader, and proportionally quite as long as
enat of the Vampyres ; its case also is more voluminous, and the maxillary
gones by no means so contracted, hence the teeth are freer during their
growth. The incisors are persistent, and regularly arranged. The head is
long, and remarkably conical. The extremity of the muzzle is slender; the
leaf is very near its extremity, and inconsiderable in size. Its mantle,
likewise, is not remarkably large, the interfemoral membrane especially
being sometimes very small, or even quite deficient.

On examining the several species, it will be found that there is a strong
resemblance in their heads and nasal apparatus, and that the most strik-
ing characters are to be found in-the interfemoral membrane; in some it
is sufficiently ample, whilst in others it is very insignificant, and almost
rudimentary ; at one time, again, there is a tail, and at another none.

Pallas foresaw that the presence or absence of this appendage might
be construed into a characteristic distinction of the two sexes. He ac-
cordingly reports that he had seen many individuals of the species he
described, and that he never observed in any of them, male or female, the
slightest vestige of a tail,—caude@ nullum vestigium. In the Knot-tailed
Bat, which, by the extent of its interfemoral membrane, closely approxi-
mates to Pallas’ animal, the tail exists: it is a very small appendage,
which is not prolonged beyond a fourth of the extent of the membrane,
and which appears externally as a mere point or nodosity. It might be
designated a tubercle, manifesting the tendency of the tail to render it-
self free. -

1. GLOSSOPHAGA SORICINA.—PALLAS’ LONG-TONGUED
BAT.

Syn. VESPERTILIO soRIciINUs.—Linn. Gmel. I.
Lear-Bat.—Penn. Quadr. No. 498.—Shaw, Gen. Zool. I. 141.
Icon. PHYLLOsToMa soricinuM, (Musette.)—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. pl. 11.

VESPERTILIO SORICINUS.—Pall. Spicil. Zool. III. pl. 3 and 4.—Copied in
Schreb. Satigth. pl. 47; and in Buff. Hist. Nat. Suppl. III. pl. 53.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr greyish-brown above, whitish beneath.
Tue Intrrremorat Mremprane broad. Tue Tait wanting.
Inuazirs Surinam and the Carribbee Islands.

This species is found in Surinam, and in the islands which lie near the
coast. The account which Pallas supplied, both of its external charac-
ters and anatomical structure, is drawn up with the usual ability of this
Naturalist, and leaves nothing to be desired. It is small when compared
tothe Phyllostomes. Its muzzle is proportionably long and stout ; hence
the canines are wide apart; the incisors are not crowded, and are in a
single row. The nasal leaf is small, and at the very extremity of the
sncut ; it is in the shape of a heart, broadest at its base in the males, and
terminating in an acute point. The ears are smalland oblong. The in-
terfemoral membrane starts upwards from the ankle, making rather an
acute angle with the tibia, and is supported by very short spurs or ossi-
cula. The tongue is very large, remarkably long, and formed into a deep
canal, whose edges are covered with papillze, which overlap, and resemble
minute hairs. This deep furrow can, without doubt, be converted dur-
ing life into a regular tube or cylinder; and it is through these canals that
the blood, in which these animals delight, flows while they feed. The
fur of this animal is soft and woolly; its back is of a greyish-brown ; its
abdomen whitish. Its dimensions from the tip of the snout to the
origin of the tail is scarcely two inches; its tail does not exceed two
lines ; its extreme breadth is nearly nine inches.

2. GLOSSOPHAGA AMPLEXICAUDATA.—KNOT-TAILED
LONG-TONGUED BAT.

PHYLLOPHORA AMPLEXICAUDATA.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II.
GLOssOPHAGA AMPLEXICAUDATA.—Geoff. Mém. Mus. IV. pl. 18, A. Pr.
Max. Beitr. II 208.—Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras. pl. 36, fig. 4.

Syn.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tez Hate dark greyish-brown above, paler beneath.

Tue InrerrsmoraL Memprane broad, Tue Tat short, included m
the interfemoral membrane, and ending in a nodule.

Inwasits Brazil, about Rio Janeiro.

This species was first discovered in Brazil by the younger Delalande,
who transmitted it to Paris, where it was examined and classified by M.
Geoffroy in 1818. It is one of that section that has rather a large inter-
femoral membrane and a tail. The length of its head and body is three
inches; of the tail two lines, of the nose-leaf scarcely two lines, of the
external ear one anda half line; extreme expanse, ten inches and two

_ lines.

28 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS GLOSSOPHAGA.

The nose-leaf is spear-shaped and pointed ; the lip is fissured and
notched on the margin; the ear naked, and without a margin; the alar
membrane is long, rather narrow, naked, and, near the body and joints,
ornamented with rows of spots. The fur of the whole body is very co-
pious, soft, and longish ; above it is of a dark greyish-brown; beneath the
colour is paler.

It inhabits the houses of Rio Janeiro, and is common throughout
Brazil.

3. GLOSSOPHAGA CAUDIFERA.—FREE-TAILED LONG-
TONGUED BAT.

GLOssOPpHAGA CauUDIPBRs.— Geoff. Mém. Mus. IV. pl. 17.—
Dict. des Sc. Nat. XI. p. 118.—Deem. Mam. No. 178,—
Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II.

Syn. et Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.
Tue Harr dark brown. .
Tue InrerremoraL Memprane very short.

point.

Inuasits Brazil, near Rio Janeiro.

The Free-tailed Glossophaga was also discovered in Brazit by M. De-
lalande, and was examined by M. Geoffroy, although the details of its
organization have as yet been scantily provided. The interfemoral mem-
brane is very short and narrow, forming but a slender margin from the
spurs to the coccyx; the tail is very short, and yet projects somewhat
beyond the membrane, The ears are of rather small dimensions, with a
small operculum ; the lower lip is deeply fissured; the horse-shoe is well
marked; the nose-leaf distinctly marked, broad, and not high, but
pointed ; a copious supply of small bristles surrounds the nose and lower
lip. It is a trifle longer in its proportions than the preceding species.
Its colour is dark brown.

This species was discovered in the Brazils, near Rio Janeiro.

Tue Tait free at the

4, GLOSSOPHAGA ECAUDATA.—TAIL-LESS LONG-TONGUED

BAT.
Syn. ANnoura GEOFFROYI.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. IT.
Icon. GtossopHaca Ecavpata.—Geoff. Mém. Mus. IV. pl. 18, B.—Pr.

Max. Abbild.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.
Tue Hair dark brown above, paler beneath.

Tue Jnrerremorat Memprane very short.
Inuazits Brazil, near Rio Janeiro.

Tue Tait wanting.

The length of the head of this species is eleven lines, of the body two
inches and five lines; the extreme expanse is about eleven inches and a
half. The length of the auricle is almost four lines ; of the nose-leaf two.
The headis both long and broad ; the body is proportionably stout; the
lip is cleft ; the nose-leaf triangular in shape, the spur small and pointed.
The face is covered with minute bristles; the whole body is clad with
soft hairs as in the mouse, longest on the back, where the colour is dark
brown, and is paler underneath, merging to a greyish-brown.

M. Delalande found this animal near Rio Janeiro, and Prince Maxi-
milian at Porto Seguro.

DOUBTFUL GENERA AND SPECIES.

1. Drenyrra ecaupara, (Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras. p. 68, pl. 36,
fig. 7.)—The peculiar distinctions of this proposed genus of Spix are a
bifoliated nose-leaf, and a total absence of the interfemoral membrane and
tail. The length of this animal is three inches, the extreme width be-
tween ten and eleven; its back is of a dark brown colour, the abdomen
and under part of the head light brown; the wings are black, and almost
naked.

2, BRACHYPHYLLA CAVERNARUM, (Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. I. 489.)

Specimens of this Bat are to be found in the Museums of the British
Museum and of the Zoological Society, having been received from St
Vincents, West Indies. The following is Mr Gray’s description of the
generic characters: ‘‘ Tail very short, interfemoral membrane deeply
nicked, two rayed ; nose-leaf small, surrounded by a deep groove, which
separates it from the face; front of under lip with a smooth triangular
space bearded on the edge.” !

3. Mavarzus Lewrsu, (Leach, in Linn. Trans. XIII. 81.)—This
animal constituted the seventh and last genus of Dr Leach’s Nose-
leafed Bats. It had four incisors above and four below ; two nose-leaves,
one horizontal, the other vertical, and no tail. The specimen described
formed part of Mr Brooke’s Museum, and was sent from Jamaica by Mr
D. Lewis. Its extreme expanse was seventeen inches. Its colour ge-
nerally black; its teeth were transversely striated, and the interfemoral

membrane acutely emarginated.

29

TRIBE II—MONOPHALANGIA ISTIOPHORA.

Syn.

IstropHort, (in part.)—Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras.

RutnoLtopuina.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II.—Less. Mam.

CHARACTERS OF THE TRIBE.

Tue Ivpex with only one ossified phalanx, the other fingers with two.
Tue Nose with one or more leafy appendages.

GENUS XIII. MEGADERMA._BROAD-WINGED BATS.

Lrs Mécapermes.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 118.
Mecaperma.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 197, et al.
Layia.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. et Bot. II.

Syn.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.
C4+(F43)M_10_9¢

24-C+(2F+3)M 16 ~
Tue Nose with three appendages, the upper one vertical, the second
horizontal, and the lower resembling a korse-shoe.

Tue Ears very large, united over the forehead ; the opercula promi-

s
2
Tae Denrat Formura

nent.
Tur Toncue short and slender.
Tae InrerremoraL Mrmsprane bounded by a straight margin.”
Tue Tait wanting.
Inuazir Africa and the East Indies.

The Broad-winged Bats have their nasal appendages as compli-
cated as those of the Phyllostomes ; the opercula are large, often
furcated ; the conche of the ears are very ample, and blended one
into the other on the top of the head; the tongue and lips are
smooth; the interfemoral membrane entire; and the tail wanting.
Their incisors are four in the lower jaw ; these teeth are wanting in
the upper, and the intermaxillary cartilage never becomes ossified.

They all come from different parts of the Old Continent, such as
Africa, and the Eastern Archipelago; and, like the Phyllostomes,
may most readily be distinguished among themselves by the forms
of their nasal appendages.

The Megadermata constitute a link in the animal series which, in an
interesting manner, connects the Phyllostomes we have left, with the
Genus Rhinolophus, to which we next proceed. This link is in itself
perfectly circumscribed, and on either side there is an interval or hiatus
which is distinctly marked. The Broad-winged Bats are furnished with
an operculum, and have no tail, so that they cannot be confounded with
the Rhinolophi. In these points they agree with the Phyllostomes, but
then they want the long tongue, and the extraordinary papillae and warts
with which these last are furnished: neither their tongue, nor their lips,
which are smooth, and without notches or tubercles, are peculiarly formed
for the purpose of sucking. They are not endowed with the additional
phalanx upon the middle finger, and yet none of the Bats are more copi-
ously supplied with the dermai development, as it respects the wings and
other parts. The ears are so large that they not only come into contact,
but unite to a greater or less extent above the forehead. The nasal ap-
pendage likewise so superabounds, that, in addition to the horse-shoe,
and nose-leaf proper, there is an additional one which protrudes on either
side horizontally from between the nostrils, and acts as a distinct valve to
these apertures. M. Geoffroy speculates whether it be owing to the extra-
ordinary development of this apparatus that there is a diminution, or ra-
ther, we might say, extinction of the intermaxillary bones, and decidedly
inclines to this belief. Be this, however, as it may, the fact remains the
- Same, viz. that the intermaxillary bones are either quite wanting, or dege-
nerate into mere membranes, which are suspended in the soft parts of the
upper lip: their absence accounts for the want of the upper incisors.

The speries in this genus have no tail, but possess an interfemoral
membrane, which is of very considerable dimensions ; and, to make up
the deficiency arising from the want of the former appendage, we find
there are two strong ligaments which have their origin in the sciatic re-
gion, and run obliquely to the heels ; they are inclosed in the coats of the
membrane, and contribute to its support.

The geographical distribution of these Megadermata, as well as of the
Rhinolophi, is the Old World, more especially the Indian Archipelago,
though they are also found on the continents of Asia and Africa; whilst
the Phyllostomes, as we have seen, are confined to the New World.

1, MEGADERMA SPASMA.—TREFOIL BROAD-WINGED BAT.

Le Spasme DE TrrnaTE.—Cuy. Reg. Anim. I. 118.
MEGADERMA SpasMa.—Geoff. Ann, Mus. XV. 198.
VOL. II.

Syn.

CorpaTep Bat.—Penn. Quadr. No. 4.99.

Le Tririe pe Java.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 118.

MEGADERMA TRIFOLIUM.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 197.

Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. pl. 12, (heads Spasme and Tréfle.)—Seba, pl.
56, fig. 1, copiedin Schreb. pl. 48, and again from the latter in Shaw,
Zool. pl. 42.

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Verticat Nasat APPENDAGE oyate or cordate, resembling the
horizontal; size, one-fifth of the auricle.

Tue Opercuta bi- or tri-lobed.

Inuasits J’ernate and Java.

This very singular-looking Bat has long occupied a place in the annals
of the science, without much being actually known of its history. It is
the Glis volans Ternatanus of Seba, and the Vespertilio Spasma of Lin-
neus and Cuvier, in Tab. Element. des Animaux. Long after the disco-
very of Seba, M. Leschenault de la Tour encountered in Java a Bat,
which he sent, along with a description, to Paris, where it fell under the
inspection of M. Geoffroy, who regarded it as a new and distinct species,
a view which subsequently was adopted in the Regne Animal, and in most
systematic works. Additional information, we apprehend, has led M.
Temminck and J. B. Fischer to regard these animals as one.

The Spasma exhibits very strikingly the three-crested appearance of the
nasal appendages of the genus. It has first a large horse-shoe, then
what is called the horizontal leaf, and, finally, the perpendicular one;
these latter are heart-shaped, with the base downwards; the lower is the
larger, and more immediately covers the entrance of the nostrils. The
name Trifolium has been applied to this animal from the peculiar shape
of its very large operculum, having three not very symmetrical lobes, the
central one of which is much the longest, and is acutely pointed. The
auricles correspond to the great size of the opercula: they are very
broad, full, and high; they meet over the forehead, and are there united
to about one-third of their extent. The only other specific differ-
ences which require to be dwelt upon regard the membranes. The
spurs or spicula of the tarsus are long, so affording firm support to the
interfemoral membrane, and the alar membranes are very diaphanous,
being freer from tendinous fibres than some of their congeners. Its fur
is very long and soft, and its colour is mouse-grey. Seba described the
animal he observed as having its forehead a light red, and the other parts
of its body of arusset hue. The length of the head and body is four
inches, of the interfemoral membrane one and a half, the extreme breadth
ten and a half inches.

The last named observer found this animal in the island of Ternate,
and Leschenault in Java. Of its habits nothing has yet been recorded.

2, MEGADERMA LYRA.—LYRE-NOSED BROAD-WINGED BAT.

La Lyre.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 118.
Mrcaperma Lyra.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 198, pl. 12, fig. and

cranium.

Syn.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.
Tur Verticat Nasat Arrenpace rectangular; the horizontal one-half

less.
Inuazirs India.

The size of the Lyre-nosed Bat very nearly agrees with that of the preced-
ingspecies. M. Geotfroy received a specimen of the animal from Holland,
and hence inferred it must have been procured from some of the Dutch
Colonies in the East Indies: the name he conferred on it agrees perfectly

with the form of the nasal leaf. Mr Gray informs us there is a specimen

in the British Museum.

The mid-rib of the nose-leaf appears more prominent than in the
Phyllostomes, though in reality it is not so thick ; the appearance being
owing to a fold extending the whole length of the lateral lobes, which
are somewhat hollow, and curve forward. Theleaf at its upper ex-
tremity is square pointed, as may be proved by unfolding it, otherwise
it seems to terminate in three points, the centre one being the most
projecting. The lateral lobes are continuons with the horse-shoc,
or the semicircular ridge situate before the nostrils. Besides these, there
is the fold which covers the base of the cone; it is concentric with the

horse-shoe, and takes its rise from the root of the projection; adhering
H

30 ORDER CHIROPTERA—GENUS RHINOLOPHUS.

in its medial line to the cartilages which form the nostrils, it becomes in
a measure a pair of auricles to these apertures, whose openings are late-
ral; this fold is about half the breadth of the leaf properly so called.
The ears are very large, and the portion which is united over the
forehead exceeds that which is free above. The operculum consists of
two lobes, in the form of half a heart; the internal lobe is round at its
extremity, the external acute, and twice the length of the other. The
interfemoral membrane includes three tendons, which take their origin at
the coccyx, and run ina straight line, the lateral ones to the tarsi, and
the middle one to the external margin in the course of the mesial line.
These tendons appear useful in confining and folding the interfemoral
membrane when required. The fur is red above, and fawn coloured

below.

3. MEGADERMA FRONS.—SMALL-EARED BROAD-WINGED
BAT.

Syn. La Frurite.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 118.—Buff. Hist. Nat. KIII.

MEGADERMA Frons.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XV. 198.
Lavia Frons.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. et Bot. II.

Icon. Geoff. Ann. Mus. XX. pl. 1, (head. )

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Vezricat Nasat APPENDAGE oval; size, one-half of the au-
ricle.

Iygasits Africa.

This Bat, remarkable for the size of its nose-leaf, and described about
seventy years ago by the accurate Adanson, was long forgotten by Na-
turalists. M. Daubenton, in the Memoires de I’ Acad. des Sciences, first
noticed it under the name of the Leafed-Bat. Its appendage is eight lines
high, and six broad, a great size in proportion to that of the animal, which
is only two inches and a quarter long from the tip of the snout to the
extremity of the body. The ears are about twice the size of the nose-
leaf, and these appendages are united above the forehead for half the
extent of their inner margin; the operculum again is half the length of
the external ear, and very narrow and pointed towards the extremity.
The fur is of a beautiful ash-colour, having here and there shadings of a
delicate yellow tint.

Adanson found it at Senegal; it is also stated to exist in Gambia and
Egypt. Mr Gray reports there is a specimen in the British Museum,

IMAGINARY SPECIES.

1. M. Trirortum.— After the statements made above, we need scarcely
remark that this alleged species isto be regarded as identical with M.
Spasma.

GENUS XIV. RHINOLOPHUS.—HORSE-SHOE BATS.

Les RHINOLOPHES.—Cuy. Reg. Anim. I. 118.
RuiNOLOpHUS.—Geoff. Ann. Mus, XX. et al.
HirposipeROs et ARITEUS.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. et Bot. II.
PHYLLORHINA.—Bonap.

Nocrit10.—Kuhl et Bechstein.

VESPERTILIO, (in part.)—Linn. et Erxl.

Syn.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Dentat Formura jeeera ope
j Sates eS) ARIE
24+C+(2 F4+3)M_ 16
I4C+(F43)M _ 12
24-C+(2F-+3)M 16
Tue Mozzteobtuse. Tue Mamma two, pectoral; two inguinal glands
not lactiferous.
Tue Ears large, separated, without opercula.
Tre Nose with complicated membranes.
Tue InrerremoraL MemsBranre entire.
Tue Tart middle sized, included in the interfemoral membrane.
Inuazir the Old World.

More generally

2

or, only

28

The Rhinolophi, commonly called Horse-shoe Bats, (Fers-a-che-
val,) have the muzzle supplied with very complicated membranes
and crests, attached to the chanfrin, and presenting some resem-
blance toa Horse’s shoe: the tail is long, and included in the inter-
femoral membrane. They have four incisors below, and two very
small ones above, placed in the intermaxillary cartilage. Two of
the species, very common in France, were discovered by Dauben-
ton.

The variations presented by the teeth of the animals composing this
genus have long been a cause of annoyance to Naturalists and confusion
in the Science, which M. Temminck has at last succeeded in removing.
That distinguished Professor, as is well known, has long been engaged
with several monographs on various tribes of the animal series, amongst
others on these Bats; and we avail ourselves of the present opportunity
to express our obligations to him, our admiration of his ardent zeal,
and the successful issue of his labours. Generally two incisors are
found in the upper jaw, but sometimes there are none :—they are
connected with the intermaxillary cartilages, which again are connected
with the nasal cartilage; they are obtuse, very small, sometimes scarcely
visible, and often fall out in advanced age. The lower incisors are some-
what crowded, and are either bi-lobed or tri-lobed. The canines have a
heel of very considerable size, which is developed with age, and yet does
not displace the incisors as we have previously seen in other genera, The
variation in the molars, which have three sharp cusps, is also remark-
able. Sometimes there are four in the upper jaw and five in the under;
and in this case there is no kind of anormal or false grinder :—sometimes
again there are five above and five below; and when this occurs, we find
an anormal tooth, not in the regular line of the teeth, placed externally
upon the heel of the canine, and without any apparent use :—finally,
again, there are sometimes five teeth above and six below, and then there
is an additional false molar in the lower jaw... Thus we explain how the
total number of teeth is twenty-eight, thirty, and more rarely thirty-two.

We have now in addition to notice, that the Rhinolophi are destitute
of an intermaxillary bone connected in the usual way with the maxii-
laries ; and this bone is replaced in those species which are furnished with
upper incisors, (as already stated respecting the Megadermata,) with two
small osseous laminze, which are flat, very thin, diverging at their extre-
mities, and touching each other in the middle; each of these small Ja-
minze suspended in the nasal cartilage supports a tooth, not very firmly
attached to these moving lamine, and falling out under the slightest vio-
lence. Notwithstanding this, however, they do not regularly disappear,
and when exposed to pressure they must yield and recoil, for the great
majority of this group are generally found with these teeth in the
adult state, and they are always in the young. Those species, again,
which altogether want these teeth, are found destitute of them at every
period of their existence, in consequence of the absence of the intermax-
illary lamin, which are replaced bya simple cartilage. This singular
intermexillary apparatus is put into action by sets of muscles, which
give to this genus, as we have already noticed in others, the power of
elevating or depressing the upper incisors; thus exhibiting in these Mam-
malia an analogy with the peculiar formation which exists in numerous
Serpents. The posterior extremity of the nasal cartilage and the two bony
laminze are suspended at the anterior extremity of the vomer ; and their
movements seem to depend upon the organ of smell, which is very de-
licate in these animals, and to which we shall presently revert.

The Rhinolophi are quite destitute of the fibula, or smaller leg-bone ;
the tibia again is long and slender; and they have no great toe, which, as
in the genus Dysopes, is separate and opposable to the others. The
radius is much bent, and the accompanying ulna is remarkably short and
rudimentary. The sternum is projecting, and its anglesalient. As to the
phalanges of the toes, the index finger has but one, and the others have
two or three, the metacarpal bone being taken into account. The tail is

long, and wholly or partially embraced even to its last articulation by the»

interfemoral membrane.

For a long time doubts were entertained as to the use which was to be
ascribed to two abdominal papillary tubercles which were placed a little
above the pubis; some authors believing they were a second pair of
true mammz. Kuhl, in speaking of one of the species, mentions that
they had not appeared in the females of a year old, that they are
scarcely visible in those that are two years old, and that they are not
completely developed till the age of three. The same Naturalist also
demonstrated that these parts were not mamme properly so called, be-
cause they did not terminate in glands which served for the secretion of
the milky fluid; he affirmed, on the other hand, that they terminated
in the cavity of the pelvis. Curious to verify the observations made by
M. Kubl, as well as by Bechstein and others, M. Temminck informs
us that he made minute investigations in half a dozen of species, and
the result satisfied him that these nipples in no degree subserve the func-
tion of lactation, but give issue only to an oily and fetid secretion, which
greatly increases the disagreeable odour which these animals exhale ; and
which confined to the males serves the same ends as the syphons or
odoriferous glands which are observed in many other genera of the Chir-
optera. Theyare found in most of the Dysopes, and in many of the Eru-
givori, in some Phyllostomes, and in the species Speoris and nobilis of
our present genus. :

It has been stated that the ear of the Rhinolophi possesses nothing
which can supply the deficiency of the operculum or tragus ; an asser-

a ce

THE HORSESHOE BATS. 31

tion which is true concerning some of the species. It applies to all those
which have the nose-leaf simple and transversal, and which will be found
arranged in the first section of the genus; in these we may say there is
no operculum, or it is very imperfectly developed, their ear is straight,
without the tragus, or any conspicuous lobe. On the other hand, all
those species which have a complicated nose-leaf, or one in the form
of a spear-head, and which go to form the second section of our ar-
rangement, are possessed of an inferior lobe more or less distinct, and
transversal, detached from the ear by a furrow more or less marked, and
which effects the closing of the organ as completely as it is possible to con-
ceive that any other apparatus could do. This lobe is in a remarkable
degree developed in some species which belong to India, of which we
may mention the Trifoliatus, Luctus, Eurotis, and Diadema; it is also
yery distinct in some of the European species.

The organ of smell presents a complication in this genus similar to
what we have seen in the Megadermata, andsuch as we shal! find insome
genera which succeed. The nasal chambers do not extend beyond the
first molars, and are tortuous and globose ; the entrance to the nostrils is
found in front and below; it is a large opening which the intermaxillary
bones, reduced to two thin laminz, terminate, and which accompany the
motions of the lips ; these latter parts, again, rising in folds as high as the
chanfrin, leave between themselves and the nasal chambers a void space, at
the bottom of which, and as it were in a tube, are the openings of the two
nostrils, a fold of the skin protecting and clothing the tube, and forming a
concha. This fold projects from the nostrils in the form of a horse-shoe,
whence the Rhinolophi of Europe have derived their name; and it is de-
tached and rises backwards in a leaflet which differs in form in the dif-
ferent species. The thickness of the lips results from the aggregation
of the muscular fibres, which are entwined with each other and opposed
in their course. The intermaxillary lamine, and in their absence the
mere cartilage which is their substitute, are moved by those fibres, and
follow all the vibrations of the organ of smell. ©

The result of the inquiries hitherto made lead to the conclusion, that
none of the genus Rhinolophus have as yet been found in America, nor
in the region known under the name of Oceanica; the Sonda Islands,
along with India, Asia, Africa, and Europe, supplying the types of the
group.

The Rhinolophi, as we have seen of some other genera, spend a great
part of the year united in hands of many hundreds of individuals of the
several sexes in immense caverns, old buildings, or in the enormous
trunks of the worm-eaten trees of the virgin forests. When the season
of love is past, the females separate from the males, establish them-
selyes in large bands in distinct caverns, and occupy themselves in
each other’s society, in the care of the two little ones they bring into the
world; the males, at this period, also live in bands; and the social ha-
bits of the whole family are not resumed till the young ones are in a
condition to provide for their own wants. M. Temminck informs us that
he has reason to suppose that this kind of separation oecurs among the
Majority of the Chiroptera, and that the young of the first year congre-
gate by themselves.

We shall now make a few remarks upon the labours of those Natural-
ists who preceded M. Temminck in his meritorious exertions. Lin-
neus, Erxleben, and Bechstein, took into their accounts neither the
dental, aural, nor odoriferous organization of these Bats, which so remark-
ably distinguishes them from all their European congeners, but associated
them all under the common name Vespertilio. Linnzus, moreover, con-
founded the two distinct European species, ascribing their dissimilarity
to a local and accidental cause, and classed them together under the
name of V. ferrum equinum, and for along time his disciples maintained
the erroneous opinion of their master. Bechstein was the first who
distinguished the European species into two, assigning the name Hipposi-
deros to the second; mistaking, however, another animal for it. Dau-
benton was at last right, distinguishing them as the large and small Fer-
a-cheval. M. Geoffroy afterwards published a memoir upon the Chir-
optera with a compound nose-leaf, and separated these species under the
feneric title Rhinolophus, adding four foreign species ; Cuvier adopted the
views of his worthy colleague, and Dr Horsfield reviewing the species,
added several from Java.

M. Temminck divides the genus into two sections; inthe former of
which he places all the species which have the nose-leaf not complicated,
with a smooth edge, placed transversely, ribband-like, on the chanfrin ;
these have no distinct lobe at the base of the concha of the ear, or, at
all events, it is very insignificant: this section has no representative in
Europe. The second group includes those species which have the nose-
leaf more or less complicated, elevated in the form of the dance-head, and
having a cartilaginous Jeaf-stalk; tnese animals have a marked lobe at
the base of the aural concha, and this lobe, more or less developed, is
used in closing the auditory foramen, and is the substitute of the more
largely. developed tragus of the other genera of the Chiroptera. The two
European species belong to this section.

(A.) Wire a simpte Nosk-LEAF, TRANSVERSAL,
AND MORE OR LESS CIRCULAR.

(HipposipeRos,) Gray.

1. RHINOLOPHUS NOBILIS._KEBBLECK HORSE-SHOE BAT.

RAINOLOPHUS NOBILIS.—Horsf. Jav.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II.
10, pl. 28, pl. 29, fig. 1.

Syn. et Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr chestnut-brown above, paler beneath; on the sides of the
neck, abdomen, and arms, whitish.
Tue Tarr as Jong as the tibia.
Tus Nasat Appenpace with the edge notched.
“Tur Ears broad and pointed.
Inuasirs Java, the Moluccas, and Timor.

This is the largest of the known Rhinolophi; its total length being
about five inches, of which the tail and membrane occupy one and a

‘half inch ; its extreme breadth is nineteen inches. Dr Horsfield supplied

a description of the first specimeus which reached Europe, since which,
M. Temminck has received others from Java and the Moluccas, and
some from Timor. Its head is large; the ears are simply shell-shaped,
nearly as broad as they are high, without any distinct lobe, and clothed
with fur exteriorly at their base. The nose-leafis simple, with its ter-
minal edge notched somewhat like a crown; behind, and at the base of
this leaf, there exist four small orifices or syphons, almost imperceptible
to the naked eye; the horse-shoe discharges the office of a funnel, and
consists of a broad membrane, which is pointed forwards, and of lateral
folds; the tail is half the length of the fore-arm. In the adult the two
upper incisors are approximated and converging; the four lower are
lobed, and more or less crowded according to the development of the
heel of the canines. There are five molars above, the one connected
with the canine being very small, and without any apparent function.
The fur is very soft and fine; it is also long, abundant, and shaggy. The
shoulders and middle of the back are of a fine chestnut colour; below, the
shoulders and the lateral parts of the back are pure white ; the top of the
head and the back of the neck are whitish-grey ; the tips of the hair being
brown; at the region of the head of the humerus a chestnut band surrounds
the white; the sides of thechest, the flanks, and arms, are pure white ; the
cheeks and sides of the neck brownish-grey, the hairs tipt with white;
the middle of the chest and abdomen mouse-coloured. The membranes
are of a deep brown; the ears are clad nearly to their middle, the re-
mainder is naked, and marked with striz. These are the markings of
the adult; those of the young and mean age are still wanting to complete
the history of this beautiful species.

The nobilis appears, as already stated, to have a wide distribution.
Two specimens exist in the museum belonging to the Honourable East
India Company, and numerous specimens in those of the Netherlands.
It issues from its native haunts in the evening, flying about the roads and
shady walks, and during the day clings in preference to the leaves of the
Banana-tree, (Musa sapzentum.) It feeds on nocturnal insects. The
Javanese call it Kebbleck.

2, RHINOLOPHUS DIADEMA.—DIADEM HORSE-SHOE BAT:

RuNoLorHus DrapeMA.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XX. 263, pl. 6,
pl. 5, (head. )—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 12; pl. 26 and 27,
copied from Geoff.

Syn. et Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Harr golden reddish-brown above, greyish beneath, and on the
head.

Tue Tar as long as the tibia.

Tue Nasat Appenpace resembling a crown; the upper margin
rounded.

Tue Ears broad and pointed.

Inuasirs Timor.

The Diadem Rhinolophus is somewhat less than the preceding, its
length being five inches, two of which go to the tail, and the extreme
breadth sixteen. The head is small in proportion to the size of the ears,.
which are large, and higher than broad, the pointed extremity being
somewhat curved backwards; they are naked, diaphanous, and have
something like a lobe towards the base of the concha.. The nose-leaf is
simple, the terminal edge being in the shape of a quadrant, more or less
rolled upon itself ; another transverse folicle, somewhat elevated into a
point towards the centre, is found between the great leaf and the nostrils ;
its lateral margins unite with the horse-shoe, and erm, as pointed out by

32

M. Geoffroy, a kind of crown which surrounds the olfactory organ,
several folds ornamenting the lateral margin of the horse-shoe. The tail
is two-thirds of the length of the fore-arm, and free at the’extremity. In
the adult state the two upper incisors approximate, and the four lower
are tri-lobed and ranged in a line; there are five molars above, the so
called false one being very small, and attached to the heel of the canine ;
the five below have pointed cusps.

The remarkable difference between the crania of the nobilis and Diadem
species requires the more ample detail, since the outward forms of the
two are so much alike. The olfactory and auditory appendages present
no other differences than those connected with the larger size of the for-
mer animal; their other dimensions are also proportional, and their
colouring differs only in that of the Diadem being somewhat more uniform.
The cranium of the zobilis is larger, owing to the greater width of the
zygomatic arches, and the dilatation towards the auditory concha is more
considerable ; its chanfrin also is broader, and nearly flat, whilst in the
Diadem the anterior part of the chanfrin is demi-spherical, and its back
part forms a fossa with salient edges.

The fur of this animal is soft, fine, long, and abundant, of nearly a
uniform colour every where, though somewhat deeper above than below.
The head is brownish-grey ; the upper parts a golden reddish-brown ; the
inferior parts a greyish-brown, the base of the hair being every where
whitish, and the darker shade proceeding from the tips.

Two specimens of this species were brought from Timor by MM.
Peron and Lesueur, and now form a part of the Paris Museum. One
of them was sent by M. Geoffroy to M. Temminck for examination ; and
hence the satisfactory details we have been enabled to present,

8. RHINOLOPHUS INSIGNIS.—UNIQUE HORSE-SHOE BAT.

Syn. RHINOLOPHUS INSIGNIs.—Horsf. Jay. in loc.
RuINOLOPHUS VULGARIS.—Ibid.—( Fem.)
Icon. Temm. Mon. Mam. II. pl. 29, fig. 2.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr on the head and neck white; the body dark brown in the
male; redder in the female.

Tue Nasat Appenpace rounded on the margin, broad, three folds on
each side of the horse-shoe.

Tue Ears broad, margin partially clipped, wanting the lobe.

Inuasits Java and adjacent islets.

The male of this animal was first described by Dr Horsfield in his Re-
searches; and the descriptions supplied by Temminck of male and female
were, he informs us, derived from an examination of not fewer than thirty
specimens. The whole length of the adult is four inches, the tail occu-
pying somewhat morethan one ; the extreme breadth is between twelve and
fourteen inches. The nose-leaf, with a round edge, is broader than it is
high; between it and the horse-shoe there is another leaflet, which is
hairy, and flanked on both sides with three lateral folds. The male has,
behind the leaf, a large syphon or bag, and on either side a small orifice
which is scarcely visible, but which is made more conspicuous by three
minute pencils of hairs. The ears are broad, trumpet-shaped, with the
margin as if partially cut off, and without a lobe. The two incisors above,
not far apart, are broad, and either bi-lobed or smooth; the four below
are more or less crowded, the small false molar of the upper jaw being
found in some individuals in its usual place close to the heel of the
canine. This anomalous molar is not found in the old; and except in a
minute point rising from the gum, scarcely leaves a trace. The fur is
copious, smooth, and bicoloured above. The head and neck are white,
the tips of the hairs being chestnut coloured; the extent of this whitish
portion, waved with chestnut, is not confined solely to the neck, but is con-
tinued in a pointed shape towards the upper part of the back, and prolonged
between the shoulders, whose colour, as well as that of all the other
superior parts of the body, is a pure chestnut, though each hair is of the
party colour already described. The neck, middle of the chest, and ab-
domen, are light brownish-grey, and the sides of the chest, at the inser-
tion of the wings, are dullish brown, darker than the belly. The female
is generally of a redder hue than the male. She has not the two lateral
orifices, and the bag of the nose-leaf with which her mate is supplied; a
minute orifice which is scarcely visible upon the living animal, and on the
dead leaves no other trace than a few brown hairs, indicates the locality
of the syphon of the male.

From the manuscripts of M. Van Hasselt, we have an interesting note
on this species. We captured, it is stated, a great number on the shores
of the island Dwars in de Weg, on the eastern side of Java, in the grottoes
where the Salanganes (Cypselus esculentus) construct their nests. Their
cry is feeble, and their odour particularly disagreeable. The little bag
under the forehead is formed by a fold of the skin, whence there is a
small tube to the frontal muscles ; by a slight compression the bag may
be extended, and then resembles an inverted finger of a glove. A red
pewder is secreted by this organ, which always covers the neighbouring

ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS RHINOLOPHUS.

projection, and exhales a penetrating odour. The ahove account has
been confirmed by M. Miller, who gives, moreover, a particular account
of the separate retirement of the two sexes already mentioned, and adds,
that the young animal remains fixed to the body of the mother during the
whole period of lactation.

4, RHINOLOPHUS SPEORIS.—CYCLOPS HORSE-SHOE BAT.

RuinoLorHus Speoris.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XX. 261.—pl. 5,
(head,) copied in Temm. Mon. Mam. II. pl. 27.—Schreb,
Saiigth. pl. 59, B.

RHINOLOPHE CRUMENIFERE.—Peron, Voy. pl. 35.—Temm. IT.
17.

Syn. et Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Harr white, and brown above in the male; reddish. chestnut
above in the female; white beneath.

Tse Nasat Appenpace and Ears as in the last species.
Oporirerous Granp in the centre of the forehead.

Inuasirs Java and Amboyna.

A round

The total length of this Bat is about three inches and a half, of which
the tail and membrane occupy one inch: the extreme expanse is some-
what more than twelve inches. The nose-leaf and folicle are precisely
the same as in the species we have just left ; as are also the teeth and cra-
nium ; whilst it should be remarked, as it regards the former parts, that the
male has only one opening or syphon, without any trace of a lateral orifice,
and as to the other, as well as the general dimensions, they are on a some-
what smaller scale. The fur is short, smooth, and bicoloured above.
All the superior parts are covered with hairs which are partly white and
partly brown in the male, and reddish chestnut in the female; underneath
they are completely_white ; the insertion of the wings along the sides is
light red. :

M. Geoffroy states that he had always found the little bag in front
empty, and could not therefore assign its use,—suspecting, however, it
might secrete an odorous fluid which might attract Insects.
remarks that the apparatus exactly resembles the eye of a Cyclops with
the eyelids closed, and that both the powder already mentioned, and the
unctuous matter which it secretes, exhale a smell similar to that which
has been previously noticed in the Bull-dog Bats, (Dysopes,) and the
Phyllostomes of America, in which the matter issues from a gland situate
on the chest. In Dysopes pedimanus, and in Taphozous saccolaimus of
Java, there is a very large one under the chin; and in these two species
the females are possessed of them as well as the males. Some of the
Roussettes and Pachysomata, it will be remembered, exhibit these secretory
organs, and only in the males; and, finally, we shall discover similar odor-
iferous glands in all the species, and in both sexes in the great majority
of the Vespertiliones, the organ existing in front of the eyes, or above the
orbit, and still more frequently near the nostrils. The emanations pro-
duced by this apparatus more or less occasion the disagreeable smell ex-
haled by certain species, and Temminck suspects it is the especial means
by which the different sexes discover each other in the obscure and hidden
retreats which they inhabit.

Hitherto this species has only been found in Timor and Amboyna,

Temminck —

~~

The two specimens in the Paris Museum are from the former island; ;

those of the Leyden Museum are from Amboyna.

5. RHINOLOPHUS BICOLOR.—PIEBALD HORSE-SHOE BAT.

Syn. et Icon. RMINOLOPHE BICOLORE.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 18, pl. 29, fig. 3.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

True Hair chestnut red, marked with white.

Tur Nasat AppenDsGE surrounded by a notched membrane.
Tue Lower Lip with a large wart in the centre.

Inuasrrs Amboyna, Java, and Timor.

The Piebald Rhinolophus has a total length of two inches, three lines,
(French,) of which the tail and interfemorai membrane occupies ten lines,
and its extreme width varies from eight anda half inches to nine anda half
inches ; the ears are broader than they are high, with a round terminal mar-
gin, not cut.out; there is also a very small distinct lobe, with an internal
fold. The nose-leaf is small, and transversal, with a marked protuberance,
besides the horse-shoe, which is surrounded with a notched membrane at
its two extremities; there is a large wart in the centre of the lower lip,
and a longitudinal one at either side. The two incisors of the upper jaw
are broad, nearly approximated on their inner side, but distant at their
base; the inferior four are tri-lobed ; there are five molars on both sides,
and the upper false molar is scarcely visible. The fur is long, very fine,
smooth, and of two colours throughout. Above it is of a very pure white
from the base two-thirds upwards, and is then of a chestnut red to the
point, so tliat the white presents an irregular medley ; the white prevails

THE HORSE-SHOE BATS. 33

still more below, because here only the actual points are tipt with brown.
The membranes are light brown. This accurate description is drawn up
by M. Temminck from the examination of fourteen specimens.

This small species was found by M. Van Hasselt in the bamboo build-
ings on the coast of Anjer: he says nothing of its habits. M. Boié cap-
tured it in the solitary woods on the banks of the Tjetarem, where it in-
fests the dwelling-houses. It has been procured in the islands of
Amboyna, Java, and Timor, those specimens brought from the first
named place being somewhat larger than those from the second.

6. RHINOLOPHUS TRIDENS.—TRIDENT HORSE-SHOE BAT.

Syn. et Icon. RuinotopHe Tripent.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XX. 260, pl. 5,
(head and cran.,) copied in Temm. pl. 27.
Geoff. Descr. Egypt. Hist. Nat. II. pl. 2, fig. 1.

Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 19.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr light ash-colour.
Tue Nasa Appenpace trident-shaped above.
Innaszits Egypt and Nubia.

This species is about two inches three lines long, of which the tail occu-
pies eight lines; the extreme expanse is eight and a half inches. The ears
are higher than they are wide, they have a round terminal edge, and no
distinct lobe. The nose-leaf terminates in three points, trident-shaped.
The two upper incisors are extremely small, and wide asunder; the lower
four are crowded and tri-lobed. Thereare four upper molars, and no ap-
pearance of an anomalous tooth, either in the young or old; five below.
The fur is scanty, short, and smooth, of a light white ash-colour; the
pubis and thighs are naked. The horse-shoe covers the whole surface
of the muzzle; but the nose-leaf is not complicated; it is broad at the
base, and rises like a broad lance, the upper part of which terminates in three
indentations ; the ears are also broad, but not close down in front, owing
to their being partially attached to the chanfrin. The tail is short, but
remarkable in this respect, that, for a third of its length, it is free above
the interfemoral membrane, which is cut square off, but makes up in
breadth what it wants in length, and thus the lower part of the tibia is
free from membrane.

M. Geottroy reports that this species is found in the deepest excava-
tions of the mountains, and especially in the most retired portions of the
sepulchres of the Egyptian kings at the temple of Denderah. M. Rup-
pell captured many of them during his travels in Egypt and Nubia.

7. RHINOLOPHUS TRICUSPIDATUS,—_LEAST HORSE-SHOE
BAT.

Syn. et Icon. RutNotorne TaicusreeE.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 20, pl. 29,
fig. 4,

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hair reddish-brown.
Tue Nasa Appenpace with three points above.
Inwasirs the Molucca Islands.

This is the smallest of the known Rhinolophi; its total lensth being
two inches and three lines, ten lines of which go to the tail; the extreme
expanse is about seven and a half. The ears are small, higher than
wide, and pointed. The nose-leaf is large, and nearly square, terminat-
Ing superiorly in three points, that of the centre being spear-shaped, and
the lateral one drawing toa converging point. The horse-shoe is sur-
rounded by a small rudimentary membrane. The extreme expanse is
very great when compared to the very small size of the body ; the interfe-
moral membrane also is large. cut square, and surpassed to the extent of
two lines by the free extremity of the tail. The two upper incisors are
very fine, distant, and converging at their points; the four inferior are
tri-lobed : there is a false bi-lobed molar in the upperjaw. The fur is short,
fine, smooth below; of a clear reddish-brown above, but light brown at
its base, the points on the back being blackish-brown; the colour is pure
brown upon the side, and towards the croup; the membranes are blackish.

MM. Macklot and Miiller discovered this small species during their sojourn”

amongst the Molucca group.

(B.) Nost-rrar more or Less COMPLICATED, THE
POSTERIOR LEAFLET BEING SPEAR-SHAPED, AND A
FOOT-STALK RISING FROM THE CENTRE OF THE
HORSE-sHOE.—(Puy.toruina, Bonap.)

8. RHINOLOPHUS LUCTUS.—MOURNING HORSE-SHOE BAT.

Syn. et Icon,

<4 RuiNoLorue Devit.—Temm. Mon. Mam, II. 24, pl. 30,
Eye

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr sooty black, with ash-coloured tips.

Tue Nasa Appenpace shaped like a Maltese cross, rounded on the
edges, and consisting of several leaflets.

Tue Ears very large, pointed, almost united at the base, with a large
rounded lobe.

Inwasirs Java.

The Mourning Horse-shoe Bat is much larger than any of our Euro-
pean species, being five inches long, of which the tail and membrane
occupy one inch eight lines, and the extreme expanse is fourteen
inches two lines, thus equalling the dimensions of the R. nobilis, our first
species. The cutaneous system is excessively developed in the breadth
of the wings, the immense size of the ears, and the nasal appendages,
which so overshadow the countenance that its usual features catmot even
be discerned : the wings withal are short in proportion to the volume of
the body; the tail is as long at the hinder limbs, and its point exceeds the
limit of the interfemoral membrane. The enormous ears are almost unit-
ed at their base, and their mesial margins nearly touch; they are much
pointed at their tips, which turn somewhat outwards; the conchze are
very broad, and have a great rounded lobe which is used to close the
external foramen. The nasal apparatus is composed of a great number
of leaflets. The horse-shoe is formed of a great membrane which over-
hangs the whole of the upper lip; it is connected at its extremities, and
by a lateral prolongation to the first set of membranous leaflets which
form the spear-head; from the centre of the horse-shoe springs the great
leaf-stalk, supporting four leaflets, which form precisely a Maltese cross,
with rounded edges ; and behind the leaf-stalk the spear-head rises, com~
posed of three rows of leaves, the first two of which are rounded, and
the third pointed and blunt. There are two triangular warts upon the
lower lip. The cranium seems to be in an extraordinary degree com-
pressed between the zygomatic arches, in which a triangular cavity is
formed, uniting the protuberance of the chanfrin to the strong and large
coronal crest. The two upper incisors are fixed in the cartilage, are ob-
tuse, and somewhat removed from each other; the four lower ones are
tri-lobed and crowded. There is a sixth small and obtuse molar tooth in
the lower jaw, placed between the false and true molars, without any
fellow above, not in the line of the others, and without any apparent
function.

The fur in this species is exceedingly long, abundant, and woolly; the
head is nearly entirely covered by the hair, which does not pervade the
membranes, but abounds on the coccygeal and pubic regions. The colour
of the coat is the same in the two sexes: it is dull sooty-black, with the
tips of the hairs light grey, so forming a slight ash-coloured cloud over the
whole robe. The membranes and leaflets are quite black.

A female of this species was first discovered by M. Boié in the wild
district of Tapos in Jaya; but several others have since been added to
the Leyden Museum.

9. RHINOLOPHUS EURYOTIS.—BROAD-EARED HORSE-SHOE
BAT.

Rurnotopuus Evryotis.—Temm. Mon, Mam. II. 26.
Ib. pl. 29, fig. 5, (head. )

Syn.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr brown, tending to reddish above, and whitish beneath.
Tue Nasa AppeNDAGE very complicated, (see description.)

Tue Ears very broad, points turned outwards, with a broad lobe.
Inuazits the Molucca Islands.

The dimensions of the Euryotis are about three inches in extreme
length, and a foot in extreme breadth. The cutaneous system and ears
are greatly developed; the tail very short, only one-third the length of
the tibia. Owing to the shortness of this appendage the interfemoral
membrane has the appearance of a curtain which is drawn up in the
middle, and, after it is dried, and the specimen prepared, the membrane
forms a large semicircle, the extremities of which are connected with the
cartilages of the tarsi. The ears are not united, and their points are
turned outwards ; the conche are very broad, much sloped, and give rise
to a large round lobe, which closes the organ. ‘There is a large spear-
head behind the leaf-stalk, supporting a solitary leaflet, which is ob-
long, straight, and having a point which is dome-shaped; there is a
small descending lobe upon each side of the nostril apparently intended
to close that avenue: the horse-shoe is surrounded by a very broad uni-
form membrane, which conceals the upper jaw, and is united on both
sides to the spear-head starting from behind the leaf-stalk. There are
four great warts on the margin of the lower lip, and the gape is very

wide. The two incisors above are very small, widely separated, and at-
I

34 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS RHINOLOPHUS.

tached to the edge of the cartilaginous laminz; the under ones are tri-
lobed, and crowded: there is a blunt false molar in the upper jaw.

The fur is bushy, coarse, and of many colours. On the upper parts
of the body the hairs are white at the base, then brown like a decayed
leaf, and light red at the point; the back and neck are quite brown; the
face and sides of the neck light brown, the chest is whitish, with a shade
of brown; the flanks are deep brown, and the middle of the abdomen
light brown; the ears and nose-leaf are dark brown, and all the other
membranes blackish-brown.

This description of M. Temminck’s is taken from the examination of
five individuals which MM. Macklot and Miiller procured during their
residence in the Moluccas.

10. RHINOLOPHUS TRIFOLIATUS.—TREFOIL HORSE-SHOE
BAT.

RHINOLOPHUS TRIFOLIATUS.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 27.
Ib.—pl. 31.

Syn.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr ash-red above; ash-brown beneath.

Tue Nasat Arpenpace with three leaves, complicated, (see descrip-
tion.)

Tue Ears broad, pointed, and much sloped; the lobe one-half the
size of the concha.

Inunazirs Java.

The discovery of this singular species was made by the Dutch travel-
ler Van Hasselt in one of his peregrinations in the wild district of Ban-
tam, where he found two individuals suspended in a large tree in the
depths of the forest. The native inhabitants denominate it T’yoma-maat ;
and it is free from any disagreeable odour.

The size of this Trefoil Rhinolophus is in extreme length three inches,
and in extreme breadth twelve. The tail is as long as the tibia; the cu-
taneous system is very complicated, and much developed, the alar mem-
branes being large, as are the ears, which are broad, pointed, and much
sloped; the inferior lobe is half the size of the superior, and forms a
transyerse fold, which can completely shut the meatus. The nose-leaf
is double, the anterior one being transversal, rounded, and united by aslip
to the great posterior leaf, which is shaped like a spear-bead : the horse-
shoe is also formed of two membranes, the outer of which forms.a large
border; the leaf-stalk, composed of a thick membrane, springs from the
middle of the horse-shoe, and ascends nearly as far as the great leaf; it is
divided into three pointed leaflets, not unlike the Clover leaf: there are
also two large warts upon the upper lip. In the adult there are no in-
cisors in the upper jaw ; the four of the lower are crowded, and the me-
sial ones sometimes fall out; there is no small anormal tooth between
the canine and first molar of the upper jaw.

The fur is very long, copious, and fine: the base of the muzzle, the
eyes, and a portion of the ears, being hid underit. The upper parts of
the body are of an ash red colour, lighter towards the head than on the
back ; the head and neck are reddish- white, the chest and abdomen ash-
brown ; the auricle and nasal membranes are yellow and blackish-brown at
the points. The flying membranes are naked, of a light brown colour,
but blackish-brown where they adhere to the body and fore-arm.

11, RHINOLCPHUS UNIHASTATUS.—GREATER HORSE-SHOE
BAT.

VESPERTILIO FERRUM EQUINUM « Masor.—Linn. Gmel. I. 50.

Horse-SHoe Bat.—Penn. Quadr.—Shaw, Zool.

Runo.oruus Ferrum EQuiNuM.—Jenyns, Man." p. 19.

Icon. R#INOLOPHUS UNIHAsTATUs—(unifer. )—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XX. pl. 5,
copied in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 27.

GRAND rer A CHEVAL.—Buff. Hist. Nat. VIII. pl. 17, fig. 2, copied in
Schreb. Saugth. pl. 62, (upper figs.)

Syn.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Harr grey in the male, reddish in the female.

Tse Nasat Appenbacge lanceolate, complicated.

Tue Ears notched on the outer margin.

Invasirs Europe, (including Britain ;) Northern and Southern Africa.

The Greater Horse-Shoe Bat inhabits the quarries, where soli-
tary individuals are found, suspended by their feet, and enveloped
by taeir membranes so as to permit no other part of the body to
be seen.

At length we arrive at the first British animal, next to Man, in the
natural series, These diminutive animals are found in caves in the South
of England, or in old buildings, such as Bristol and Rochester Cathe-

drals, Dartford Powder Mills, &c. Their range extends eastward, over
France and Germany, to the borders of the Caspian Sea, and southward
to the Cape of Good Hope.

These Bats are usually observed in company with Vespertilio murinus
and auritus, very seldom in woods or gardens, but most commonly in old
buildings, behind the partitions or wainscotting. Their bybernation is
not by any means profound, It is no uncommon thing to see them flit-
ting about during a fine day in winter, at a season when other Bats
would inevitably perish. In spring they are the first of the tribe to
awaken, and thus seem less susceptible of cold than any other species
with which we are familiar.

As they resume their active functions at an early period of the year, it
would have been difficult for them to find adequate means of support
had not a wise instinct directed them to the ponds for food. Here they

flutter for hours, with the head hanging downwards, and touching the -

water in search of the larve of insects. It was probably in accordance
with this instinct that Nature has supplied them with their singuiar nasal
appendage, which, acting as an inverted bell, may steady the head, and
prevent it from becoming immersed. Spiders also contribute to their
support.

The female commonly bears two young, after a gestation of three
weeks ; they are deposited in some crevice of the walls, and are able to
cling from the moment of their birth ; hence the crevice in which they are
placed is often little more than a simple depression.

In warm days they are seen hanging or sleeping under the roofs of
houses, and the slightest stroke occasions them to fall down dead. Owls,
Weasels, and Cats, prey on them; their bodies are subject to the attacks
of Acarus ricinus, which is found even during hybernation.

This species sometimes attains the length of four inches nearly, the
tail occupying rather more than an inch, and the extreme expanse fifteen
inckes. Its wings are long, and of medium breadth; the tail, which is
enveloped in the interfemoral membrane, is two-thirds the length of the
fore-arm. The ears are large, pointed, distant, and with a sloping edge;
the inferior lobe is distinct but small. The nose-leaf is doubly festooned
at its base, terminates in a spear-head, which is covered towards its point
with hair and some slender bristles. The horse-shoe is formed by a broad
lateral! membrane divided in front; a leaf-stalk, which does not support
the lance-shaped membrane, springs from the middle of the horse-shoe. A
solitary transverse wart is situated at the margin of the lower lip. The
two upper incisors are scarcely visible, and have a weak attachment to
the cartilaginous lamine ; the four under ones are crowded; the obtuse
false molar is very small.

The fur is long but smooth; the hair bi-coloured above, and of one
colour below, is long and straight on the front of the neck, covering the
half of the fore-arm, and of the side membranes; the ears likewise are
clad at the base, and in the interior of their posterior edge. The superior
parts of the male are ash-coloured, with a shade of blue more or less
deep, although all the hairs are whitish at their base. Underneath the
colour is light grey, somewhat darker upon the fore-arm and flanks, the
long hair on the front of the neck being fairer. The membranes are a
dull black. In the female, the roots of the hair are white, and they are
red or reddish towards the points; the under parts of the body are of a
slightly red ash colour. M. Temminck mentions that, judging from the
numerous specimens he has examined, he concludes that there are slight
local differences of shade in the colour of the fur; the males of tempe-
rate and colder countries having the upper parts of their body of a very
deep grey, and the females of u lively russet hue, whilst individuals in the
south of Europe, Egypt, the Cape of Good Hope, have brighter tints,
ash-colouredin the male, and light red in the female.

This species is found in some parts of Europe, particularly the south;
also in the northern and middle portions of Africa. The majority of
those received by M. Temminck were captured in the ruins of the old
castle of Heidelberg. Bechstein informs us that they are very common
in Thuringia.

12. RHINOLOPHUS JAPANICUS.—JAVANESE HORSE-SHOE
BAT.

Syn. RutnoLopnus Nirreon.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 30. a.

Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr in the male brown above, ash-grey, tipped with brown, be-
neath; in the female, dull red above, white, tinged with red, beneath.

Tue Nasat APPENDAGE complicated, much developed.

Inuapirs Java.

1 Jenyns, Man.—A Manual of British Vertebrate Animals.

By the Rey. Leonard Jenyns.—Cambridge, 1835.

THE HORSE-SHOE BATS. 35

This species, which has recently been sent in considerable quantities
from Japan, is somewhat larger in all its dimensions than the unihastatus of
Europe. Its alar membranes are sufficiently developed, but not in the same
proportion to the size of the body; the tail, somewhat larger than half
the length of the fore-arm, is wholly enveloped in the large interfemoral
membrane, which is cut horizontally across ; the ears are large, long, and
terminated ina point; the broad and great horse-shoe, which is surrounded
with two membranes, springs from the stem deeply hollowed and furrowed
in front, and rises in an obtuse point; the spear-head is simple, formed
of a single membrane, which is long and pointed; and quite covered with
long hairs. One single warty excrescence pervades the whole of the
lower lip. The upper incisors, wide apart, are placed at the angles of
the moveable cartilage; the four lower ones are crowded, and tri-lobed.
There are only four molars above, owing to the complete want of the
smali false one.

The fur is very long and silky; the ears naked, but with the lobe clad
atits base. All the superior parts of the male are brown, although the
base of the hairs is of a whitish ash colour, which makes the whole ap-
pear greyish-brown ; underneath the hairs are ash-coloured at their roots,
and tipped with brown. The membranes of the male have a brown tint;
those of the female a slight rosy shade. The upper parts of her robe
are of a dull red colour, although the base of the hairs is whitish;
underneath she is whitish, with a slight tint of red.

This animal invariably differs from the unihastatus of Europe in the
relative dimensions of the tail with the total length, and though the body
is more robust, the wings are shorter and broader; the nasal leafy appa-
ratus is also more developed, and the ears are larger and not so hairy.
Lastly, the fur is longer, more silky, and less lustrous than in the above
named Bat.

13. RHINOLOPHUS AFFINIS.—AFFINIS HORSE-SHOE BAT.

Syn. RuinoLornus Arrints.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 31.
Icon. Ibid. pl. 29, fig 6, (head,)—pl. 32, fig. 16 and 17, (cran.)

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr in the male sooty-brown above, ash-brown beneath; in
the female, russet-brown above, reddish beneath.

Tue Nasat ArrenvaGe complicated. Tue Lower Jaw with four
warts.

Inuazits Java and Sumatra.

This species was first indicated by Dr Horsfield, but in terms so Jaco-
nic that it could not have been recognised without difficulty. M. Van
Hasselt captured them in great numbers, in certain giottoes in Java and
neighbouring islands, where they associate in great bands, suspended to
the roof of the caverns; they live upon nocturnal insects, utter an insig-
nificant ery when on the wing, and exhale a powerful odour.

The Affinis is of smaller dimensions than the uniliastatus of Europe; the
tail is half the size of the fore-arm; the ears are large, and terminate ina
point; they are slightly keel-shaped, possessing a considerable lower
lobe, whose point is rounded at the sides. The lanceolate leaf is
united with arounded follicle, and there is a strong leaf-stalk in the centre
of the horse-shoe, which is surrounded by two membranes. There
are four warts on the lower jaw, the central ones of which are tri-
angular, and the external longitudinal. The upper incisors are wide
asunder, the laminze on which they are supported being separated by the
intervening cartilage, they are also very minute, and on falling out leave
no trace behind. The four lower ones are also very small; the fifth
molar above is in the same line with the others, and forms a pointed
false molar; the number of six molars in the lower jaw is made up by a
very small tooth which rests upon the last two molars. The fur is
abundant, somewhat rough, and of a uniform colour, covering the mem-
brane which runs along the flanks underneath. The males are above ofa
sooty-brown colour, beneath ash-brown. The females above are russet-
brown, beneath brightish red. The membranes are blackish-brown.

14, RHINOLOPHUS ROUXIL—ROUX’ HORSE-SHOE BAT.

Syn. Rurnotornus Rovuxi.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 30.'b.
Icon,
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.
Tar Harr in the males brownish above, light grey beneath; in the
females bright red above, golden red beneath.
Ingazrts Hindoostan.

This species has been designated by M. Temminck after M. Roux, a
French Naturalist, who, with uncommon assiduity, commenced his labours
in the vast field of India, and there speedily found his tomb. It ap-
Pears torange over a wide space, is common in the museums of Pondi-

cherry and Calcutta, and has been abundantly sent from other quarters to
this country.

So far as is yet known, it has no incisors in the upper jaw, the car-
tilage appearing too thin and diaphanous for their support. It is possible,
however, that they may appear at an early period of life, and the more
so that M. Temminck has only examined adult specimens. The upper
molars are of the same number as in the affinis ; whilst the lower are only
five, or one less, owing to the absence of the very small one. The fur
is very short, cottony, and frizzled, and covers the body only, without
forming any fringe along the membranes where attached to the sides.
The males are above of a brownish shade, although the base of the hairs
is ash-grey ; underneath they are light grey, somewhat darker on the
arm and flanks. The females are above of a bright red, although the
tips of the hairs are reddish brown; the inferior parts are of a beautiful
golden red ; more rarely the tints area pale russet above and an ash red
beneath. The total length of this species is about three and a half
inches, the tail occupying nearly an inch. The extreme width is nearly
a foot.

15. RHINOLOPHUS CLIVOSUS.—CLOVEN-LEAF HORSE-SHOE
BAT.

RurNoLorHus GEOFFROYIL.—Smith, in Zool. Jour. IV. 433.
RutNoLornus Ciivosus.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 32.

RaINOLOPHUs CareNnsts.—Lichtenst. Doublet. p. 6.

Icon. Rupp. Atl. pl. 18.—Tem. pl. 29, fig. 7, (head, )—pl. 82, fig. 18, (cran.)

Syn.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr greyish-white.

Tue Nasat Aprenvace lance-shaped; the leaf-stem cloven in front.
Tue Lower Lie witha single wart,

Inuasrrs Egypt, Southern Africa, Dalmatia, and the Levant.

The tail of this species is a third of the length of the fore-arm, and
much longer than the tibia. The ears are large, terminate in a point,
are somewhat cut away, and supplied with five rug; the lower lobe,
very large, is covered with hair, and completely shuts up the organ.
The nose-leaf is simple, lance-shaped, somewhat elevated, and clad with
hair. The leaf-stem is completely naked, (a remark which extends to
all the species of this section,) and furrowed or somewhat cleft in front,
(whence probably its name,) and rises from the centre of the horse-shoe,
which is formed of a single membrane though funnel-shaped. A single
wart is conspicuous on the margin of the lower lip. The two upper in-
cisors, imperceptible to the naked eye, are wide asunder, the four lower
ones are crowded, and have each three cusps; there are four upper mo-~
lars, though sometimes there may be also a small additional anormal one,
and five lower. The fur is long and copious, and abundantly covers the
side membranes both above and below. The hair above is bi-coloured,
below of a uniform tint. The upper portions of the body are whitish,
the base of the hairs, which are tipt with grey, being of the tint of wine
lees; the lower parts of the body are likewise whitish and of the same
shade ; all the membranes are black and diaphanous, having the colour ofa
light shade of China ink. The total length is about three inches, the tail
extending to about eighteen lines; the extreme breadth is about a foot.

Specimens of this species have been derived both from the northern
and southern parts of the African continent. Jt is common near Cape-
Town, and M. Ruppell captured it in Egypt. Individuals from these two
regions haye been carefully compared, and no other difference can be de-
tected than that the specimens from the Cape have the fur somewhat
darker than those from Egypt. This animal is also found in Dalmatia
and in the Levant, so that it may be classed in our catalogues as one of
the European Mammalia.

16. RHINOLOPHUS BIHASTATUS.—LITTLE HORSE-SHOE

BAT.
Syn. Le Perr Fer-A-curvar.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 118.
VESPEKTILIO HIPPOSIDEROs.— Bechst.
RHINOLOPHUS BiIHAsTATUs.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XX. 259.
Icon. Geoff. loc. cit. pl. 5. (R. Bifer.)

Buff. Hist. Nat. VIII. 17, fig. 2.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hair white, with the tips reddish.

Tue Nasat AppenpacGe lanceolate, erect, reddish; a second lance-
shaped membrane in the centre.

Innasrts France and Germany.

The R. Bihastatus is rare even in the districts it most frequents. It
is found both in Germany and France, delighting in old buildings and

36 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS RHINOLOPHUS.

caverns; in these it prefers those nooks which are most inaccessible and
obscure, and hence is scarcely ever found without much difficulty. The
size of the largest individuals is about three inches in length, with an ex-
panse of about ten.

The tail is two-thirds the length of the fore-arm, and enveloped in the
interfemoral membrane. The ears are very large, with the point bent
outwards, much sloped, and more approximated than in the wnthasta-
tus; they have very large and well marked lower lobes. The nose-
leaf is straight, lance-shaped, and covered with a few hairs; the horse-
shoe is surrounded by three ranges of membranous folds; there is also a
leaf-stalk which supports a second lance-shaped membrane which springs
from the midst of the horse-shoe. There is a single wart upon the mar-
gin of the lower lip. M. Temminck informs us that he has not found in-
cisors in the upper jaw at any period of life; the chanfrin is simply car-
tilaginous, and there is ne trace of lamin. The four lower incisors are
extremely small. The first of the five molars of the lower jaw is in the
same line with the others, and not at the heel of the canine as in the
unihastatus. The whole fur is of a beautiful shining white colour, al-
though in the adult the tips of the hairs in the superior parts of the
body are dark coloured, a tint which extends to about a half of each
hair in the young. The membranes are diaphanous, of adeep ash-
colour in the males, and yellowish in the females.

17. RHINOLOPHUS MINOR.—DWARF HORSE-SHOE BAT.

Syn. RutnoLopaus Minor.—Horsf. Jav.
Icon. Temm. Mon. II. pl. 32, fig. 20 and 21, (cran.)

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr in the male dark-brown above, lighter beneath; in the fe-
male red, deeper above.

Tue Nasa Appenpace lanceolate, complicated.

Inuasirs Java, Sumatra, and Timor,

This Rhinolophes is about the size of the last species, the Bihastatus
of Europe. The ears are shaped as in that animal, much sloped, and
having a largely developed lobe on the side. The tail is of the length of
the tibia and toes, or two-thirds the length of the fore-arm. The nose-
leaf is complicated, consisting’ of a spear-head, bristled with hair at its
point—a leaf-stalk divided at its upper part into indentations, the one
of which points forward, and the other is bent to the right side, and the
horse-shoe very large and festooned. The upper incisors approximate
and are tri-lobed, as are also the four inferior; there is a pointed ano-
malous molar in the upper jaw. The fur of the male is dark brown,
slightly tinged with grey above, and light brown ash beneath. ‘The fe-
male is wholly red, deeper above than beneath. The young females are
of the same markings with the males. The robe of sume is found
spotted with red and brown, and these are usually females, whilst pass-
ing from the one dress to the other. The length of the adult is about
two anda half inches, the tail occupying about ten lines; the extreme
expanse is about ten inches.

Dr Horsfield first supplied a succinct account of this species in his
Zoological Researches, and the Dutch Naturalists in India have since
more abundantly furnished materials for description.

18. RHINOLOPHUS PUSILLUS.—PIGMY HORSE-SHOE BAT.

RuINOLOPHUs PusiLLus.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. p. 36, pl.
29, fig. 8, (head, )—pl. 32, fig. 22 and 23, (cran.)

Syn. et Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tuer Hatr white, brown at the tips above, chocolate colour beneath,
Tue Nasat Arrenpace elevated, lanceolate, complicated.
Inuapirs Java.

The Pusillus is a trifle smaller than the preceding species, and has
ears of precisely the same shape; the tail is likewise of the length of
the tibia andtoes. The very high nose-leaf consists of the spear-head,
which is supplied with bristles from the leaf-stem, in front of which there
is a narrow leaf whose point bends forward, and the horse-shoe com-
posed of a broad membrane. There are two warts on the lower lip.
The two upper incisors, which are scarcely visible with a glass, are
obtusely pointed and wide asunder, the false molar is also pointed. The
fur of both sexes is strikingly party-coloured above, and of a uniform
tint beneath. Upon the upper part of the body the hairs are long, and
pure white from the base to about two-thirds of their length, the rest
is ash-brown, so prcducing a mixture of white and light brown; under-
neath the only tint is fawn-colour, like that of café-au-lait, darkest to-
wards the sides.

This species was discovered by those Naturalists from the Low
Countries, who have been recently making investigations oyer the Con-

tinent of India. It prefers trees and old buildings. In many of its
characters it might be mistaken for the R. minor, but is easily dis-
tinguished by its very distinct party-coloured fur, and also from there
being scarcely any difference between the markings of the male and
female.

19. RHINOLOPHUS CORNUTUS.—HORNED HORSE-SHOE BAT.

Syn. RsiNOLOPHE Connu.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 37

Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Harr light yellow, darker at the points above; whitish, and
reddish-brown at the points beneath.

Tur Nasat AppenpaGe complicated, lanceolate, broad.

Inuasits Japan.

The Horned Rhinolophus has within these few years been sent from
Japan by M. Biirger to Leyden, where it fell under the investigation of
M. Temminck. Its extreme expanse is somewhat less than that of the
Bihastatus. The ears are very large, pointed, sloped at their inner mar-
gin, and are furnished with a very large lobe. The tail is completely
enveloped in the interfemoral membrane, which is terminated by ahorizon-
tal line across; it is longer than the tibia. The membrane of the horse-
shoe is broad; the leaf is complicated, consisting of the spear-head bris-
tled with hairs, and the leaf-stem standing up like an obtuse horn, inclin-
ing forwards. The upper incisors are very small and widely spaced;
the four lower ones are crowded and tri-lobed. The fur is long, silky,
and party-coloured throughout; underneath it is pale yellow, the hairs
being tipt of the colour of wine lees; on the upper parts the roots of the
hairs, and half their extent, are whitish, and the points are reddish-brown ;
all the membranes are light black.

DOUBTFUL SPECIES.

1, R. Lanpert.—(Proc. Zool. Soc. Part V. 101.)—.Towards the close _

of the year 1837, Mr W. Martin exhibited to the Zoological Society
a specimen of the above animal, accompanied with the following descrip-
tion.

This beautiful little species of Bat is a genuine Rhinolophus; the
nasal appendages consist of a horse-shoe, a crest, and an elevated leaf.
The horse-shoe is broad, with indications of a double furrow ; its outer
margin is free, and bifid anteriorly. Inits centre is placed a little cup-like
depression, with an elevated rim, from the back of which rises a bifid
crest, not much elevated; the large apex is the posterior of the two. On
each side of this crest and behind it, the skin, continued from the horse-
shoe, and forming the base of the leaf, is furrowed by two deep but un-
equal swdcz?, with a marked posterior ridge, elevated across the base ef the
leaf, which latter ends in a short acute lanceolate point ; posteriorly itis
curved with short hairs, anteriorly it is nearly naked: its length is two
lines. The ears are large, broad, and pointed, the outer margin is emar-
ginate, and passes into a round accessory lobe. closing the ear anteriorly.
The antibrachia are short, the thumbs small, the tibia slender. The fur
is soft and delicate, and of a fine light or rufous chestnut, a little darker
on the middle of the back; the wings are blackish. The length of the
head and body of this specimen is one inch 43 lines, of the tail 9”, of the
ear 74, ofthe antibrachium 1” 73”, of the leg 8”, of the spur 42”, the ex-
tent of the wings 9”. It is to be regretted there is no accompanying plate.

Mr Martin named this species in honour of the late enterprising but un-
fortunate Mr Lander, during whose expedition it was taken at Fernando
Po.

2. R. Commersoniut.—Ann. Mus. XX. 263.—Tem. Mon. Mam. II. 21.
—Under this appellation M. Geoffroy alludes to a Bat which was no-
ticed in the drawings and notes of Commercon, under the title of the Port-
Dauphin Bat of the Island of Madagascar. M. Geoffroy published an
excellent representation of the original drawing, whence it would appear
to be a true Rhinolophus. M. Temminck again copies it in his Mono-
graph. The characters assigned by Commergon are so far from being spe-
cific, that, according to Temminck, they might be applied to all the known
Rhinolophi, and probably to all that will ever be discovered. We need
not therefore trouble the reader with them.

3. R. Lamatus.—(Horsfield’s Java.)—M. Temminck puts into this
same category the above species of Dr Horsfield, which, though
detailed with minute accuracy in the Zoological Researches, yet wants
specific characters to distinguish it from some three or four of its con-
geners. In addition to this important deficiency, there is the fart
that, of the many Naturalists who, since Dr H.’s time, have been ex-
ploring the different districts of Java, none of them have sent home a
specimen requiring a specific arrangement different from those already
described.

4. R. Doxnunensrs.—An animal under this appellation is enumerated
in the ‘* Catalogue of the Mammalia observed at Dukhun, East Indies.”
By Major Sykes. The description is brief, and therefore we are not to

NYCTOPHILUS.—NYCTERIS. 37

be surprised at M. Temminck’s decision. ‘‘ This description is so sus
perficial, and the specific characters so loosely established, that it is im-
possible to admit this animal into the catalogue of the Rhinolophi.”

IMAGINARY SPECIES.

1, R. Votcarts (Horsfield’s Java) is regarded by M. Temminck as no-
thing more than the female of the R. insignis.—(See sp. 3.)

2. R. Derormis of Horsfield, having been described from a very imper-
fect specimen, should be altogether removed from the catalogue.

GENUS XV. NYCTOPHILUS.—SOUTH-SEA BATS.

Syn. Nycropuitus.—Leach, Linn. Trans. XIII. 78.—Gray, Mag. Zool. and
Bot. II. 496,
NycrorHite.—Temm. Mon. Mam. X. p. 46.—De Blainy. Ann, de
Scien. Nat. 2d. Série, IX. 360.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Denrat Formuta eae

Tue Ears very large, united over the forehead, the tragus lanceolate.
Tue Tait not forked.

Tue Mempranes not so developed as in Nycteris.

Inuasrt the Islands in the Southern Ocean.

The upper incisors in this genus are long, conical, and pointed; and,
by their position, which is near the canines, and their conical and cu-
tious curved form, they have somewhat the appearance of a secend pair
of canines: the inferior oues are somewhat crowded, ill arranged, broad,
and tri-lobed. The canines are so free that they do not interfere with the
development of the incisors, as in the Bull-Dog Bats, (Dysopes.) All
the molars are tubercular, the lower ones being most conical. This
dental apparatus, so far as the incisors and canines are concerned, allies
this genus to the Rhinolophi, whilst the molars, by their number and
shape, associate it with Nycteris. Hence it is intermediate between
these genera. It moreover agrees with the latter in the extraordinary
development of the ears, (which are united in front,) as well as in the
lanceolate operculum, and nasal follicles. The tail is not terminated by a
forked cartilage, and the cutaneous system is less developed, thus ap-
proximating them to the true Bats.

This genus as yet consists but of one species; but the link is well
characterized among the Nose-leaf Bats.

1. NYCTOPHILUS GEOFFROYII.—GEOFFROY’S SOUTH-SEA
BAT.

Syn. NycropHie Georrroy.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 47.
Icon. Temm. Mon, Mam. II. pl. 34.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr black at the root, brown at the point above, grey beneath.
Tue Ears very large, and joined in front by a transverse band.

Tue Taw not forked at the extremity.

Inuazits the South Sea Islands.

The ears of this species are very large, long, rounded at the point, and
united in front by a large transversal fold; the internal border extending
eyen to the commissure of the lips. The operculum, half the length of
the ear, is broad at its base, and terminated by a rounded leaf. The
muzzle is pointed. There are two small transversal leaflets upon the
nose; the posterior one is most elevated, contracted in the centre; the
other is rudimentary, and in a line parallel to the orifices of the nostrils.
The tail is longer than the body, and is not forked at the point. The
total length is nearly three inches, and the extreme breadth nearly nine.

The hair is bi-coloured: above it is black at the root, and deep brown
towards the point; beneath the base is black, and the tip pale ash-colour.
There are hairs upon the membranes, where they join the sides, and upon
the upper part of the sides of the interfemoral.

GENUS XVI. NYCTERIS..CHEEK-POUCHED BATS.

Syn. Les Nycr#res.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 119.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XX.
A 1].—Desm. Mam.
Nycreris, (Nachtflieger.)—TIllig. Prodr. 119.—Fisch. Syn. Mam.—=
Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 494.
VESPERTILIO, (in part.) —Linn. Gmel. I.—Schreb. Saiigth.

GENERIC CHARACTERS,

ee D 724-C4( F43)M_I4 45
EBTEL EUEMULA 34-04(2 F43)M 16>
VOL. Il.

Tue Uprerr Incisors very small, continuous,and bi-lobed ; Taz Lower
tri-lobed or bi-lobed.

Tue Nosrnits simple, the cartilage forming a moveable operculum.

Tue Cuanrrin marked by a deep longitudinal furrow.

Tue InrerremoraL Memprane longer and wider than the body.

Tue Tat long and bifurcated at the tip.

A Poucu at each side of the mouth, communicating with large mem-
branous sacs.

Inuasit the African Continent, and perhaps Java.

The chanfrin in this Genus is hollowed out by a longitudinal
fossa, which is indicated on the cranium, and bounded by a cutane-
ous fold, which partly covers it. The nostrils are simple. There are
four incisors above, [generally ] without any interval between them,
and six below ; the ears are large, [often] not united, and the tail is
included in the interfemoral membrane. Daubenton has described
one under the name of Campagnol volant, and M. Geoffroy has dis-
covered others in Egypt.

The Genus Nycteris, instituted by M. Geoffroy, is distinguished by the
following characters. The upper jaw has four incisors, which are bi-
lobed, very small, and generally contiguous, then a canine, and four mo-
lars on each side; the six lower incisors are tri-lobed, and, in other par-
ticulars, agree with those of the upper jaw: the whole of the incisors are
but little worn, owing to the points not meeting or fitting at all accu-
rately. The intermaxillary bone is moveable, and always following the
motions of the lip, makes the upper jaw appear shorter than the lower.
The chanfrin is occupied with a longitudinal and wide groove, formed
internally by means of lamine rising from the frontal bone, and uniting at
the top; the outer edges being formed by a fold of skin, well clad with
fine hair. The nostrils are situate at the lower part of this fossa, having
their orifice habitually closed with a tubercle, like the head of a nail, and
which is, in fact, the cartilage of the nostrils. The ears are large, generally
longer than the head, and extending far in front, and sometimes even
meeting ; there is an operculum or tragus which is not verylarge. Their
integuments are more developed than those of the true Bats: the inter-
femoral membrane being both broader and longer than their bodies ; their
wings also are very ample, but more in breadth than extreme length.
The index finger is composed of the metacarpal bone alone, and the
others have only two phalanges proceeding from their metacarpals. The
tail is composed of seven prolonged vertebra, and in some of the species
the last of them is distinctly bifurcated.

In addition to those very distinct generic characters, M. Geoffroy de-
scribes another yery remarkable one, which is not only peculiar to this
genus of Bats, but is not to be found in any other of the Mammalia. We
shall describe this singular structure on M. Geoffroy’s authority; at
the same time, it would be satisfactory if his observations were con-
firmed. According to that ingenious Naturalist, the Nycteri are pos-
sessed of certain vesicles, which, like Birds, they have the power of
filling, and which, of course, greatly diminishes their specific gravity. He
informs us that their skin does not adhere to the parts underneath with
its usual closeness, and that the cellular tissue by which it is attached is
so loose and extensile that the air can be readily introduced, and easily
retained: the only obstacles it encounters being certain bands of aponeu-
rosis which occur on the sides; complete obstructions occurring only
around the various apertures of the body. This great sac communicates
with the mouth, by two considerable openings, one on euch side, like the
cheek-pouches of certain monkeys, and by means of these canals tue
animal has the power, at will, of filling and emptying these vesicles, there
being conspicuous sphincters round the foramina, and also large valves situ-
ate upon the back and neck. The quantity of air that these animals can
thus introduce is such that, like the fish of the genus Tetrodon, they can
assume a shape nearly spherical, and thus become not unlike balloons
supplied with great wings, a head, and feet.

These animals inhabit the warm regions of the Old World, and fre-
quent dark and fulsome caverns.

1. NYCTERIS HISPIDA.—BEARDED CHEEK-POUCHED BAT.

Syn. NYcTERIS DaAvBENTONU.—Geoff. Ann, Mus, XX. 19.—Desm. Mam.
No. 191.

VESPERTILIO HispIDUS.—Linn. Gmel.

BearDED Bat.—Penn. Quadr. II. 313.

CAMPAGNOL VOLANT.—Daubent. Mem. de I’ Acad. 1759, pl. 33, fig. 7.

AuTRE CHAUvE-souURIS.—Buff. T. X. pl. 20, fig. 1, 2; copied in Schreb.
pl. 56.

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.
Tue Hate reddish-brown above, and whitish beneath.

Tue Ears large, oblong; Tue Nosr-Lrar yery small.
K

38 ' ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS NYCTERIS.

Tue Lower Lr simple.

Innasits Senegal,

This first species of Nycteris was described by Daubenton in the Me-
moirs of the Academy of Sciences for the year 1759, under the appellation
of the Campagnol volant; from this description Linnzeus gave his account
of his Vespertilio hispida, and Desmarest very properly applied to it its
present name, N. hispida.

The head of this species is large ; its muzzle bulky, and its forehead as
if hollowed out by a deep furrow; the nostrils, which approximate, are
placed in front of a small hollow ; the furrow on the forehead is deep and
naked, having long hairs round its edges. The hair of the head, except
that on the crown, that of the neck, of the chest and abdomen, is whit-
ish, with a fawn tint; that of the crown and occiput, the upper parts of
the neck and shoulders, the back and croup, are of a russet brown, and
nearly five lines long: the ears and membranes are of different shades of
blackish and reddish-brown; the nails are yellow. The dimensions of the
individual examined by Daubenton were from'the tip of the snout to the
origin of the tail, one inch and a half; the extreme breadth nearly eight
inches, of the tail one inch and three lines; of the ears ten lines.

2. NYCTERIS HUZARDII.—HUZARD’S CHEEK-POUCHED BAT.

NycrEeris Georrroyu.—Desm. Mam. No. 190.
NycTERE DE La THEBAIDE.—Desm. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat.

Syn.

Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Hair brown above, brownish-grey beneath, soft and fine.

Tue Ears very high, united in front. THe Oprercutum twice as
broad as high. Tue Nosr-uear very complicated, (see description.)

Tae Lower-Li as if cleft, with a large wart in the middle.

Tue Tat having the last joint deeply bifurcated.

Innanits Senegal.

The description of the specimens examined at Senegal by the younger
M. Huzard, as given by M. Desmarest, is by far the most satisfactory of
any we have seen, and, therefore, though compelled to distinguish it as a
new species, we submit it for the satisfaction of the reader. M. Desma-
rest identifies it with the next species, viz. that of Thebes, but immedi-
ately afterwards points out so many differences as to leave little doubt
that they are distinct. This view is strongly corroborated by the re-
marks of M. Geoffroy, who says, ‘‘ke presumes there are two species
at Senegal ; Daubenton,” he remarks, ‘‘ having described two varieties he
had received from that neighbourhood ;” and adds, ‘‘I have myself exa-
mined the cranium and osteology of the one of these, and these parts
agree neither with the dimensions, nor the details in shape, of either the
hispida or the Theban species.”’

The following is a condensed account of M. Huzard’s excellent ac-
count. The head is large, and much prolonged in front; the cranium
being voluminous, and much rounded behind; the muzzle is very full;
the upper lip very broad, rising high; the lower is as if bifurcated, exhibit-
ing two thick and naked folds of skin forming an angle, the point of which
is produced below the chin, and the upper part embracing a great wart,
at the edge of the lip. The canines are rather strong; the incisors very
smali, and bi-lobed or tri-lobed; the tongue is long, rounded at its extre-
mity, and having its surface studded with very fine horny papilla. The
nose-leaf is very complicated, being composed, Ist, of the nasal apper-
tures which closely approximate, and are situate at the anterior part of
the great fossa of the chanfrin, extending from the lip to the commence-
ment of the cranium, properly so called; 2dly, of a delicate fold of skin co-
vered with hair, surrounding this fossa, and best seen when raised up by
a sharp instrument ; edly, of two stil! more delicate folds, longitudinal,
hairless, lying parallel to each other at the bottom of the fossa; and,
lastly, of two spiral and somewhat rounded pieces of the skin, covering
the middle part of this fossa. The ears are placed within a third of the
hack of the head, and are nearly twice its height; their inner margins ap-
proximate, and are united on the forehead; they are thickly clothed close
to the head, and a few hairs are scattered throughout both inside and
out ; the tragus small, twice as broad as high, and clad anteriorly. The
body is very stout and muscular in front, the chest is full and broad, the
wings are large and broad; the thumb slender, the nail weak. The in-
terfemoral membrane is particularly ample, and supported by spurs as
long as is the leg, embracing the tail, formed of seven vertebree, and ter-
minated by a cartilage in the form of the letter T, whose branches extend
to right and left. The fur is soft and fine; the colour being brown above,
and light brownish-grey beneath. The dimensions are from the -tip of
the snout to the origin of the tail two inches; of the tail two; of the ears
one ; extreme expanse almost ten.

3. NYCTERIS THEBAICA.—THEBAN CHEEK-POUCHED BAT.

Syn. et Icon, NycriRe DELA Tuszarpe.—Geoff, Mém. de !'Instit. d’Egypte,
Hist. Nat. II. pl. 1 and 2.

Nycreris THEsaicus.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XX. 20; pl. 1, ( head.)
Nycrenis THEBAIcA.—Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 494.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Hair above bright brown, beneath of an ash-colour.

Tue Ears very large ; OpencuLuM shaped like a half trefoil leaf.

Tue Nose-tear considerably developed, and somewhat in a spiral
form.

Tue Lowen-uir has a wart in the centre.

Inuasits Upper Egypt.

The Theban Bat is about two inches long from the tip of the snout to
the origin of the tail, and its extreme breadth nearly ten. Tbe length of
its ears is one inch; of its tailtwo. Both the auricular and caudal ap-
pendages are in this way very large, and in no degree less are the alar
and interfemoral membranes ; the latter especially being amplified by the
very long spurs, which descend nearly an inch from the ankle, and go so
far to meet the singular bifurcated and curved points of the last caudal
vertebra. The operculum or tarsus is not very large in relation to the
ample auricles, and is shaped like an half trefoil leaf. The horse-shoe
on the upper lip is broad and ample, and from its centre there ascends a
leaf-stalk or tendril on to the outer side of the nostrils, from which, after
making a spiral turn round them, it ascends on the chanfrin. The under-
lip has a large wart in its centre, imbedded in a double fold of skin,
shaped like the letter V. On the upper parts of the body it is of a bright
brown, on the under of an ash colour. A specimen, Mr Gray states, is
in the collection of the British Museum.

4. NYCTERIS JAVANICA.—JAVA CHEEK-POUCHED BAT.

Syn. Nycrenris Javanicus.—Geoff. Mém. de |’Instit. d’Egypte, Hist. Nat. IL
p. 123.—Geoff. Ann. Mus. XX. 20.—Desm. Mam. No. 192,
Nycreris JAVANIcA.—Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot. IJ. 494.
Geoff. Ann. Mus. XX. pl. 1.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. -

Tue Harr above of a lively red colour, below reddish-grey.

Inuazits Java.

This species was transmitted from the island of Java to Paris by M.
Leschenault de la Tour, and is now in the Natural History Museum at
Paris; Mr Gray states it is also to be found in the Museum of the Hon.
East India Company. It is larger than any of the previously described
species; its head and body being more than two and a half inches long.
All the upper parts of the body are of a lively red colour, and the under of
areddish-grey. No more detailed description has yet been published.

5. NYCTERIS CAPENSIS.—CAPE CHEEK-POUCHED BAT.

Icon.

Nycreris Carensis.—Dr A. Smith, Zool. Journ. XVI. 434,—Fisch.
Syn. Mam. p. 662.

Syn.

Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tur Hatr above blackish-brown, below greyish ; Memsranss reddish-
brown.

Tue Taz slightly forked ; last vertebra but one the shortest.

Innasirs South Africa and its Eastern Coasts.

This and the next species were discovered by Dr Smith during his re-
sidence at the Cape of Good Hope. The neck above, he states, and the
back of this animal, are blackish-brown, the sides of the neck dirty white,
below itis cinerous white, with blackish shades. The membranes are
reddish-brown; height of the ears from fur to tip seven-eighths of an
inch, width better than six-eighths ; tragus short, apex semicircular, and
its upper edge clothed with a tuft of long, white, woolly fur ; termination
of the tail but slightly forked, last vertebra but one, if any thing, the
shortest. Length from nose to root of the tail, better than two inches;
expanse of the wings ten inches.

Fotnd in the interior parts of South Africa, as well as upon the East-
ern Coast.

6. NYCTERIS AFFINIS.—AFFINIS CHEEK-POUCHED BAT.

Nycreris AFFINIs.—Dr A. Smith, Zool. Journ. XVI. 434.—Fisch. Syn.
Mam. p. 662.

Syn.

Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.
Tue Hair tawny brown above, tawny white beneath; Membranes
blackish-brown.

Tue Teern of the upper jaw in pairs.
Tue Tai deeply forked; last vertebra but one the longest.

InuaBits South Africa.
Of this species, we shall give the description of the discoverer verbatim.
Neck above, and back reddish-brown or tawny, sides of neck before wings

DESMODUS. 39

reddish-white; behind ears somewhat rufous; beneath tawny-white,
membranes blackish-brown. Incisors of upper jaw in pairs, which are se-
parated from each other by a distinct open space immediately in the front
of the jaw. Length from nose to root of tail two inches; ears rather
longer and broader than in the last species, tragus short, and its apex se-
micircular ; termination of tail deeply forked, with the last vertebra but
one the longest. The arrangement of the incisors of the upper jaw, the
inarked difference in respect to the last joint but one of the tail, added to
the depth of the fork, and the greater proportion of transverse veins, in
the portion of the interfemoral membrane connected with the joint
named, tend, with other characters, to establish this asa distinct species
from the last.

GENUS XVII. DESMODUS.—CURVED-TOOTH BATS.

Desmopus.—Pr. Max. Beitr. et Abbild.
Epostoma.—D’Orb. Voy.
GENERIC CHARACTERS,

fle Ge es MB) ae)

24C4+3M_ 12

Tue Heap small. Tue Muzz.e obtuse.

Tue Ears with opercula. Tue Nose with complicated membranes.
Tue Tuomes very long and strong.

Tue InrerrFemMoraL MemBRANE narrow, lining the interior of the
thighs. ‘THE Tait wanting.

Inwasit South America.

Syn

Tue Dentat Formura

This genus, introduced by Prince Maximilian de Neuwied, seems una-
nimously to have been adopted by all the Zoologists who have subse-
quently laboured in this department of Natural History, among whom we
may mention MM. Fischer and De Bainville, and Messrs Gray and
Waterhouse. It seems well characterized by its dental formula, although
this requires perhaps some further confirmation. Both the two upper
and the four lower incisors appear to be peculiar; especially the former,
which are very large, singularly conical, curved, compressed, with a very
broad base, and acuminated; the latter, again, are somewhat flattened
down, and have their edges deeply bifid, the lobes being cylindrical, and
the apices roundish. The canines are large and sharp. Prince Maxi-
milian does not seem to have ascertained the number of the molars in the
upper jaw, though they are clearly given in D’Orbigny’s plate : the num-
ber of the lower correspond accurately in the Prince’s and the French
traveller’s drawings: the two upper are close to the great canine and to
each other, the posterior being most indented; of the three lower the
front one is somewhat removed from the canine, leaving room for the
descent of the upper one, the second as well as the first haye but one
cusp, and are closely approximated; the third is bi-cuspid. The head,
moreover, is very short, and not less the jaws, the lower being a trifle the
longer ; the nose-leaf is usually supplied with minute bristles; the ante-
tlor extremity is peculiarly robust; the alar membranes copious, the in-
terfemoral very spare, being merely marginal to the thigh bones; there
being no tarsal spur, and no tail.

1, DESMODUS RUFUS.!—RED CURVED-TOOTH BAT.

Der RoruBrauNnE BuNDELZAHN.—Pr. Max. Beitr. II. 233.
Pr. Max. Abbild.—( Desmodus rufus.)

Syn.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr red, tinged with yellow.

Tue Ears short and broad ; round at the points.

Inuasits Brazil.

“This interesting Bat,” says the Prince of Neuwied, ‘‘ was found at
Fazenda of Muribeca, upon the river Itabapuna, between the 21° and
22° S. lat.; where, however, it appears exceedingly rare, as I was able
to procure only a single individual.” Its arm and alar membrane, and
the fingers also, are remarkably strong; and the humerus, the lower ex-
tremities down to the foot, the great toe, and the membranes where they
tise from the body, are covered with long and soft hair, as are also the
face and nose-leaf, where, however, it is much finer, and not so abun-
dant. Whilst the wings are very long, the interfemoral membrane is ex-
ceedingly curtailed, rising from nearly the top of the tibia. The cranium
‘is very short, so that the lower jaw, though it projects somewhat beyond
the upper, can scarcely accommodate the four molar teeth with which it
is furnished. The ears are of medium size, and rather oblong than round ;
the operculum is narrow, pointed, and somewhat falciform; the nostrils
obliquely approximate towards each other, and the nose-leaf, which is by
no means complicated or copious, is of a circular shape. This Bat is
destitute both of the tail and the tarsal spur. The base of each hair is
a faint yellow, towards the tip it acquires a reddish or cinnamon tint, so

that, throughout the whole body, the colour generally is ferruginous ;
paler below than above; all the membranes are brownish-black. The
total length of this species is nearly four inches ; its extreme breadth about
fifteen. It is believed to frequent old buildings; but of its habits little
or nothing is known.

2. DESMODUS CINEREUS.—GREY CURVED-TOOTH BAT.

Syn. et Icon. EpOsTOMA CINEREA.—D’Orb. Voy.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr grey, tinged with brown.
Tue Ears long and pointed.
INHABITS

This Grey Edostome of M. D'Orbigny seems very properly placed in
Prince Maximilian’s Genus Desmodus by M. de Blainville ;? but, as the
illustrious traveller’s description has not yet been published, we can de-
rive our information regarding this species only from the beautiful repre-
sentation which has appeared. It has a strong general resemblance to
the former species in the strength of the anterior extremity, the extent of
the alar membranes, which are also clad at their attachment to the body,
and the curtailed interfemoral membrane, being a mere fringe which rises
from about the lower third of the tibia; it is also destitute of spur and
tail. The ear of this species is rather long and pointed; the operculum
is also pointed; the nose-leaf, whilst having a general resemblance to that
of the last species, is not so circular, the horse-shoe extending along the
whole of the upper lip, and being scarcely as high as it is broad; it is ir-
regularly triangular, and double the size of the one perforated by the nostrils,
anterior, and including within the limits of the other ; the lower lip seems
to be deeply cleft. The fur, whichis abundant, is soft and wavey. The
colour generally is grey, being dark on the head, and light on the face,
chest, and abdomen. The claws are yellowish, the membranes dark-
ish grey.

3. DESMODUS D’ORBIGNYII.—CHILIAN CURVED-TOOTH BAT.

Syn. et Icon. Desmopus D’Orzicnyi.—Waterh, in Zool. Beagl. p. 1. pl. 1.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tee Hamm deep brown atovye, ashy white beneath.
Tue Ears short, and broad ; round at the points,
InnaBits Coquimbo, Chile.

Since the publication of M. D’Orbigny’s elegant plate, a third species
has been introduced into this genus, procured by Mr Darwin, and de-
scribed by Mr Waterhouse in the ‘‘ Zoology of the Beagle.”

«<The fur of this Bat,” says Mr Waterhouse, * is glossy, and has a silk-
like appearance ; that on the top of the head, sides of the face, and the
whole of the upper parts of the body, is of a deep brown colour; all the hairs
on these parts, however, are white at the base. ‘The flanks, interfemoral
membrane, and arms, are also covered on their upper side with brown
hairs. On the lower part of the sides, and the whole of the under parts
of the body, the hairs are of an ashy-white colour. The membrane of
the wing is brownish. The ears are of moderate size, and somewhat
pointed; externally they are covered with minute brown hairs, internally
with white; the tragus is also covered with white hairs; it is of a narrow
form, pointed at the tip, and has a small acute process in the middle of the
outer margin. The nose-leaf is pierced by the nostrils, which diverge pos-
teriorly, and is so deeply cleft on its hinder margin, that it may be com-_
pared to two small leaflets joined side by side near their bases. These
leaflets lie horizontally on the nose, to which they are attached throughout,
a slight ridge only indicating their margin. Behind the leaf there is a consi-
derable naked space, in which two small hollows are observable, situate
one on each side, and close to the nose-leaf; and, at a short distance be-
hind the nose-leaf, this naked membrane is slightly elevated, and forms a
transverse fleshy tubercle. The extreme length is3”3/”; the extreme
breadth 12” 8”; of the antibrachium 2” 2/”; of the nose-leaf 21 ”,”

This Bat is a blood-sucker, and hence has been designated a Vampire
by Mr Darwin. Itis on this species he has the following note: ‘* The
Vampire Bat is often the cause of much trouble by biting the horses in
their withers. Theinjury is generally not so much owing to the loss of
blood as to the inflammation which the pressure of the saddle produces,
The whole circunistance has lately been doubted in England ; I was there-
fore fortunate in being present when one was actually caught on the
horse’s back. We were bivouacking late one evening near Coquimbo,
in Chile, when my servant, noticing that one of the horses was very res-
tive, went to see what was the matter, and fancying he could distinguish
something, suddenly put his hand on the beast’s withers, and secured

5 Mr Gray (Mag. Zool. and Bot. 1I. p. 89) considers Stenoderma rufum, Gcoff. to be identical with Desmodus Rufus, Pr. Max.

See Annales des Sciences Naturelles, 2d Série, T. ix. 361.

40 ORDER CHIROPTERA—RHINOPOMA.—TAPHOZOUS.

the Vampire.
was easily distinguished from being slightly swollen and bloody.
third day afterwards we rode the horse, without any ill effects.”

“ The structure of this animal,” says Mr Waterhouse, ‘‘is found per-
fectly to correspond with its habits. There is a total absence of true
molars, [which, however, must surely have been accidental, ] and consequent
want of the power of masticating food. On the other hand, the canines
and incisors are perfectly fitted for inflicting a wound, while the small size
of the interfemoral membrane, giving freedom to the legs, together with
the unusually large thumb and claw, enable the Bat to fix itself with se-
curity to the body of its prey.”

In the morning, the spot where the bite had been inflicted
The

GENUS XVIII. RHINOPOMA.—LID-NOSE BATS.

Les Rurnoromes.—Cuyv. Reg. Anim. I. 119.—Geoff. Collect. du Mus.
—Desm. Mam. p. 129, et al.

Syn.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

petaCab UH 3) Myla ag
24C+(2F-+3)M 16

Tue Noss long, conical, truncated ; Nosr-Lear small; Nosrrits nar-
row, transversal, and covered with a lid.

Tue CHanrRin broad and concave.

Tue Ears large, united, and connected with face; the Tracus exter-
nal.

Tur InTERFEMORAL Memprane narrow and truncated.
long, and free towards the tip.

Inuasits Egypt.

Tue Dentat ForMULA

Tue TAIL

The fossa upon the chanfrin of the Rhinopoma is less marked
than in the preceding genus, Nycteris; the nostrils, at the end of
the snout, and the small lid which overhangs them, resemble the
knife used in dressing the hoofs of horses; their ears are united,
and their tail extends considerably beyond the membrane. Only
one species is as yet ascertained, which was found among the pyra-
mids.

1. RHINOPOMA MICROPHYLLUM.—SMALL-LEAF LID-NOSE
BAT.

RHINOPOME MICROPHYLLE.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 119.—Desm.
Mam. No. 193.— Geoff. Descript. del’ Egypte, Part. d’ Hist.
Nat. II.

VESPERTILIO MICROPHYLLUS.—Brunnich Descript. du Cabinet
de Copenhague, p. 50, tab. 6, fig. 1, 2, 3, 4.—Schreb.
CHAUVE-sOURIS D’ EcypTE.—Belon dela Nature des Oiseaux, liv.

2, chap. 39.

Syn. et Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.
Tue Hair ash-coloured.

Tue Tart very long and slender.

Innazits Egypt.

This Bat is rather more than two inches long, the tail being about two
more; its extreme breadth is about eight inches. Its fur is long and
thick, of an ash-colour; the tail, which is composed of eleven vertebra,
is black and smooth, and far surpasses the interfemoral membrane, which
is extremely short; and receives no support from tarsal spurs. The nos-
trils and upper lip exhibit an apparatus which is sufficiently complicated,
and which projects beyond the jaw; they appear truncated at the extre-
mity, and terminate in a kind of circular fold, surmounted by a small
leaflet, and pierced in the centre by two oblique clefts, which are the
nasal apertures, and which, at the will of the animal, are very conspicu-
ously opened and closed, as occurs in Seals. The leaflet, at the upper
part of the nasal cartilage, also moves separately. The nostrils, which
are prolonged across the lip of the upper jaw, are very narrow, and ter-
minate in a chamber which is very short, but greatly widened by the curve
of the intermaxillary bone above. The intermaxillary bone is entire, and
fixed firmly into the maxillaries. 'The two upper incisors are wide asunder ;
the four lower are crowded. The ear projects anteriorly, and unites with
its fellow. The tragus is on the edge of the meatus, projecting somewhat
externally.

Belon was the first who discovered this Bat, and in the pyramids of
Cairo. Hasselquist alluded to some which were taken in the pyramid of
Gyzeh, but which were for a long time overlooked, until again described
in the year 1782 by Brunnich. M. Geoffroy found this species in many
of the tombs of Upper Egypt; he observed that, when provoked, it was
very irritable, like our European Bats; but that when at liberty, what
most attracted attention was the movementof its nostrils corresponding with
that of the chest; sometimes closing them so completely that no trace
can be seen, and then covering them with its leaflet.

DOUBTFUL SPECIES,

1. M. Geoffroy states, that he believes there is a second species of the
same genus in Egypt, which differs from the former chiefly in having a
shorter tail, and a less acute snout. He does not supply a name for it.

2. Ruinopoma Caroxiniensis. (Geoff. Collect. du Mus.—Desm. Mam,
No. 194.)

A specimen of this animal was presented to the Paris Natural History
Museum by M. Brongniart, who thought, although by no means certain,
that it came from Carolina. In length and breadth it corresponds with
the microphyllum ; its tail, however, is only one anda half inch long; its
ears are somewhat triangular in shape, and do not appear to coalesce;
the lower incisors are described as bi-lobed. The fur is brown, and the
membranes dark.

3. Rutnopoma Hanpwickit.
and Bot. II. 486.

Dark brown, rather paler beneath ; tail longer than the body, more
than two-thirds free. Inhabits Bengal. General Hardwicke’s Collec-
tion; the Collection of the British Museum. Such is Mr Gray’s de-
scription,

Gray, Zool. Misc. 37.—Mag. of Zool.

GENUS XIX. TAPHOZOUS.—WING-POUCHED BATS.

Syn. TaprHozous.—Reg. Anim. I. 119.—Geoff. Mém. de 1’Inst. d’Egypte,
Hist. Nat. II. 129: et al.
VESPERTILIO.—Schreb, Muller, —Saccopreryx.—(Taschelfittig. }—Tlig.
Prodr. p. 121.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

C4+(2F+3)M_12_59
24C+(2F-3)M_ 16 ‘

Tue Cranrrin furrowed, but without overlapping edges or lids.

Tue Noss destitute of a nose-leaf.

Tue Urren-Lip very thick. Tur Muzzte produced.
~ Tur Eans of moderate size. Tur Orrrcutum internal.

Tue Inrerremorat Memprane large and salient. THe Tai com-
posed of six vertebrae, not so long as the membrane, and free on its up-
per side.

Innasits the Old and New Coutinents.

2
Tue Dentat Formuta

The Taphiens have a rounded fossa on the chanfrin; but their
nostrils are not furnished with any projecting lamine; their head
is pyramidal; and they have only two incisors above, (?) which
are often wanting. They have four lower incisors, which are tri-
lobed; their ears do not meet, and their tail is free above the mem-
brane. The males have a transversal cavity under the throat, (?) and
a slight prolongation of their alar membrane forms a kind of pouch
near the carpus. M. Geoffroy discovered one of the species in the
catacombs of Egypt.

This genus, as hinted above, was established by M. Geoffroy in the
grand work of L’Institut d’Egypte. Recent examination has demon-
strated that it has no incisors in the upper jaw ; the four lower ones are
tri-lobed. The canines are distinct, long, and conical.

1. TAPHOZOUS PERFORATUS.—PERFORATED WING-
POUCHED BAT.

Syn. TarHozous PERFORATUS.— Geoff. Descript.d’ Egypte, Hist. Nat. IT, 126.
—Fisch. p. 120.

Lr TaruigENn PERFORS.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 120.—Desm. Mam. No.
197.—Less. Mam. No. 191.—Gray,in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II.
499.

Icon. Geoffroy, loc. cit. pl. III. fig. 1.—(Skeleton and cranium,) fig. 4, 4, 4

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr reddish-grey above, ash-coloured beneath.
Tue Opercutum in the form of a hatchet.
Inuasits Egypt.

The muzzle of this species is obtuse; the tail is longer than the thigh
bone; the spur which supports the interfemoral membrane is longer than
the foot; the operculum, or tragus, is in shape of a hatchet, and ter-
minates in a round edge; the ears are oblong. The upper lip extends
somewhat beyond the lower jaw; the nasal apertures are very narrow,
of acircular form, and partly covered by a membrane. The chanfrin is
hollowed out. The fur is plentiful; the roots of the hair are all white;
but the points being coloured, the upper parts are reddish-grey, and the
lower ash-coloured. The length of the head and body is somewhat more
than three inches; the extreme breadth nearly ten.

THE WING-POUCHED BATS. 4]

It inhabits Egypt. Specimens are to be found in the Paris and

British Museums.

2, TAPHOZOUS SENEGALENSIS.—SENEGAL WING-POUCHED
BAT.

Syn. TapHozous SENEGALENsIs.—Geoff. Descript. de l’Egypte Hist. Nat. II.
127.—Fisch. Syn. Mam. 120.
TapHIEN Léror-VoLant.—Desm. Mam. No. 195.
Lerot-VoLant.—Daubenton, Mem. de |’ Acad. des Sciences de Paris,
1759, 386.
Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr brown above, greyish-brown beneath.
Tue OpercuLuM roundish.
Inwazits Senegal.

It was Adanson who first noticed the existence of this species; he
transmitted a specimen to Paris, where it fell under the review of the
accurate Daubenton. Its muzzle is broad and prolonged; its ears are of
moderate size, and have a very short operculum, which is very broad and
rounded ; the extremity of the tail is free in the membrane ; the head and
upper part of the body are of a brown colour; the inferior parts are of
a lighter brown, with a greyish tint,

3. TAPHOZOUS MAURITIANUS.—MAURITIUS WING-
POUCHED BAT.

Syn. TarHozous Mauririanus.—Geoffr. Descript. de Egypte Hist. Nat.
II. 127.—Less. Mam. No. 190.
LE TapHIEN DE L’IsLE DE France.—Cuy. Reg. Anim. I. 120.—Desm.
Mam. No. 196.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Harr chestnut-coloured above, and reddish beneath.
Tue OrercuLum with a sinewy edge.

Tue Tat shorter than the thigh.

Inwasits the Isle of France.

This Bat was discovered in the Isle of France by Colonel Mathieu of the
Royal Artillery. It is not very unlike the preceding species ; but differs
in the proportion of the head, and the form of the operculum ; also, in
the tail being shorter, and in the extent of the interfemoral membrane.
Its muzzle is more acute, and the tail shorter than the thigh bone. The
spur is equal in length to the foot. The operculum is, at its origin, ac-
companied with a small lobe, and is terminated by a sinewy edge; the
ears areshort and round. Its length, from the muzzle to the origin of the
tail, is about three inches and nine lines; its extreme breadth about ten
inches. Its fur is of a chestnut colour on the back, and reddish under-
neath.

4. TAPHOZOUS LEPTURUS.—SLENDER-TAILED WING-
POUCHED BAT.

Syn. TapHozous Lerrurus.—Geoffr. in Descript. de I’ Egypte, II. 126.—Cuy.
Reg. Anim. I. 120.
VESPERTILIO LEPTURUS.—Schreb. I. 173,—Linn. Gmel. 1. 50.—Slender-
tailed Bat of Pennant and Shaw.
Icon. Schreb. Saiigth, LVII.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr grey above, and paler beneath.
Tue Tracus very short and obtuse.
Tue Arar Memprane folded near the tail.

This Slender-tailed Bat is about one inch and a half long; its muzzle
is broad, and supplied with very fine bristles; the nostrils are tubular and
approximate; the ears are large, obtuse, and rounded, witha very short
and obtuse operculum; the four incisors are lobed, and the canines are
long. The alar membrane is folded towards the tail, in such a way as to
form a kind of pouch ; the tail is prolonged beyond the interfemoral mem-
brane. It is stated to be an inhabitant of Surinam; but this is doubtful.
M. Geoffroy is mclined to think it has been procured from India.

5. TAPHOZOUS LONGIMANUS.—LONG-ARMED WING-
POUCHED BAT.

Syn. et Icon. TarHozous LONGIMANUS.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 120.—Fisch.
Syn. Mam. 121.—Hardw. Linn. Trans. XIV. 525, pl. 17.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tae Harr snuff-brown above, paler beneath. Mempranes black.

Tue Ears ovate, rugous. Tur Tracus broader above than beneath.
VOL. II,

Tue Arms and Fincers remarkably long.
Inuazirs Calcutta.

General Hardwicke, whose description and drawings are most accu-
rate, informs us that this Bat is common in Calcutta, in dark store-rooms,
whence it issues at night, and intrudes into dwelling-houses, attracted by
the light of the candles, and the numerous insects which buzz round
them. Its head is depressed, broad between the ears, and suddenly ta-
pering to the nose; the nostrils terminal, approximating ; the margins
tumid, the upper jaw longest. The ears are obliquely ovate, erect,
transversal, plaited internally ; the inward margins hairy inwardly ; the
posterior lobe elongated to the chin; the tragus oblong, broader upwards
than below. The interfemoral membrane extends considerably beyond
the toes ; is supplied with long spurs, and is truncated. The tail is an
inch long, hardly tapering. The body is wholly covered with a very soft
hair: in the adult, it is of a snuff-brown colour; the legs and membranes
are black; but the full sized young Bats are of a deep black all over,
Total length, 5”; total breadth, 143”,

6. TAPHOZOUS RUFUS.—RED WING-POUCHED BAT.

Syn. TapHozous rurus.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 120,—Fisch. Syn. Mam. 122.
—Harl. Faun. Americ. p. 22.
VESPERTILIO RUFUS.— Warden, Descrip. of the United States, V. 608.
RED Bat OF PENNSYLVANIA.—Wilson’s Amer. Ornith. VI. 60.

Icon. Wilson, loc. cit. pl. 50, fig. 4.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr of a reddish-cream colour.

Tue Mempranes of a dusky red.

Tue Tracus slender, rounded at the extremity, situate internally.
Inuasrts North America,

The length of this Bat, from the nose to the tail, is four inches, of
the tail four, with the breadth across the wings twelve. The general co-
lour is a bright iron-grey, the fur being of a reddish-cream colour at bot-
tom, then strongly tinged with lake, and minutely tipt with white; the
membranes are dusky, their shafts light-brown; the ears are scarcely half
an inch long, the tragus small; the nostrils are somewhat tubular; the
wings have a single hook each, and are so constructed that the animal
may hang either with its head or tail downwards. I have several times,
says Wilson, found two hanging, feet fast locked together, behind a leaf,
the hook of one fixed in the mouth of the other. I once, he adds, found a
number of them, in the depth of winter, in a cave not far from Carlisle,
Pennsylvania ; they were lying on the projecting shelves of rocks, and,
when the fire-brand was held near them, they wrinkled their lips, show-
ing their teeth; they soon became active when held in the hand, and,
when carried into a stove-room, flew about as lively as ever.

An incident regarding the habits of this species we must not omit.
The female, says Dr Harlan, has been known to manifest the strongest
maternal affection : a young lad having taken two young Bats of this spe-
cies, was in the act of carrying them to the museum at mid-day ; being
watched by the mother, she followed him through the streets, fluttering
round the thoughtless urchin, in whose grasp was centred all her hopes,
and eventually settled in his bosom, preferring captivity to freedom with
loss of progeny.

7. TAPHOZOUS NUDIVENTER.—NAKED WING-POUCHED
BAT.

Syn. et Icon. TArHozous NUDIVENTRIS.—Cretzchm, in Rupp. Atl. pl. 27 b.—
Gray, Mag. of Zool. and Bot. II. 499.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Har, above, a greyish-brown; beneath, whitish.

Tae Mempranes and Fret dark brown.

Tue Face, lower part of the abdomen, and inside of the extremities,
naked, and flesh-coloured.

Inuazits Egypt and Nubia.

This Bat differs from the Taphozous perforatus of Geoffroy, not only
in the dimensions of its body, which is larger by one third part, but also
in the nakedness of the lower part of the body and extremities, both in
the young and adult,—parts which, in T. perforatus, are thickly covered
with hair.

The face is pointed, and naked from the nose to the region round the
eyes; the nostrils small, directed forwards; the eyes middle-sized, and
black. The colour of the upper part of the body is a light brown,
speckled with grey, of the lower whitish. On the nail-joint of each toe
there is a pencil of stiff and crooked hairs. M. Ruppell procured his spe-
cimen from the pyramids of Gizeh.

42

Note. —Le Tarnien FILET, (Geoffr. Deser. d’Egypte, pl. I. fig. 1,)
does not appear to be specifically distinct from Taphozous perforatus.

GENUS XX. MORMOOPS.—MORMOOPS BATS.

Les Mormoors.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. I. 120.—Fr. Cuv. Dents des Mam.
52.

Mormoors.—Leach, Linn. Trans. XIII. 76.—Fisch. Syn. Mam, 124.
Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot, II. 491.

Syn.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

245 M_M_ sg
246M 16 —
Sot ara ie according to Fr.
Cuvier, who says he had it from Leach.

Tue Ears large and coalescing; the tragus conspicuous.
abruptly elevated.

Tue Nose-tearF single, erect, and conjoined to the ears.

Tue Tat not extending beyond two thirds of the interfemoral mem-
brane ; last joint free.

Inuazits Jamaica.

2

Tue Dentat Formuta (See Leach.)

2

x Or,

ForeHEAD

The Mormoops Bats have four incisors in each jaw, the upper
being of considerable size, and the lower trilobed ; their cranium is
singularly elevated like a pyramid, above the muzzle; and from
each side of the nose there projects a triangular membrane, which
coalesces with the ear.

Though this Genus was established by Dr Leach with all due care, yet
his materials were very scanty, and it evidently requires revision. As
stated by Mr Gray, the genus described by M. F. Cuvier under this name
appears quite different from that of Dr Leach. ‘This gentleman’s de-
scription is lucid, and the plate of the single species on which the genus
was founded is excellent: it contains four figures; the face ; a back view
of the whole animal; the cranium; and the dental apparatus. The
upper incisors are very unequal, the central being much the broadest,
and having a deep notch in the middle ; the outer ones are small, point

ORDER CHIROPTERA.—MORMOOPS.—EMBALLONURA.

obliquely, and are sharp. The lower ones are uniform in size, and tri-
lobed.

1. MORMOOPS BLAINVILLII.—DE BLAINVILLE’S MORMOOPS
BAT.

Syn.
Cit. et Annal. ; Nat. Hist. IV. 3.
Icon. Leach, Loc. Cit. pl. 7.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Heap nearly globular.
truncated below.

Tue Ears very large and broad, united on the forehead; the tragus
lunated.

Tue Lips variously expanded, and tuberculous.

Tue InTerFEMoraL Mermprane very large, truncated at the ex-
tremity.

Tue Heer-zone very long, and marginal.

Inuapits Jamaica and Cuba.

Tue Nose rounded above, and obiiquely

Mr Macleay having lately sent home a specimen of this Bat from Cuba,
Mr Gray has been enabled very considerably to add to the information
respecting the animal previously possessed, and which was confined to
Dr Leach’s notice. Mr Gray states that it has scarcely a true nose-leaf,
and that it is closely allied to the Taphozoi. The head is nearly globular,
with a produced muzzle. The nose is rounded above, with three warts
on each side, and obliquely truncated below, with a longitudinal central
rib, and a transverse rib between the margin and nostrils. The lips are
variously expanded, and so complicated that they can scarcely be described
by words. The large ears are dependent over the face ; the lower side is
expanded, and continued into the folded lower lip. The tragus is lunate ;
the antetragus large and tubercular. The wings are long, rather wide,
hairy beneath near the sides. The interfemoral membrane furnished
with many transverse lines ; the tail islong, with the last joint free.

Mr Macleay’s specimen was killed in his bed-room. Dr Leach’s was
sent from Jamaica by Mr Lewis.

TRIBE IV.—MONOPHALANGIA ANISTIOPHORA.

Syn.

ANISTIoPHoRI, (in part.)—Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Bras.

VEsPERTILIONINA.—Gray, in Mag. Zool. and Bot. II.—Less. Mam.

CHARACTERS OF THE TRIBE.

Tur InpEx with only one ossified phalanx; the other fingers with two.
Tue Nose without any leafy appendage.

GENUS XXI. EMBALLONURA.—LONG-NOSED BATS.

EmBALLONURA.—Kuhl,'in Ann. Weterauischen Gesellschaft I—Temm.
Mon. Mam. I. 18.

ProzosciDEA.—Spix, Vesp. Bras.—Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 499.

VESPERTILIO, (in part.)—Pr. Max. Abbild.—Fisch. Syn. Mam. 115.

Syn.

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

27124C4(F+4)M_16_
Tue Dentat Formuta 34CH(F-4)M Ie 7
Tue Heap long and conical; Forruean flat.
Ture Mozzze long; the Urrer-saw the longest.
Tue Tatt long, and partially involved in the interfemoral membrane.
Inuazir Brazil, and the Indian Archipelago,

That the small group of Bats included under the appellation Emballo-
nura were entitled to a separate generic distinction, seems first to have
been recognized by M. Spix, who applied to it the name of Proboscidea.

As the Baron Cuvier, however, had applied this same term to a family
of the Pachydermata, this proposal could with no propriety be enter-
tained; and hence, Kuhl, it would appear, was prompted to introduce
another, and less objectionable one, which has been adopted by Tem-
minck, though, in his published writings, nothing further than a mere indi-
cation is supplied. The upper incisors, it would appear, are very small,

distant, and diverging ; whilst the lower are lobed, and placed in a semi-
circle.

1. EMBALLONURA SAXATILIS.—THE ROCK LONG-NOSE
BAT.
EMBALLONURA SAXATILIS.—Temm. Mon. Mam. I. 18.
ProposciDEA SAXATIVIs.—Spix, Sim. Bras. 62.—Gray, Mag.
Zool. and Bot. II. 499.
VESPERTILIO Naso.—Pr. Max. Abbild.—Reise Nach Bras. Bd.
I, 251.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. :
Tue Harr brown above, streaked with grey ; ash-coloured beneath.
Tue Nose with its tip prolonged; the spur is also long.
Tue InrerremoraL Memprane is truncated; Tue Tait somewhat
free at its tip.
Inuasits Brazil.

Syn. et Icon.

Prince Maximilian informs us that this small Bat is very abundant in
numerous districts of the Brazils, During the day it is usually seen
hanging to the great trunks of the trees of the virgin forests, or to the
sharp rocks which overhang the rivers, where it enjoys the freshness of
the stream, and does not quit its retreat till the evening twilight.

2. EMBALLONURA RIVALIS.—THE RIVER LONG-NOSE BAT.

Syn. PROBOsCIDEA RIVALIS.—Spix, Vesp. Bras. p. 62.—Gray, Mag. Zool. and
Bot. II. 499.
VESPERTILIO RIVALIS.—Fisch. Syn. Mam. p. 116.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.
Tue Hair dark brown above, light brown beneath.

Leach, in Linn. Trans. XIII. 76.—Fisch. Syn. Mam. 124.—Gray, Loc.

~

Syn.

Syn. VESPERTILIO CALCARATUS.—Pr. Max. Abbild.

den Museum, and is reported to haye been received from Java.

' GENUS XXIII.

Syn. Nycricesos.—Rafinesque, Journ. de Phys.

UROCRYPTUS.—NYCTICEJUS.

Tuer Nose prolonged, pointed, and somewhat pendant.
Tue Wines projecting far before the head.
Inuazits the Brazils.

The information we possess of this species is very scanty. It is some-
what less than the preceding; and is found in numerous bands on the
copse which skirts the banks of the River Amazon.

3. EMBALLONURA CANINA.—CANINE LONG-NOSE BAT.

Syn. VESPERTILIO CANINUS.—Pr. Max. Abbild. et Beitr. zur Naturg. Bras.
Ed. Il. p. 262.—Fisch. Syn. Mam. p. 112.
PROBOSCIDEA CANINA.—Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 499.

Icon. Pr. Max. Abbild.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Harr of a uniform deep brown colour, as are the membranes,
Tue Snovr prolonged, and somewhat turned up.

Tue Avar Mempranes ample; the interfemoral long and truncated.
Tue Tracus very short. Tue Spur very long.

Inuazits Brazil.

The length of the head and body of this Bat is nearly three inches; of
‘the tail not an inch; the extreme breadth is eleven. The fur throughout
is dense, soft, and long. Prince Maximilian found it among old ruined

_edifices.

4. EMBALLONURA CALCARATA.—SPURRED LONG-NOSE
BAT.

et Beitr. zur Naturg.
Bras. Bd. II. p. 269.
VEsPERTILIO MaximiLiani.—Fisch. Syn. Mam. p. 112.
PROBOSCIDEA CALCARATA.—Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 499.
Icon. Pr. Max. Abbild.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tae For reddish-brown.

Tue Mempranes dark brown, and very ample.

Tue Mozzte somewhat pointed. Tue Tart short.
small.

Tue Spurs yery long, so as almost to touch, making

Tue INTERFEMORAL pointed.

Inuasirts Brazil.

THE

Foor

anda

The
Maxi-
Santo

The length of the head and body of this species is about two
half inches, and its extreme breadth somewhat more than twelve.
ears are long, pointed, and distinctly rugous externally. Prince
milian observed this animal in the small river Joucou, near the
Spirito.

5. EMBALLONURA MONTICOLA.—THE HILL LONG-NOSE

BAT.
Prozoscipea Monticota.—Gray, Mag. Bot. and Zool. II. 500.
Icon.
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Face depressed. ForeHeap rounded.
Tue Srors about four lines long.

A satisfactory account of this species has not hitherto, we believe, been
published ; at least, we have not been able to find it in any work of Kuhl
to which we couldrefer. The animal, however, is preserved in the Ley-
Mr
Gray says that the wings are brown; expanse, six inches.

GENUS XXII. UROCRYPTUS—CONCEALED-TAIL
BATS.

Syn. Urocryrtus, (Chauye-souris 4 queue Cachée.)—Temm. Mon. II. 144.

Although M. Temminck indicated the existence of this genus as far
back as the year 1838, with the promise he would immediately publish
the details concerning it, yet the work has hitherto been delayed. He
States that this genus and the Emballonura form two small groups be-
tween the Taphozous and the True-Bats. In buth groups the interfe-
moral is pierced by the tail as in Taphozous, but they differ from it in
the dental apparatus, which corresponds to that of the Bats.

NYCTICEJUS—ROQUET-DOG BATS.

LXXXVIII. p. 417.—
American Month. Mag.—Cuy. Reg, Anim. I. 122.—Temm. Mon.
Mam. II. 145.

ATALAPHA.—Rafinesque, loc. cit.

VESPERTILIO.—Auct. (in part. )

ScoTorHitus.—Gray, (in part,) Mag. of Zool. and Bot. II, 497.

43

GENERIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Dentat Formura ‘eee Se 0
More rarely tet _ oe
24+C-+4 M__
In the young lepetem a=
More rarely ot

Tue Ears small. Tue Muzzce simple.

Tue Cuanrrin very broad.
elevated.

Tue Inrerremornat Memspraye pierced by the tail, which is usually
long.

Inuaztts all the Continents, except Europe.

Tue Foreneap narrow. Tue Occiput

The Roquet-Dog Bats, with the ears of moderate size, and the
simple muzzle of the Proper Bats, have only two incisors in the
upper jaw. The known species are of South America, [as well as
of the Old World. ]

This genus was instituted by M.»Rafinesque, upon the examination of
some of the numerous species of Bats which he discovered in the pro-
vinces of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, in North America; and it is a mat-
ter of regret that these have not subsequently been re-examined by any
competent scientific Naturalist. The incisors always nearly approximate
to the canines, and are invariably long, conical, and pointed like the eye-
teeth. The intermaxillary bones are rudimentary, and firmly united to
the maxillaries throughout their extent. The lower incisors are always
more or less crowded. When the false molar is present, it is always ex-
tremely small, not in the range with the other teeth, and placed behind
the heel of the canine. The enlarged form of the chanfrin, and the ele-
vated occipital hone, confer on this genus a strong resemblance to many
dogs, more especially the Roquet-Dogs. Their mouth and muzzle are
large, and their head appears so from the ears being so far apart: these
appendages are not complicated, but always short and round; their tra-
gus, too, is short and obtuse. Their fur is generally short, and very
smooth, and some species are partially naked, more especially on the ab-
domen, croup, and thighs.

The genus may be divided into two groups, those which belong to the
Old World, and those found in the New. These latter have the fur
usually longer, and the interfemoral membrane more or less clad with
hair.

(A.) Section I. Species BELONGING To THE OLD

Wor .p.

1. NYCTICEJUS NIGRITIS.—SENEGAL ROQUET-DOG BAT.

Syn. VESPERTILIO NIGRITIS.—Linn. Gm. p. 49.—Geoffr. Ann. du Mus,
VIII. 201.—Desm. Mam. No. 217.
La Marmorre VOLANTE.—Daubent. Mem. del’ Acad. 1759, 385.
CHAUVE-SOURIS ETRANGERE.—Buff. Hist. Nat. X. p. 82.
SENEGAL Bat.—Penn. Quad. No. 502.
NyctTIcEsus NicRiTIs.—Temm. Mon. II. 147.
Icon. Buff. loc. cit. pl. 18 ; copied in Schreb. No. 58.—Geoffr. loc. cit. pl. 47.

—Temm. pl. 47, fig. 1 and 2, (heads. )
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Harr fawn brown above, and dark brown beneath. Tue Mem-
BRANES black.

Tue Ears are triangularly oval and short, being about one third the
length of the head. Tur Tracus short and obtuse.

The two last joints of the tail extend beyond the membrane.

Inuazits Senegal.

This Bat is of large dimensions, extending, in extreme length, includ-
ing the tail, measuring three inches, to more than seven; the extreme ex-
panse is about twenty inches. The head is long; the ears wide apart ;
the lips also are long, but not warty, and the chanfrin projecting.

It was Adanson who sent this animal from Senegal; and it has long
been preserved in the Paris Museum.

2. NYCTICEJUS HEATHII.—HEATH’S ROQUET-DOG BAT.

Syn. Nycricesus Hratun.—Horsf. Proceed. Zool. Soc. Aug. 1831, P. Ist,
p- 113.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 149.
Scorornit.us HeatHn.—Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 498,
Icon.

44 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS NYCTICEJUS.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Hair on the upper parts of the body of a deep brown, with a rosy
tint, the lower parts a greyish fawn.—Covering the whole body.

Tue Lips covered with hair, Tur Ears shorter than the head.

Tue Tracus short.

Inuasits India.

Heath’s Bat is likewise remarkable for its large size; in total length
being upwards of six inches, and breadth nearly twenty; the fur also is
abundant, silky, andshining. The head is of medium length, depressed,
somewhat flat above, and compressed on the sides; the muzzle is large
and obtuse ; the gape not very wide; the lips covered with hair; the ears
much shorter than the head; the concha straight, and roundly oblong at
the point, somewhat keel-shaped at its posterior margin; the tragus is
linear, and Jeaf-shaped. The furis smooth and short, and covers every
part ofthe body. The colour of the upper part is of a deep brown, co-
vered with a rosy hue ; beneath it is a somewhat greyish-fawn colour. No
part of the body is naked.

Mr Heath transmitted an individual of this species from Madras to the
Zoological Society, where specimens are to be preserved; Dr Horsfield
described it to that learned body. It has been received also from Cal-
cutta,

8. NYCTICEJUS TEMMINCKII.—TEMMINCK’S ROQUET-DOG
BAT. ;

Nycticesus TEMMINCKi.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 149,

VESPERTILIO TEMMINCKI.—Horsf. Zool. Res. in Jaya.

ScoropHiLus TEMMINCKII.—Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot., who identifies
it with the Vesp. Belangeri.”

VESPERTILIO TEMMINCKII.—Horsf. loc. cit, 5 figures.

Nycricé TemMinck,—From the living animal; loc. cit. Temm. Mon. pl.
47, 4 figures.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Syn.

Icon,

Tue Harr often varying in colour, (see description 1,) very short and
shining,

Tur Ears wide asunder, broad, round at the tip. Tur Tracus ob-
long, round at the point; inclined forwards.

Inuazits Java and surrounding Archipelago.

Dr Horsfield states that the entire length of this Bat is four inches and
six lines, its extreme width is about eleven. The muzzle is full and ob-
tuse; the ears very widely separated, broad, round at the point; the
operculum is somewhat oblong, inclined forwards, and roundish at the
extremity. The cranium is capacious, the occiput high, the chanfrin
broad and flat. The fur is very short, abundant, and shining, with a
brush of hairs on the lower part of the alar membranes. The colours of
the robe are very variable, often party-coloured, so as to excite the sus-
picion that it sometimes changes. The examination of more than a hun-
dred individuals has led M. Temminck to the conclusion that the follow-
ing are the most common:—a. All the upper parts of the body bright
and shining chestnut, all the lower parts a beautiful red. 6. Upper
parts a shining olive brown; lower parts a yellowish-grey brown. c.
Upper parts of a shining red brown; the lower, afawn red. In the young
the most common liveries are, d. olive, or dull russet above, a fawn red
beneath ; and, e. in some individuals, the upper parts are party-coloured,
chestnut and brown, whilst the lower are spotted, white, fawn coloured,
and red. )

Dr Horsfield first described this Bat, and the Belgian Naturalists have
captured many of them in the Eastern Archipelago, especially in Java.
They congregate in great bands of many hundreds in the roofs and trunks
of trees, whence they issue about dusk. Their chief nourishment con-
sists in the white ants, ( Termites.)

4, NYCTICEJUS BELANGERII.—BELANGER’S ROQUET-DOG
BAT.

Nycricesus BELANGERU.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 151.
VESPERTILIO BELANGERI.—Isid. Geoff. in Voy. de Belang. p. 87.
Icon. WESPERTILION BELANGER.—Voy. ut sup. pl. 3.

Syn.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Fur olive chestnut above.
Tue Mozzte, cheeks, arm-pits, and groins, naked.
Inuasits India.

The ears of this species are wide asunder, roundish, short, their ex-
ternal border approximating to the lips; the tragus narrow and straight.
The muzzle is short, broad, obtuse; the nostrils wide apart. The teeth
exhibit that formula which is more rarely observed. ‘The fur is of me-

dium length, smooth, bi-coioured above, and uniform beneath: above,
they are brownish-yellow at their root, and chestnut at their point ; be-
neath, fawn coloured. The membranes are naked above, but are some-
what clad beneath along the arm and fore-arm. The total length is
nearly five inches. The expanse fourteen. In the young, the hair is
shorter, and not so scanty, and is brown above, and light yellow beneath,
almost white on the throat and chest. It is frequent on the coast of Co-
romandel, and neighbouring parts of India ; abounding in dwelling-houses.

5. NYCTICEJUS NOCTULINUS.—NOCTULINE ROQUET-DOG
BAT.

Syn. Nycticesus Nocrutinus.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II, 226.
VEsPERTILIO Nocrutina.—Isid. Geoffr. in Voy. de Belang. p. 92.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue Fur of arosy fawn colourabove, yellowish beneath.
Tue Bopy in no part naked. Tue Memsranes of a light brown.
Inuazits India and Singapore.

This Bat, in general appearance, corresponds to the preceding, but is
of smaller dimensions, nor is any of its body devoid of hair. The muzzle
is prolonged and naked at its point and sides. The ears are triangular,
terminating in an oval shape; the inferior lobe is remarkably long; the
tragus is long and straight, terminating in a blunt point. The tail is of
medium length. The upper part of the head, the sides of the neck, and
the upper parts of the body, are covered with short hair of a rosy fawn
colour; the under parts are of a yellowish fawn, the sides of the chest
being somewhat red ; the lower side of the interfemoral membrane appears
naked, till examined with a glass, when a few fine white hairs are dis-
covered. The membranes are of a light brown, their edges white, and
there is no difference in the sexes. The total length is three inches
and three lines ; the width about nine. It has been found at Bengal and
at Singapore.

6. NYCTICEJUS BORBONICUS.—BOURBON ROQUET-DOG
BAT.

Nycticesus Borsonicus.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 153.

VESPERTILIO Borzonicus.x—Geoftr. Ann. Mus. VIII. 301.—Desm.
Mam. No. 216.

Geoff. loc. cit. pl. I. téte; copied in Temm. pl. 47, fig. 7.

Syn.

Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tuer For red above, pale beneath. Tur Ears oval, triangular.
Tue Tracus long, and demi heart-shaped.
Inuasits the Island of Bourbon.

The head of the Bourbon species is short and broad; the muzzle ob-
tuse ; the ears wide asunder, short, scarcely higher than the head, and
triangular; the tragus long, leaf-shaped, bent towards the head. The
fur is short, shining, and bi-coloured on the superior parts, being yellow-
ish at the base, and shining red towards the tip; the under parts of the
body are pure white, the tips of the hairs having a slight rosy tint. All
the membranes are naked, and of a dull brown colour. The total length
is nearly five inches, the breadth thirteen. M. Macé sent home specimen
which are now to be found in Paris and Leyden.

7. NYCTICEJUS LEUCOGASTER.—WHITE-BELLIED ROQUET-
DOG BAT.

Nycticesus LEucocasTER.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 153.
Cretzschmar in Atlas Voy. de Rupp. Tab. XXVIII. fig. 11.—I1, 2,
Heads.

Syn.
Icon.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue For olive brown above; yellowish-white beneath.

Tue Face naked and flesh-coloured. Tue Ears large and roundish.
Tracus long.

Inuasits Kordofan.

In this species the head is short ; the muzzle broad; the nostrils wide
apart; the face and cheeks naked, and flesh-coloured; the ears distant
from each other, large, roundish, having the inferior lobe distinct; the
tragus long, leaf-shaped, and curved forwards ; the abdomen of the male
showing the skin, though covered with hair. The fur short and smooth;
all the upper parts are of an olive brown colour ; the lower are white, with
a yellowish tinge. The total length is somewhat more than four inches;
the extreme expanse twelve.

Specimens are to be seen in the museums of Francfort, and the Low
Countries. M. Ruppell discovered this species at Kordofan.

Ce ne nnn n nee en en en ne a a ee a a ee ee

THE ROQUET-DOG BATS. 45

(B.) Species BELONGING TO THE New Wor tp.
8 NYCTICEJUS PRUINOSUS._HOARY ROQUET-DOG BAT.

Syn. VESPERTILIO Prutnosus.—Say, in Long’s Exped. to the Rocky Mount.
I. 33].—Harlan. Faun. Amer. p. 21,
Hoary Bat.—Godman, Amer. Nat. Hist. I. 50.
VESPERTILIO VILLOsIssiMus?—Geoff. Ann. Mus. VIII. 204.
Chauve-Souris Septieme, d’ Azara.—Quadr. II. 284.
Nycricesus Prurnosus.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 154.
ScororHiLus Prurnosus,—Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 498.
Icon. Godman, l. c. fig. 3.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tae For dark grey on the back, ferraginous near the tail; dark be-
neath.

Tue Memsranss extensively covered with fur.

Inwazits the banks of the Missouri, North America.

The ears of this species are short, and broader than high, not so long
as the head, and clad exteriorly throughout half their length; the tragus
is leaf-shaped, and inclined towards the head; the muzzle short and ob-
tuse ; nostrils wide apart. The fur is long, and very abundant, extend-
ing on the alar membrane along the arms and flanks, and being very
abundant on both sides of the interfemoral. ‘The hair on the back is
black-brown at the base, then yellowish-brown, then blackish, and then
white ; towards the rump dark ferruginous takes the place of the brown-
ish-yellow on the fur; beneath, the colours are similar to those of the
back, but, on the anterior portion of the breast, the fur is not tipt with
white, and on the throat is dull yellowish-white.”—Say. The total length
is four and a half inches. Mr Say states it is common in the Missouri ;
it has also been found in Philadelphia, and other parts of the United
States.

9. NYCTICEJUS LASIURUS._ROUGH-TAILED ROQUET-DOG

BAT.
Syn. Nycticesus Lasturvs.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 156.
VEsPERTILIO Lastunus.—Linn. Gmel. I. 50.
ScororHiLus Lasturus.—Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 498.—Geoffr.
Ann, Mus. VIII. 200.—Desm. Mam. No. 215.—Penn. II. 315.
Xeon. Schreb. I. t, LXII. B.—Geoff. 1. c. pl. 2; copied in Temm. pl. 47,

fig. 8.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue For reddish-yellow above, paler beneath. See description.
Tue Heap very small. Tue Memsranes well covered with hair.
Innasits the United States and South America; common at Cayenne.

This Bat is remarkable for the smallness of its head; its ears are short
and oval; the tragus, too, is short, and curved forwards ; its large inter-
femoral membrane is uniformly clad above, and extensively, as is the alar
Membrane beneath. It has a spot of pure white on each side of the
chest. The fur, in summer, differs from that of winter. During the for-
mer season, the hair on the head and neck is red, tipt with yellow; the
test of the upper parts of the body have the hairs yellow at the root, and
tipt with cinnamon-red; the points in some are pure white: underneath
the chin is bright red ; the chest, with the exception of the white spots,
yellowish red; and on the other parts red predominates. During win-
ter, and in the young, the colour is a bright yellow, with a red tint; the
neck is bright red, and the white spots at the origin of the wings are con-
spicuous ; the abdomen is rosy white, the membranes red. The total
length, including the tail, is somewhat more than four inches,—the ex-
panse eleven inches; the size is seldom more considerable. The speci-

mens from Cayenne are usually larger than those from the United
States.

10. NYCTICEJUS NOVEBORACENSIS._NEW YORK ROQUET-
DOG BAT.

Syn. Nycricesus Novazoracensis.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 158.

VESPERTILIO Nov.xzor ACENSIS.—Penn. Quadr. ITI. 313.—Linn. Gmel.
I. 50.—Geoffr. 1. c. 203.
AraLarya AMERIcANA.—Desm. Mam. No. 227, from Rafinesque.
Scorornitus Novasoracensis.—Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot. II. 498.
eon. Penn. |. c. pl. C1V. fig. Encycl. Méthod. pl. 34, fig. 5.

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue For of a uniform reddish-brown colour, with small white spots
at the origin of the wings.
Tue Mouzzrx short and obtuse. Tur Ears short, broad, and round,
TIysazitrs New York, and the Northern States of the Union.
VOL, Ir.

This species differs but little from the preceding two, except in the
colour, which is uniform throughout, with the exception of small white
spots at the origin of the wings. The muzzle is short and obtuse, the
ears short, broad, and roundish; the whole of the upper part of the in-
terfemoral membrane is clad, and a portion of the under. The fur is
long, copious, soft, and silky ; the upper and under parts, and the inter-
femoral, have all the same light rosy brownish colour, with a small spot
at the insertion of each wing. Its total length is about three and a half
inches, its expanse nearly twelve.

1]. NYCTICEJUS BONARIENSIS.—BUENOS-AYRES ROQUET-
DOG BAT.

Syn. Nycricesus BONARIENSIS.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 158.
VESPERTILIO BONARIENSIS.—Less. Voy. de la Coq. I. 137.
Icon. Lesson, loc. cit. pl. 2, fig. 1, A, B, C, (cran. and teeth.)

SPECIFIC CHARACTERS,

Tue For yellowish on the back; yellowish-brown on abdomen.

Tue Ears short and oval. Tue Mempranes dark red, the interfemo-
tal clad above, naked below.

Inuasits South America.

We supply a description of this species in respect to M. Lesson, though
we agree with M. Temminck, it will probably turn out to be only the Nycti-
cejus lasiurus. Its muzzle is short and conical; the ears short, roundish,
and wide apart. The face is clad with a few hairs ; long and silky hairs cover
the under part of the side membranes, and extend along the fore-arm ;
the interfemoral membrane is clad above, and naked beneath: the fur is
abundant, and of many colours throughout ; the muzzle is yellowish-red,
the back a light fawn, each hair ending in first a black and then a white
part ; the upper part of the interfemoral membrane is of a deep dark red ;
the throat, chest, and abdomen, are light brown. The total length is
about three inches, the expanse about nine. The individual just de-
scribed was captured in a vessel lying at anchor in the River La Plata.

DOUBTFUL SPECIES,

In this category we place two species, upon which Rafinesque origin-
ally founded the genus, but which have not since been seen, or.at least
described, by any Naturalist, American or European.

1, Nycticesus HUMERALIS.—The Blackshoulder Bat of Rafinesque,
and noticed by him in Kentucky, North America. It is about three and a
half inches long, including the tail; the ears are oval, longer than the
head, and blackish, as is the muzzle; the eyes are small, and hid by the
hair. The fur isa deep brown colour above, grey beneath, with black
shoulders ; the membranes are very dark.

2. Nycricesus Trssetuatus.—The Netted Bat is about four inches
long, one half of which is occupied by the tail, terminating in a project-
ing tubercle ; the nose is bi-lobed ; the ears almost hid in the fur, which is
bay-coloured above, fawn beneath, with a narrow yellow collar, and
white arm-pits ; the wings are netted, and tipt with red. Like the for-
mer, it inhabits Kentucky.

IMAGINARY GENUS.

AratapHa.—The genus Atalapha of Rafinesque, which has been
adopted by Desmarest, Lesson, and others, having been founded upon
an aged individual of the New York species which had lost its incisors,
must, of course, be blotted out from our systems.

GENUS XXIV. VESPERTILIO.—BATS PROPER.

VESPERTILIO, (in part.)—Linn. Gmel. I. 45.—Geoffr. in Ann. Mus,
VIII. 187.—Fischer, (in part,) Syn. Mam. 100.—Desm. et Auct.

VESPERTILIO et PLecotus.—LEs OREILLARDs.—Cuv. Reg. Anim. T. I.
120, 121.—Geoffr. loc. cit. et Cours de l’Hist. Nat. Leg. 14, 23,
et alia.

VESPERTILIONINA, (in part.)—Gray, Mag. Zool. and Bot, II. 494,—
Lesson, et al.

Syn.

GENERIC CHARACTERS,

2/24 C-L4M Lede
Tue Dentrat Formuta 3ECL@FEDM 18
o 2-4+-C4(2F-4+4)M_18_9,

34-C+(2F-+4)M 20
And also, according to thé number of false molars, 34 and 36.
Tue Taiz is invariably included in the interfemoral membrane.
Tue Nose without nose-leaf, ridges, tubes, &c.
Tue Mipvvte Fincer has three phalanges. Tue Rine and Littte One
two. THE INDEX one.
M

46 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS VESPERTILIO.

Prey solely on insects.
Inwazir all countries of the world, with the exception of Australia.

The Common Bats have the muzzle devoid of a nose-leaf, and
of any other distinctive mark ; the ears are (generally) separated ;
they have four incisors above, of which the two mesial are some-
what separated, and six below, which are cutting and indented ; the
tail is included within the membranes. This subgenus is the most
numerous of all, and species are found in every part of the world ;
there are six or seven in France alone. Some have the tragus awl-
shaped.

Differing from what we have seen in so many genera, the incisors are,
in the Bats Proper, at all periods of their life regularly four above and
six below: if ever wanting, it is the result of accident, or extreme old
age. The four upper ones are arranged in pairs, and are always at some
little distance from the canines ; the inner ones are the larger. The in-
termaxillary bone, though rudimentary, is larger than in the Nycticeji,
and is to more than half its extent ossified with the maxillary. The six
inferior are always crowded, and bi-lobed or tri-lobed. The canines are
strong, often triangular, and always smooth, and without a head. Great
differences occur as to the number of false molars, chiefly from the intru-
sion of the other teeth: in the upper jaw there are sometimes none,
sometimes two, and they vary from one to two in the lower, and are both
sometimes exceedingly small. The true molars are invariably four, both
above and below, so that the difference in the number of molars arises
solely from the varieties in the false molars. The cranium of the Bats
Proper is more compressed and elongated than that of the Nycticejus ;
their muzzle is less obtuse, and the chanfrin more compressed ; these cir-
cumstances, along with the greater narrowness of the zygomatic arches,
causes their whole physiognomy greatly to differ.

All the species of Vespertilio, without scarcely an exception, are, like
the Rhinolophi, and some other of the frugivorous Bats, provided with
odoriferous glands, which distil an unctuous fluid more or less disagree-
able, according to the species; these glands, unlike what occurs in the
Roussettes, are found in both sexes, and are placed sometimes before the
eyes, sometimes above them, or near the muzzle; sometimes they are nu-
-merous,. and cover most of the side of the head. The intolerable smell
is sometimes so powerful as to direct us froma great distance to the place
of their retreat. Referring to the particulars stated in the introductory
remarks on the Insectivorous group, (p. 15,) respecting the singular fact
of the males, the females, and the young, isolating themselves for a great
part of the year, we have only to add, that the European Bats usually
associate again together towards the period of their hybernation, which
often continues throughout the winter, though sometimes interrupted by
a few days of mild weather, and that then, whole families, or rather great
masses of individuals, link themselves confusedly together in retreats,
where they are protected from the intensity of the cold.

According to M. Temminck, these Bats Proper present a somewhat
anomalous circumstance in respect to their reproduction. Whilst the
frugivorous Chiroptera produce but one at a birth, some species of these
Bats have generally two, whilst others have only one, and others either
periodically or accidentally, all produce sometimes the former number
and sometimes the latter, which last observation has been made espe-
cially upon our first species, V. Noctula. When engaged in rearing their
young, the females fix their arm-hook, and bind the tail under the ab-
domen; thus the interfemoral membrane forms a sac, and supplies a nest
for the young, in which it is carried about in all the flights of the mo-
ther. In some of the frugivorous Bats we have previously noticed a not
less curious or effective provision made for the care of the young.

Another trait we must mention of these Proper Bats, which is also seen
in the Rhinolophi, and probably in all the Insectivorous Chiroptera with
a long tail; it is, that they employ this member as we should do our finger,
to introduce their prey into their mouth, or rather their throat, when it
is at all of large dimensions, and by its exertions might otherwise escape ;
they approximate it to the head, bend their neck, and thus secure their
victim. Thus, the tail has considerable influence on the habits of the dif-
ferent groups, and inthe true Bats it is always formed on but one model,
though it is different in those which really form distinct genera.

The number of species in the Genus Vespertilio is so great, that,
even with the help of a somewhat minute description, (good figures being
wanting,) there is arisk of their being confounded, and it is no longer
possible to distinguish them according to the laconic Linnean method.
At the same time, regard must be had to the patience of the reader and
the expense of publication ; and, accordingly, we have determined, by
some trifling alterations and curtailments, considerably to reduce the space

occupied in description, without infringing on the information absolutely
required for the distinguishing of species. Moreover, to avoid the con-
fusion which might arise from the multitude of ascertained species, we
shall, after the example of Temminck, subdivide the present genus ac-
cording to the four great geographic divisions of the globe, and admit
a fifth, if any of the group are discovered, as has uot hitherto been
the case, in the regions of Australasia. It is incontestible that species of
this genus are found in all countries of the globe, with the exception of
Australia, and that they are common to all climates, a result evidently
contrary to the law of Zoological Geography indicated by Buffon, and
admitted by many modern Zoologists.

Of the seventy-eight species that are now unexceptionably ascertained,
twenty-eight belong to Europe, nine to Africa, to which we must add
two common toitand Europe; twenty-four to Asia and India, to which
two must also be added as found in Europe; and seventeen well knownin
America. To these, many unsatisfactorily described are still to be con-
joined, so that the number of indicated species will be about 100. The
genus Plecolus, as founded merely on the comparative length of the Ear,
we altogether reject.

Section I. Tue European Specizs.
First, Those which belong to the British Fauna.

1, VESPERTILIO NOCTULA.—THE NOCTULE BAT}

This species was first described by M. Daubenton inthe Mem. del’ Acad.
1759, and has since been noticed by all systematic authors, foreign and
domestic. The ears are ovato-triangular, and shorter than the head ;
the tragus small and incurvate; the head large and round, fur short,
reddish brown all over; membranes dark coloured.

The fur of this species is of medium length, silky and shining, cover-
ing underneath a portion of the side membrane. The upper parts of the
body are of a beautiful lively and shining red colour in both sexes; be-
neath the red is lighter, and that on the wing brown. On the Conti-
nent the length is about five inches, including the tail, and the expanse
upwards of fifteen ; in Britain the size is less.

This species is very widely spread abroad, and is more common in the
central parts of Europe than in the extreme north and south. It is pro-
bably distributed over all the temperate parts of Asia, and it is impos-
sible to recognize any distinction between those of Japan and Holland.
It lives in towns and the country, in old buildings and trees. Pennant
mentions that under the eaves of Queen’s College, Cambridge, 185 were
taken one night, sixty-three the next, and two the next. They huddle
together by hundreds during their winter hybernation, and have a yery
disagreeable odour.—(Figured in Bonap. Faun. Ital.)

2. VESPERTILIO LEISLERII.—LEISLER’S BAT.

Although there is a specimen of this species in the collection of the
British Museum, yet, as its origin is doubtful, it does not clearly appear
that it is indigenous in Britain. On the Continent it exclusively inha-
bits the country, and appears to be solitary in its habits, rarely associating
with other species; its habitual retreat is the hollows of forest trees,
and the neighbourhood of stagnant pools. It is common in Germany, —
but has not been noticed either in Holland or France.

Leisler’s Bat is about a third less in size than the foregoing species;
the ears are very round, and the forehead and chanfrin depressed ; the
toes of the feet are very short, and the short tail is without a free
point ; there are glands conspicuous on the sides of the muzzle. The
total length is about four inches; the expanse extends to about twelve.
The fur is bicoloured throughout, long, and freely covering the side
membranes and origin of the interfemoral, especially beneath. The
hair of the upper partis brown at the root and reddish at the point;
beneath it is blackish brown at the root, and brownish grey at the tip.

3. VESPERTILIO DISCOLOR.—THE PARTI-COLOURED BAT.

Dr Natterer discovered this species in the south of Germany, and consi-
ders it the most beautiful of European species. It abounds in the southern
and eastern parts of the Continent, but is very rare in Britain and the north-
ern parts. The specimen in the British Museum was taken in Plymouth,
and M. Temminck informs us it is never found in Holland. The dimen-
sions are about a fourth less than the Noctule. The forehead is very
hairy, the muzzle broad, long, and tumid; the nose thick and broad ; the lip
thick, the upper furnished with small hairs ; the ears broad, roundish, but
triangular, bent outwards, and extending to the angle of the mouth, and
half covered with thick fur; the tip of the tailis free. The fur is short
and lustrous. The upper parts of the adult are veined longitudinally,

1 Considering the immense number of species in this genus, our readers will excuse us for curtailing the lists of Synonyms, and altering our style of typography.

THE PROPER BATS. 4]

white or yellowish upon a chestnut ground; the under parts appear
pure white.-—(Fig. by Kuhl in Neue Ann. Wett. Gesellsch. pl. 25, fig. 1.)

4, VESPERTILIO SEROTINUS.—THE SEROTINE BAT.

This is a very common European species, and is widely distributed
from the north to the south over the Continent; in Britain it has hi-
therto been found only in the vicinity of London. It lives in cavities of
old trees, piles of wood and ruins, prefers the neighbourhood of water,
flies slowly in dim twilight, and utters a piercing cry. The muzzle is
long and nearly naked at the point ; the ears are wide asunder, of me-
dium size, and clad at their external base; the tragus is leaf-shaped and
arched, with a round point; the tip of the tail projects beyond the
membrane about a line anda half. There are odoriferous glands at the
side of the muzzle of a pale yellow colour. The fur is of medium length,
fine and silky. The male, above, is chestnut brown, beneath dull ash
brown. The female, rosy brown above, and yellowish-grey beneath; the
muzzle, ears, and membranes, black. Extreme length about five inches,
breadth fourteen.—(Vig. in Bonap. Faun. Ital.)

5. VESPERTILIO AURITUS.—THE LONG-EARED BAT.

_ The ears of this species are nearly as long as the body, reaching to an
inch and a half; they are inclined to the side, and have a longitudinal
fold reaching almost to the lips; the tragus is straight, long, and pointed,
with an external lobe at its base; the head is depressed; the snout long
and pointed, and almost naked; the odoriferous glands on each side yel-
lowish. The fur is long, black at the base ; the membranes are naked,
and those of the ears brownish-grey. Both sexes have the superior parts
of a reddish ash grey, the inferior of a pale yellow-grey. The extreme
length is about three and a half inches, the expanse ten, though those
of the south of Europe are somewhat larger than our northern specimens.
This species is one of the most widely distributed over the temperate
and warmer regions of Europe; it is common in most parts of England,
and in many parts of Scotland; it is also found in the north of Africa.
It frequents great towns and villages rather than wooded districts, flying
with a steady motion along narrow streets and alleys, and hybernating in
towers and steeples. Mr Bingley says they have no peculiarly offensive
smell.—(Fig. in Magaz. de Zool. II. pl. 2 and 3.)

6. VESPERTILIO NATTERERI._NATTERER’S BAT.

The Bat denominated Natterer’s by Kuhl and Temminck is the reddish-
grey Bat of Mr Bell and some other English authors. It is found in
Germany and Britain, in Holland, and the shores of the Adriatic. It
has been found in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and Kent, but we believe
not in Scotland. Mr Bell received three individuals from a shaft in a
chalky cavern seventy feet deep, together with some of the preceding
Species, and the Barbastelle and Whiskered Bat still to be described.
Its extreme length is about three inches, its breadth nine. Its muzzle
is very short, scarcely extending beyond the bushy hairs of the face. The
ears longer than the head, and without any distinct lobe ; the tragus is
long, filiform, and pointed; and there is a range of hairs at the margin
ofthe interfemoral. The fur is very bushy and long, especially about
the head and neck. Above, the hairs are brown at the base, and mouse-
coloured at the tip; the tint of the neckis rosy, and of the under parts
white.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 50.)

7, VESPERTILIO DAUBENTONII.—DAUBENTON’S BAT,

We owe our first acquaintance with this species to M. Leisler, and
it has been subsequently noticed by Kuhl and Desmarest. Temminck
says, that its habitat is the centre and south of Europe, and that it is
never seen in the north. According to Mr Bell, however, the Emargi-
natus of Mr Jenyus is the species now under consideration, and it has
been captured by Mr Yarrell in Middlesex, as well as in Northampton-
shire; and in Scotland by Dr Fleming in Fifeshire, and by Sir William
Jardine in Dumfries-shire. Its total length is about three and a half
inches, its extreme breadth about 10. The muzzle is short; the gape
small; the ears nearly oval, and the tragus shaped like the willow leaf;
the tail is very long, and free at the point to the extent of about two
or three lines; the flank membranes are clad, and that of the fore-arm
surrounded with very fine hairs. Odoriferous glands, of a white colour,
are visible below the eyes. The fur is short, felt-like, and smooth; the
Membranes are clad both above and below, and hairs so small as to be
scarcely visible to the naked eye cover the leg, and forma border to the
interfemoral membrane. The superior parts are of a reddish-brown co-
lour, the inferior parts of a greyish-white. To this species MM. Keyser-
ling and Blaisius refer the V. Zdilis, a species lately proposed to be
introduced by Mr Jenyns.—(Fig. in Bonap, Faun, Ital.)

8. VESPERTILIO MYSTACINUS.—THE WHISKERED BAT.

The head of this Bat is very small, and covered, like the rest of the
body, with ample fur, a tuft of woolly hairs forming a striking moustache
along the upper lip, which covers the under one. The ears are oval and
not notched, the tragus lancet-shaped, but blunt at the point ; the odori-
ferous glands in front of the eyes are of a citron yellow colour. The
colour of the whisker is blackish-brown; the superior parts of the body
are covered with long black hair, rufous tipt, the under are whitish ;
the membranes are much covered with the fur. Its extreme length is
about three inches, and its breadth eight. 'Temminck states this species
as rare. Leisler discovered it in Germany; Mr Gray pointed it out as
British, and both Messrs Jenyns and Yarrell have seen it in England.
Its winter abode is said to be in old houses, hollow trees, and caverns ;
it has a preference, too, it is said, for limpid waters, near which its flight
is rapid, skimming along near the surface.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II, pl.
51.)

9. VESPERTILIO EMARGINATUS.—THE NOTCHED-EAR BAT.

The size and general form of this species, which was first described
by M. Geoffroy, very nearly approximate to those of the preceding,
with which therefore it may very readily be confounded. The distin-
guishing characters are the notch upon the external margin of the ear,
the want of the moustache, and the reddish robe of the Notched ear.
The ears are oblong, and as long as the head; the tragus long, aw]-shaped,
and pointed; they are well clad near the base. The colour of the head
and upper parts is red, clouded with yellow and brown; all the under
parts are ash-coloured, witha reddish tint, the ears and membranes dull
brown. The entire length is three inches three lines; the breadth nine
and a half inches. This species has been found in England, Holland,
France, and Italy, but not in Germany, During the day it keeps its re-
treat; with the twilight it appears ranging with rapid wing for its food
along lakes and stagnant waters.—(Fig. in Bonap. Faun. Ital.)

10. VESPERTILIO PIPISTRELLUS.—THE PIPISTRELLE, OR
COMMON BAT.

This Pipistrelle of Dauhenton and Schreber is the common Bat of
Pennant ; this last a name which was long given in this country to the
Murinus, but which is thus much better merited by the present species.
It is, according to Mr Jenyns, the most common kind in England, and
according to Mr Macgiliivray, who has given a minute description of it,
(Nat. Lib.) it is very abundant in Scotland; it is widely spread over all
the northern parts of Europe, but is rare in the south ; it probably also in-
habits Asia, M. Temminck having received many specimens from Japan.
It lives in great bands, associating with other small species. The female
has usually two young ones ;—Kuhl says one. This latter author states
that its hybernation is often interrupted. Its head is small; nostrils wide ;
ears small, distant ; tragus leaf-shaped; odoriferous glands oblong. The
fur is abundant and of medium length; the membranes quite naked.
The superior parts are coffee-coloured, the inferior lighter, but not white,
a character which distinguishes this species from the Whiskered Bat.
The entire length is about three inches, the extent of wings between
eight and nine.—(Fig. Geoff. Ann. Mus. VIII. pl. 47 and 48.)

The V. Pygmeus of Leach, ( Zool. Journ. I.) and V. Minutus of Mon-
tagu, (Linn. Tr. IX.) are but the young of the Pipistrelle.

1]l. VESPERTILIO BARBASTELLUS.—-THE BARBASTELLE
BAT.

Seeing no occasion, as already stated, to adopt Mr Gray’s new genus,
Plecotus, still less will we, with Mr Bell, follow him in introducing
another new genus, Barbastellus. The Barbastelle Bat inhabits the
temperate and warmer regions of Europe, including Italy, but seems com-
mon in none of them. Mr Sowerby first detected it in England (Brit.
Miscel.) Mr Montagu mentions (loc. cit.) its occurrence in Devon-
shire, Mr Jenyns in some of the Midland counties, and Mr Bellin Kent.
The muzzle is extremely short, slender, and obtuse, and the head com-
pletely overshadowed by the ears, which are united by the base in front.
These appendages are very much developed and wide; a tuft of hair
covers the middle of the auricle, which is naked at the sides; tragus
wide at the base, and slender at the point ; the odoriferous glands are tri-
angular. The fur is very long, fine, and silky, andthe membranes parti-
ally clad on both sides, All the superior parts are black, the abdomen
is pure white, the flanks light brown, as arethe membranes. The entire
length is between three and four inches, the width between nine and ten.
—(Fig. Geoff. Ann. Mus. VIII. pl. 46 and 48.)

12, VESPERTILIO BECHSTEINII.—BECHSTEIN’S BAT.

This species, which was discovered by the late Dr Leisler, seems to be
very rare in Britain, the only specimens having been taken in the New
Forest, by Mr Millard; in France, too, it is rare, but more abundant to-

48

wards the south than the north; it is also found in Germany and Hun-
gary; its sojourn is the trunks of trees, and it is said not to associate with
its congeners. It is nearly the size of the Long-eared Bat, (No. 5,) but
the ears are shorter, not united, and without a lobe; the membranes,
likewise, are quite naked, and the tip of the tail free. The muzzle is
rather long, pointed, and naked, the odoriferous glands, very large and
whitish, are oblong; the teeth very white. The fur is long and copious.
The markings, in which the sexes agree, are reddish-brown above, and
silvery white beneath: in the young, silvery-grey above, and shining
white beneath; the membranes are yellowish-brown and diaphanous ;
the ears dull yellow. The entire length is between three and four
inches, the width about eleven.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 50.)

13, V. MURINUS.—THE MOUSE-EARED BAT.

The Murinus of Linnzus, Geoffroy, and many others, is the Myotis of
Bechstein and Kuhl ; Pennant designated it the Common Bat of this coun-
try in his Synopsis, not in his British Zoology, and, as we have already
stated, the Pipistrelle is the most common amongst us, for the English
name of the M/urinus we translate Bechstein’s appellation. This Mouse-
Eared Bat is, in fact, very rare in Britain, having been found only, we
believe, in the gardens of the British Museum. Itis the largest, not only of
British, but also of European species. Its face is nearly quite naked, the
nostrils open laterally, and the upper lip overhangs on each side. The ears
incline backward, are very distant, lobeless, perfectly oval, and naked ; the
tragus shaped like the willow leaf, but broad at the base : the odoriferous
glands are of a citron yellow colour. The fur is long, smooth, and bi-
coloured throughout. The superior parts of the body are brownish-grey,
reddish-grey, and pure grey, according to the age of the animal; the hairs
being black at the root; all the inferior parts are pure white or yellowish-
white, no difference occurring in the sexes. The entire length of the
large animals is somewhat more than five inches, and the expanse nearly
sixteen. The adult of the first year, with the fur shorter, and rarer, es-
pecially about the neck, and the markings less distinct, constitutes the
Murinus of many modern authors. This animal is found in the temperate
parts of Europe, and in North Africa. The female has usually two
young ones, and they are not sociable; they bite cruelly, not sparing one
another; they persecute the smaller kinds, and prefer a town to a country
life; they seldom show themselves till it is nearly dark.—(Fig. in Bonap.
Faun. Ital.)

Second, European Bats, unknown in Britain.

14, V. BRACHYOTOS.—THE SHORT-EARED BAT.

This Short-eared Bat, not that of Pennant, (British Zoology,) was
found dead in the streets of Abbeville by M. Baillon, all of whose sub-
sequent endeavours to discover another like it have been fruitless. Its
forms are interesting, and have been detailed hy M. Temminck in his mo-
nograph. Its muzzle is obtuse and naked, its forehead depressed; the
ears are very small, much broader than high, triangular, about a line and
a half; the tragus is very short, obtuse, and hid under the fur ; the tail is
short. The four upper incisors are in pairs; there are four molars above
and five below, pointed. The furis soft, silky, and of medium length, of
a very vivid fawn colour above, the root of the hairs at the same time
being quite black; the forehead, crown, nape, and upper part of the
neck, marked with a broad black patch, the hair being shorter than else-
where ; the muzzle is naked, as also the upper part of the ears, their base
hid in the fur. The inferior parts are less red than the upper, but the
roots of the hair are quite black. The membranes are naked, tail of
medium length, and white. Length, two inches seven lines; expanse,
seven and a half inches.

15. V. SCHREIBERSII.—SCHREIBERS’ BAT.

This Bat was discovered by M. Schreibers in the subterranean cavi-
ties of the mountains of Banat in Hungary, and is thus described by M.
Kuhl. The head is small, the forehead elevated, the muzzle full; the
ears small, and shorter than the head, broad, straight, roundish at the
point ; tragus lance-shaped. The fur of the superior parts is ash-grey, of
the lower light grey, often yellowish-white; the thumb-nail is white.
Entire length, three and a half inches ; width, eleven ; the measurements,
however, were taken from a single individual.

16. V. LIMNOPHILUS.—THE NIGHT-BAT.

' The muzzle of this Bat is very short, broad, obtuse, and nearly wholly
covered on both lips with long diverging radiating hairs; the ears of me-
dium size, quite oval, with a lobe or prolongation forwards ; the tragus is
short, straight, broad, and rounded at the point; the tail short, its tip
free; the interfemoral membrane supplied underneath with very fine hairs.
The odoriferous glands are large, yellow, and placed above the eyes.

ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS VESPERTILIO.

The fur is soft and silky ; in the male, the superior parts of the body, and
most of the sides of the neck, are mouse-coloured ; in the female, inclined
to russet ; the chin, front of the neck, and inferior parts, are white at the
point, and black at the base ; the abdomen pure white. The white tip
of the hairs is prolonged according to the age of the individual. When
a year old they are both indifferently clad, and are above of a dull brown
colour, below bluish-black; abdomen whitish. The total length is
about four inches, width eleven. This species was introduced to notice
by M. Temminck in his recent monography, and he accounts for its re-
maining so long unknown from its habits, appearing only when the night
has set in, and flying with extreme velocity. It flies generally also over
the surface of the water near the overhanging trees and brushwood. It
is common in Holland.

17. V. ORSINII.—ORSINI’S BAT.

To the Prince of Musignano we are indebted for our acquaintance
with this Bat, which was found in the caverns of Mont Corno 8000 feet
above the level of the sea. Fromits dental formula he proposed to form
a new subgenus of it; but from the great variability to which the teeth
are subject, we deem it preferable, following M. Temminck, to main-
tain it in a situation at once more simple and suitable. The head of this
species is short and very globular ; the nose obtuse ; the nostrils approxi-
mated ; the forehead prominent; the eyes are hid under the fur, and are
placed near the ears. These appendages are smal!, and nearly as broad
as long, roundish, and more than a third shorter than the head; though
so wide apart, they are united by a membrane; the tragus is slender,
filiform, and one-half the size of the auricle. The mouth is cleft to
the angle under the eye, and the face is clad with hair, which inclines up-
wards. The wings are very long, the thumb-nail very small. The tail,
which is much longer than the body, is exceedingly stout, and envelop-
ed in the membrane at its tip. The teeth are precisely the same as in
the auritus. The fur is soft, cottony, abundant, and nearly of a uni-
form colour over the body ; above it is of a marron brown, beneath of a
light-grey. The entire length is four inches, two of them being occu-
pied by the tail; the extreme width thirteen. This animal is the Mini-
optero dell’ Orsini of the Prince.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 49.)

18. V. CORNUTUS.—THE HORNED BAT.

The Horned Bat is smaller than the long-eared, but the ears are pro-
portionably longer, and the body smaller in comparison of the extent of
wings. The muzzle is short, broad, and obtuse ; the nostrils somewhat
tubular; the mouth large; the ears conical; one inch four lines long ;
precisely the length of the body, and united in front ; the tragus is half
the length of the ear, lancet-shaped, and so disposed that the two look
like a pair of ears. There is a fringe of fine hairs along the external
edge of the interfemoral membrane. The fur is long and more abun-
dant than in most other European species; a white moustache orna-
ments the lip. The superior parts are of a brownish-black colour, the
lower bluish-black; the abdomen appears bluish-grey, from the tips of
the hair being white; the membranes are blackish. The length is three
inches and one line, the breadth nine and a half inches, (Danish measure.)
This species was discovered by the celebrated Naturalist Faber, who cap-
tured an individual in Jutland. .

19. V. CAPACCINI.—THE CAPACCINI BAT.

The Prince of Musignano describes this new species, which was caught
in Sicily, in nearly the following terms. The tragus is slender; the
thumb-nail large and strong; the feet robust, enveloped in a [thick in-
terfemoral membrane, well clad, though not very extensive. Its head
islarge, the muzzle conical and obtuse; the eyes are almost three times
nearer the ears than the nostrils; the mouth is not remarkably large ;
the ears are about once and a half longer than they are broad, and are
about two-thirds the length of the head ; their form is oval lance shaped;
the muzzle and lips are supplied with scattered hairs, which are abun-
dant between the eyes. There is a great gland under the chin. The
interfemoral membrane is cut obliquely in form of a triangle, leaving the
feet free, as is also the point of the tail; it is clad, to half its extent,
both above and below, with long hairs; the feet also are covered with
hairs, which are white, as are the nails. The fur is soft and bushy, and
of a cinnamon colour: the under parts are yellowish-red ; the skin is red-
dish-brown. The total lengthis three inches two lines, the breadth

ten inches.—(Fig. in Bonap. Faun. Ital.)

20. V. MEGAPODUS.—THE LARGE-FOOTED BAT.

The habitat of this Bat is Sardinia, whence M. Cantraine has sent

many specimens to Leyden. It is remarkable for its feet, which, like

THE PROPER BATS. 49

the preceding, are quite free above the spur, the membranes taking their
origin near the extremity of the tibia. Its muzzle is very short and ob-
tuse; the ears of medium size, and not much sloped; the tragus long,
like the willow leaf; the interfemoral membrane short, and covered above
and beneath with scattered hairs. The fur is short, smooth, and bi-
coloured. The upper parts are of a greyish-brown colour, the lower whitish;
the membranes are brown, and there are no conspicuous differences be-
tween the sexes. The total length is about three inches, the breadth

nine.
21. V. HUMERALIS.—BLACK-SHOULDERED BAT.

This Bat was procured by M. Baillon, in the neighbourhood of Abbe-
yille, and was there examined by M. Temminck. It has not been seen
outof France. It might be readily confounded with the mystacinus and
emarginatus ; it differs, however, from the former, by its smaller size,
jarger and more sloped ears, its longer tail, and the complete nudity of the
membranes ; and from the latter, by the emarginatus being larger, having its
ears more sloped, and its fur always of amore or lessred hue. This Bat is
distinguished from all its congeners, by a large black spot on the shoul-
ders, at the base of the humerus, and its long and sloping ears. The
fur is long and cottony; it has a considerable beard, which is black ; the
tragus is long and lance-shaped ; the membranes are blackish and naked,

the tip of the tail free. As to colour, the superior parts have the hair
black at the base, and then ash-brown; the inferior also black at the
base, but whitish towards the point; the black spot covers the insertion
of the wings. The entire length is near three inches, the expanse seven.

22. V. VISPISTRELLUS.—THE VISPISTRELLE BAT.

The Vispistrelle Bat has received its name from its close resemblance
to the Pipistrelle. Inhabiting Italy, and the southern countries of
Europe, they seem, remarks the Prince of Musignano, to maintain the
same relation that the Cisalpine sparrow bears to our common domestic
one, and their habits are scarcely distinguishable. The present species
is, however, always somewhat larger than the other, perhaps a sixth,
and wants a false molar in the upper jaw, which the other possesses ; the
marking, too, is somewhat different. The fur is long and silky, each hair
on the upper parts of the body having a brown base, and a reddish-ash
point, which assumes a yellowish hue on the forehead and base of the
ears ; on the inferior parts the hairs are throughont of a brown tint, but
their tip is light red. The cutaneous system is fulvous brown. In the
young the tints are somewhat darker. The entire length is three inches,
three lines (French), the breadth eight inches and a haif.—(Fig. in Bonap.
Faun, Ital.)

23. V. KUHLII.—KUHL’S BAT.

M. Natterer conferred its name upon this Bat, which he captured at
Trieste ; it has also been found in Dalmatia and Central Italy, and is
probably common throughout the Levant. Kuhl’s Bat is about the size
of the Pipistrelle, with which it may very readily be confounded. The
head is large, the muzzle obtuse, the eyes surmounted by a bunch of
hairs, the ears completely triangular, regular at their external margin, and
large at their base ; the tragus is wide, leaf-shaped, round at the point;
the cutaneous system is black; the alar membranes, and half of the
interfemoral, are clad. The upper incisors are in pairs, most unequal in
size, the internal pair being large, and those next the canines very small.
The entire length is three inches, the expanse eight and ahalf. The fur
is bi-coloured throughout, more abundant, and somewhat longer than in
the Pipistrelle, and a broad riband of hair goes round the whole body; the
half of the interfemoral membrane is covered. Above, the colour is red-
dish-brown, ochre-like; and beneath it is somewhat lighter than in the
Pipistrelle ; the riband above alluded to is greyish; the membranes are
very smooth, and wholly black ; there area few hairs onthe thumb and
toes.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 51, fig. 5 and 6.)

24, V. SAVII.—SAVI’S BAT.

Savi's Bat is accurately depicted in the Icon. del. Fuun. Ital. by the
Prince de Musignano, and had previously been sent to Leyden by M.
Cantraine. It has been found on the eastern shores of the Adriatic, in
Dalmatia, and Sardinia. Its body is somewhat more robust than that of
the two foregoing species, but the expanse is less; the tail is very long,
and has a fine free point; the muzzle is broad and obtuse. The ears
broad, with a fold forwards, triangular, but round at the point, and ciad
to about a half; the tragus short and wide. The fur is bi-coloured, and
not unlike that of the parti-coloured Bat. The superior parts of the body
are of alively marone colour; the cheeks and chin brown; the inferior
parts are blackish-brown ; the interfemoral membrane is quite naked. The
dimensions, taken from one specimen, were three inches entire length,
breadth eight.

VOL, Ir

25. V. ALCYTHOE.—THE ALCYTHOE BAT.

This, and the two succeeding species, have lately been introduced to
notice by the Prince de Musignano, with coloured portraits, and detailed
descriptions ; they all belong to the south of Europe. The cranium of
this one is depressed; its incisors unequal, the ears pointed, and the fur
bi-coloured. The nose is depressed at the point, and slightly indented
between the nostrils; the orbital region is naked, and the eyes sur-
mounted with long and silky eye-brows ; the ears are small, terminate in
around point, and their breadth is equal to half their length; the tragus
is half as long as the auricle; the tail quite included in the interfemorai
membrane. ‘The fur is long, bushy, and of two colours. The muzzle
and forehead is of a greyish isabelle colour; the hairs are blackish from
their base to half their extent, and then of an isabelle tint ; those of the
abdomen are the same at their base, but cinnamon coloured at the tip.
The membranes are reddish, and clad along the flanks and thighs with
tufted hair, of a reddish-grey colour. The total length is about three
inches, the breadth somewhat more than eight. It inhabits Sicily.—(Fig.
in Bonap. Fauna Ital.)

26. V. LEUCIPPE.—THE LEUCIPPE BAT.

This species is to be distinguished by the beautiful silvery tint of its
inferior parts, and the cinnamon colour of the back. The muzzle is large,
wide, and roundish, describing nearly a semicircle ; the commissure of tne
lipsreaches tothe ear. This appendage is a fifth less in length than toe
head, and a third less wide than long; it is roundish, and somewhat
sloped away at it8 upper parts; the tragus is a third shorter than the con-
cha, and of a semi-orbicular form. The interfemoral membrane is poly-
gonous in shape, and has no tiny bristles, nor lobule. The fur is long,
bushy, and bi-coloured throughout ; on the upper parts of the body it is
black at the root, and light-cinnamon at the tip; on the lower, of a deep
grey at the base, and silvery-white at the points. ‘The membranes are
sooty black; the lips, nose, and ears black, with the external margin
flesh coloured, a character which is constant. The entire length is three
inches, the breadth nine.—(Fig. in Bonap. Fauna Ital.)

27, V. ARISTIPPE.—THE ARISTIPPE BAT.

Its pointed muzzle serves to distinguish this species from the Leucippe
Bat, to which it has a great resemblance in its general forms and dimen-
sions; there is also aslight difference in the ears, the external border
being scooped out at the base in our present animal, and towards the
point in the other. The muzzle, which is straight, and somewhat an-
gular, has a slight furrow between the nostrils, which are small and nar-
row. ‘The ears are small. The interfemoral membrane is provided with
an external lobule, and terminates in a free point. ‘The feet are small;
the nails slender, and adorned with slender hairs.—(Fig. in Bonap. Faun.
Ital. fase. 21, fig. 3.)

28. V. MARGINATUS.—THE EMBROIDERED BAT.

The Embroidered Bat is common in Sardinia, and therefore is to be
classed with the European species. Itis not less so, however, in Africa,
being very common at Tripoli, and also in Nubia and Arabia. Here it
was found by Riippell, and has been described by him and figured in his
atlas, though not, according to M. Temminck, very correctly. It is
about the size of the Pipistrelle, though ithas not the same expanse across
the wings; the tail is much larger, and the interfemoral membrane very
ample; the spur is also very long, carrying the interfemoral externally
with it. All the edges of the membranes are bordered with pure white.
The muzzle is naked, the ears small, triangular, and rounded at the
point; the tragus is long, leaf-shaped; a third of the interfemoral mem-
brane is clad. The furis soft, cottony, short, and of twocolours. On
the head and upper parts of the body, the hairs are half black at the
root, and pure isabelle-coloured at the tip; on the chest the points are
a light isabelle, and on the abdomen, pure white. The membranes are
blackish-grey, and diaphanous. The total length is a trifle above three
inches, the expanse a little above eight.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. pl. 52,
figs. 3 and 4.)

Section II]. Arrican SPECIEs.

29. V. LEUCOMELAS.—THE BLACK AND WHITE BAT.

This Bat was discovered by Riippell, on the shores of the Red Sea,
on the coast of Abyssinia, and Arabia Petrzea, frequenting old ruins. Its
size and forms are not unlike those of our Barbastelle. The muzzle is
very slender, and overshadowed by the aural appendages, which are
very large, and united by their bases in front, then diverging to the point,

and falling over to each side, after the fashion of the Dog’s Cap; their
N

50

external membrane is deeply scooped, and abuts at the commissure
of the lips; the tragus is long and pointed; the posterior parts of the
ears are clad. The cutaneous system is highly developed, very thin, and
diaphanous : the tailis very long, and the interfemoral membrane wide.
The fur is very long, bushy, fine, and silky, bi-coloured throughout.
The superior parts of the body are black, somewhat grizzly, from the
tips of the hair being light brown ; the inferior parts are also black, but
more grey, the tips being white; the whole of the pubis and the base of
the flanks and interfemoral membrane, are pure white. The ears are
black, the membranes diaphanous, ash-grey colour veined with white.
Their entire length is nearly three and a half inches, their expanse ten.
—(Fig. in Riipp. Zool. Atl. p. 73.)

30. V. D’ ASYTHRIX.—THE BUSHY-HAIRED BAT.

This new species has been transmitted from the interior of Caffraria,
by M. Verreaux, of Paris, and now forms a part of the Leyden Museum.
It is remarkable for the great development of its membranes, its broad,
obtuse muzzle, its great ears, and its woolly fur. Its great muzzle is
covered with abundant fur to the very point, and two braids of hair are
conspicuous, arrayed like moustachios; the ears are broader than high,
orbicular, and somewhat angular at their points; a fold projects to the
commissure of the lips, and externally they are half covered with fur ; the
tragus is short androundish. The articulation of the foot, with the metatarsus,
isquitefree. The tail is very long, with the membrane developed. The fur is
of medium length, but extraordinarily bushy, cottony, and heavy ; the face
is also remarkably hairy; the base of the interfemoral membrane is clad
onlv on the upper side, while the alar is only below, with trans-
parent hairs. The membranes are very ample. The colour of the up-
per parts of the body, the head and whiskers, isa dull black, that
of the lower smoke-black ; the membranes are alight black. The total
length is nearly four inches, the breadth ten.

31. V. ISABELLINUS.—THE ISABELLE BAT.

This is another new species which has been sent to the Leyden
Museum, by the Dutch Consul, M. Clifford van Breugel, from Tripoli,
where it abounds. It is about the size of the Parti-coloured Bat of
Europe, with forms nearly resembling the murinus. The muzzle is
obtuse, the ears broad, ovoide, with a longitudinal and salient fold at the
anterior margin; a distinct lobe terminates the posterior border, and ex-
tends to the commissure of the lips; the tragus is short and leaf-shaped,
the tail free at the point. All the membranes are naked, and very dis-
tinctly veined. The two central incisors are bilobed in the young, and
pointed in the adult. The fur is of medium length, fine and silky. The
superior parts in the adult are of a beautiful isabelle tint ; the point of the
muzzle and lips are black ; all the inferior parts of a very light isabelle
hue; the external base of the ear is covered with hair; the membranes
are blackish-brown, abundantly veined with yellowish lines; a consider-
able portion of the tail is free at the tip. The total length is about four
and a half inches, the expanse twelve.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 52.
Figs. 1 and 2.)

32. V. MEGALURUS.—THE LARGE-WINGED BAT.

The body of this Bat is slender, with a depressed head, the muzzle
pointed, and the nostrils approximated, whilst the membranes are ex-
ceedingly developed. The ears are moderate, distant, pointed at the
extremity. The tragus very long, shaped like the willow-leaf; the tail is
very long, and the extremity free ; the internal incisors are long and
converging, the external scarcely visible. The fur is long, smooth, silky,
and bi-coioured throughout; above, blackish at the base, and olive-brown
at the point, and brown at the root, beneath; the colour of the neck
and abdomen is ash-brown, of the flanks, isabelle, of the pubis, white.
The entire length is about four inches and three lines, the breadth
twelve. The V. Capensis of Mr Gray, (Zool. Journ. IV. p. 435,) M.
Temminck suspects to be the young of this species. This animal was
sent to Leyden from Central Africa, but nothing is known of its habits.

33. V. TRICOLOR.—THE TRI-COLOURED BAT.

An account of this species was supplied in the Fauna Capensis of M.
Smuts, (p. 106.) Its head is longer than it is broad; the muzzle is ob-
tuse, and the mouth not much cleft; the ears are long, turned over at
the point, and cut out externally; the tragus is long, leaf-shaped, in-
cliued outwards; the hair is smooth, short, tri-coloured above, bi-colour-
ed below. The fur on the upper parts of the body is black, brown at the
root, yellowish-white in the middle, and a beautiful red at the point, so
that, onthe whole, these parts appear of a very yellow hue; all the in-
ferior parts have the fur brown at the base, and yellowish-white towards
the tip; aslight rosy tint is distributed over the sides of the neck andchest ;

%

ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS VESPERTILIO.

the membranes are dark brown. The length is nearly four inches, the
breadth between twelve and thirteen.

34, V. EPICHRYSUS.—THE GOLDEN BAT,

The Golden Bat is described in M. Smut’s Fauna, (p. 106,) and is re-
garded as new by M. Temminck. Its habitat is the environs of the
Cape. The total length is about four inches, the expanse twelve. The
ears are of medium length, straight, pointed, and much scooped out at
their upper external margin; the tragus is straight, and lance-shaped ;
the muzzle somewhat obtuse, the nostrils approximated, the tail very
long. The furis abundant, short, and smooth; the hairs parti-coloured ;
those on the upper part of the body brown at the root, yellowish-white
in the middle, bright red and shining at the tip; underneath, they are
brown at the base, and of a light rosy hue at the point; the membranes
are brown and perfectly naked.

35. V. PLATYCEPHALUS.—THE FLAT-HEADED BAT.

As expressed by the name, the head of this Bat is extremely depressed,
and the chanfrin flattened; the face is obtuse, very broad, and the
mouth has a large gape; the ear extends laterally, and is as broad as
high, half clad above, rounded towards the point ; it is prolonged beneath,
and abuts at the commissure of the lips in a large membranous ap-
pendage ; the operculum turns inwards. The fur is bushy, woolly, and
parti-coloured; above, blackish at the base, and very brown at the tip;
beneath, blackish-brown at the root, and a brownish-white at the point ;
the pubic region is white; the interfemoral membrane is half clad above
and naked beneath. The entire length is three inches, breadth nine.
It is common in the neighbourhood of the Cape, and has been described
by M. Smuts.—(Diss. Zool. Cap. 107.)

36. V. MINUTA.—THE PIGMY BAT.

Dr Horstok, of Cape Town, has transmitted several specimens of this
Bat to Leyden, from which its celebrated professor has supplied the
description. In its habits it resembles our Pipistrelle, preferring woody
districts supplied with water, in the southern regions of Africa. Though
smaller than the Piépistrelle, it much resembles it in its general forms.
The ears are oval, and as broad as high; the tragus, leaf-shaped, round
at the point, and half the length of the auricle. The muzzle is naked,
studded with a few transparent hairs. The fur is short, bi-coloured
throughout, being, above, black at the root, and dark-brown at the point ;
and beneath, black at the base, and light-brown at the tip; the mem-
branes black, the outer incissors are in close apposition with the canines,
and very small; the inner are long and bifid. The entire length is two
and a half inches, the breadth seven,

37. V. TEMMINCKII.—TEMMINCK’S BAT.

It will be noted that this is not Vespertilio Temminckii of Dr Horsfield
and others, which has been described in a former page as a Roquet-dog
Bat, (see p. 44.) This animal was discovered by Riippell in a woody
district in Nubia; seven were captured near Dongola, and are now in the
Francfort and Leyden Museums. The muzzleis obtuse; the ears large,
nearly round, and without any distinct lobe; the tragus leaf-shaped,
round at the point, and inclined towards the head; the membranes
totally naked and diaphanous; the interfemoral alone slenderly clad on
the upper side. The external incisors are so small that they scarcely
tise above the gum; the others are like canines. The fur is short, but
abundant and smooth. The head, round the ears, part of the neck, and
all the superior portion of the body, is light grey; the lower part of the
neck, and inferior part of the body, are pure and shining white, the hair
being white from the root to the tip; the membranes are grey, and have
no borders. The markings do not differ either in the sexes or young.
The length is three inches, the breadth seven. (Fig. in Riipp. Zool. Atl.
p- 17, pl. 6.)

38. V. HESPERIDA.—THE EVENING BAT.

Although not represented in Ruippell’s Atlas, this Bat seems to have
been procured by that able Naturalist: it was found on the shores of the
Red Sea, near the coast of Abyssinia, and specimens are found in the
German and Dutch Museums. The cutaneous system is not greatly
developed in proportion to the animal’s size, which is nearly three inches
long. The muzzle is short and obtuse; the ears also short, and as broad
as high; the tragus leaf-shaped, and curved, with a round point; the
interfemoral membrane veined lozenge-wise, slenderly clad at its base, and
all the limbs naked. ‘The fur is short, smooth, and. abundant, bi-coloured
throughout, being, above, black at the base, and rosy-brown at the tip;
and beneath, black at the root, and rosy-grey at the point; the end of the

THE PROPER BATS. 51

muzzle is very hairy, and black; the membranes brown, and veined with
lines of a lighter brown colour.

Secrion III. Astatic SpPrcizes.

89. V. MOLOSSUS.—THE DOG-MOUTHED BAT.

This is a new species, which has been lately sent to Holland, from
Japan, by M. Biirger, and which will be represented in the forthcoming
Fauna Japonica. The muzzle is extremely obtuse, large, and broad,
similar to the snout of the Bull-dog Bats, and is clad to the nostrils,
which are wide apart. The cheek-bones are high; the ears large, and
nearly round, and a fold extends from them to the commissure of the
lips ; the tragus is short, and lance-shaped, and the external half of the
auricle is covered with hair. The wings, which are far from broad, are
abundantly clad beneath, along the flanks ; the interfemoral membrane is
large, and has a jutting out lobe at the heel. The inner pair of the in-
cisors are canine shaped, and the external quite resemble a strong and
short canine; the six lower ones are tricuspid. The fur is silky, smooth,
and lustrous, and of one colour throughout. The male, above, is of a
deep rosy-brown, beneath, of the shade of a decayed leaf. The female,
above, is of a lively rust-colour, beneath, like the male; the membranes
are brownish-black. The length is five inches, the breadth fourteen.

40. V. NOCTULINA.—THE NOCTULINE BAT.

This species is described by M. Is. Geoffroy in Belanger’s Voyage aur
Indes, and a specimen was sent by M. Duvaucel to the Paris Museum
from Bengal. The size of this individual was three inches two lines
(French) long, and eight inches six lines of expanse. It approximates in
characters to the Noctule Bat, and hence its name. Its dimensions are
“nearly those of the Pipistrelle. The upper parts of the head and body
are of a russet-fawn colour, the under of a very light fawn, all the hairs
being lighter nearer their root than at the point. The alar membranes are
almost entirely naked, but the base of the interfemoral, on its upper side,
is covered with a few hairs of the same colour as those on the back.
The ears are of a triangular form, somewhat rounded; the tragus is
straight, and elongated. The muzzle is naked at the point and sides.

41. V. BLEPOTIS.—THE EAR-SEEING BAT.

M. Temminck is the first who described this Bat, of which a great
many have been captured in the Indian Archipelago by the Netherland
Naturalists. It is characterized by the spheroid development of its ex-
ternal ear, which nearly surrounds the orbit, and has led to its appella-
tion, for it may truly be said to be a Bat whose eye is comprehended
within its ear. Its livery is different, at different periods of the year, the
Tesult, it would appear, of a double moult. A great many have been
examined, and they are wonderfully constant in their markings. The
face of this animal is obtuse, the ears very short, quite round, and not
united, with their external margin directed forwards nearly to the com-
missure of the lips, and having a few short hairs within; the tragus is
leaf-shaped, and inclined inwards. The head is small and short, and the
eyes nearly hid by the ears; the body is stout ; and the tail as long as it
and the head put together; the membranes very ample. The fur is
bushy, very short, close, cottony, smooth, and shining above, crisp be-
neath. The adult, in both sexes, has the head, neck, and shoulders, of
a deep marone colour, and the remaining superior parts perfectly black
and shining; the chin, throat, and chest, are rosy-brown; and the under
part of the body is a dull black; the abdomen is a light brown, and the
alar membranes are clad underneath: this is their livery in the spring.
In autumn, all the upper parts are sooty-black, without a trace of the
marone-tint, and below greyish-black. In the month of January the fur
is parti-coloured, being of the marone-shade on the neck, and brown on
the chest. The entire length is between four and four and a half inches;
the expanse twelve. This Bat is very common in Java, where, however,
it rarely appears in the plains, but in rocky and woody regions. It is
also noticed in the neighbouring islands, as far as Japan ; its retreats are
in caverns and clefts of the rock, and hence its capture is difficult.—(Fig.
in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 53, figs. 1 and 2.)

_ 42. V. CIRCUMDATUS.—THE EDGED BAT.

We owe the discovery of this new species to MM. Boie and Macklot,
who have transmitted many specimens from Java to Leyden. The tail
and interfemoral membrane are short, and the latter is clad above, near
its base; the muzzle is very short and obtuse ; tlie ears are broad, black,

and edged with a white margin, whence its name; they are more broad
than high, and scooped out at their external margin. The fur is long,
bushy, and very lustrous. The hairs are bicoloured: its robe above is
deep black, the tips being reddish-marone ; beneath the chest is black,
with red tips; the abdomen black, with ash-coloured tips; the base of
the ears is yellow, their edges yellowish-white ; the rest of the ears, and
all the membranes, are quite black. The length is four and a half inches,
the breadth twelve.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 53, figs. 3 and 4.)

43, V. BRACHYPTERUS.—_THE SHORT-WINGED BAT.

The individual which supplied M. Temminck with the characters of
this Bat was captured at Padang, in Sumatra. The dimensions of this
animal were in length 3”. 3’. in breadth 8.” (French.) It is remarkable
for the shortness of its wings in relation to the size of its body. The
muzzle is obtuse, and remarkably broad ; the nostrils apart; the ears are
large, and developed sidewise; they would be perfectly round save for
the scooping out on the external margin. The tragus is like an oval leaf,
of which the point is bare, and the base well clad. All the four upper
incisors are remarkably small. The fur is short and smooth, and ex-
tends along the upper part of the flanks, and round the coccyx, with the
appearance of a rihbon. The colour, above, is nearly a black-brown,
beneath, amber-brown, with the membranes black.—(Fig. in Temm.
Mon. II. pl. 58, figs. 5 and 6.)

44, V. IMBRICATUS.—THE IMBRICATED BAT.

This Java species, there called Zow-o-lescar, is a striking representa-
tion of the European Pipistrelle, and hence M. Kuhl transmitted many
to Europe, under the name of the Pipistrelloid Bat; as, however, Dr
Horsfield had the right of priority, (Zool. Research. Sp. 51,) thename he
affixed should, of course, be retained. One of the specimens in the
Leyden Museum is pie-bald, having the cutaneous system pure white,
irregularly marked with large brown spots, and is probably an albino.
The entire length of this species is about 3”. ; the expanse 9”. ; the ears
are broad, short, and nearly round; the muzzle obtuse; nostrils apart ;
the tragus short, obtuse, round; a band of small and very fine hairs runs
the whole length of and underneath the vertebrae of the tail, hence the
animal’s name. The fur, short, smooth, and abundant, is differently
coloured in the two sexes. The male, above, is black-brown, or bistre-
coloured; beneath, is black, tipped reddish, giving the parts a falcon cast.
The female is, above, reddish-brown, and beneath, redder than in the
male; the young is generally fawn-coloured.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II.
pl. 54, figs. 1, 2, 2.

45. V. PACHYPUS—THE THICK-FOOTED BAT.

The size of this species is less than the common Bat of this country—
the Pipistrelle—and the expanse, especially, is less ; the thumb nail is
remarkably short, and supplied with a callosity. The head is very de-
pressed ; the muzzle obtuse; the ears broader than high, and the lower
lobe large; the tragus is short and roundish. The feet are remarkable,
the metatarsus being very long, and the toes very short ; the point of the
tail is free ; the cranium, likewise, and chanfrin, are depressed. The fur
is bicoloured, and without any apparent difference in the sexes; above,
it is of a beautiful marone-colour, more or less shining, the points of the
hair being of this colour, and their base golden red; on the chest tne
hairs are brown, tipped with red; the abdomen is dull brown. The en-
tire length is about 3”., the expanse 7. This animal is well known in
Java and Sumatra, whence M. Van Hasselt has sent many to Europe.—
(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 54, figs. 4, 5, 6.)

46. V. MACROTIS._THE GREAT-EARED BAT.

This remarkable species may be easily distinguished, at the first glance,
from all its congeners, by the large size of the ears, compared to that of
the body, and by its cutaneous system, which is delicate, diaphanous,
and much veined. The face is obtuse; the nostrils apart; the ear is
large, and prolonged to the cheek; the tragus is also large, like a curved
leaf. The inner pair of incisors are broad and bifid, the outer short and
pointed ; the six below are very small, fine, and smooth. The fur is of
mean length, smooth, and of one colour over the whole body, being a
bistre-brown, like the peel of the onion; the muzzle is black. The
membranes are very diaphanous, somewhat brownish near the body, and
elsewhere of a pale white, covered throughout with numerous brown
veins; the ears and all the toes are brown, and there is no difference in
the markings of the sexes. ‘The entire length is 3”., the expanse a trifle
more than 8’.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 54, figs. 7, 8.)

52

47, V. HARPYIA.—THE HARPY BAT.

The Harpy Bat is remarkable for the shape ofits snout, which, though
very obtuse, yet appears elongated, owing to its two nasal tubes, which
separate from each other, advance beyond the lips, and exhibit precisely
the configuration we have before described in the formation of Pallas’,
Tube-nosed Roussette, Harpyia Pallasii. It is, moreover, dis-
tinguishable from all others, by its feet being clothed to the very nails,
and from its interfemoral being clad with transparent hairs above, and
painted below with numerous diagonal and concentric lines, formed by
small papilla, whence the diverging hairs arise. The incisors above
are of unequal length, those below are crowded, and bi-lobed. The fur
is abundant, long,-and frizzled, cottony, and bi-coloured above, of one
colour beneath. The head, neck, and body, are ofa beautiful whitish-grey,
but the points of the hair being of a lively red, confers on these parts a rosy
ash tint; the alar membrane above, and the feet and toes, are covered with
bright red hair. Underneath the marking is reddish-grey, the sides of
the chest being red. The female is somewhat paler than the male. The
total length is four and a half inches, the width thirteen. Its habitat
is Java, where, however, it appears to be scarce, residing in caverns.—
(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 55, figs. 5, 6.)

48. V. PAPILLOSUS.—THE PIMPLED BAT.

The body of this Bat is slim in proportion to the great expanse of the
wings ; the cutaneous system is much developed, and there is a row of
very small pimples, forming a border, which runs all along the interfemoral
membrane, and distinguishes this species from any other. The ears are
very distant, and broader than high, nearly round, and internally pro-
vided with a marked fold of the skin; there is, moreover, a longitudinal
fold, whereby the organ may be closed ; the tragus is very long, filiform,
and bodkin-like. The forehead is elevated, and the cranium round. The
fur is abundant, very bushy, soft, cottony, and frizzled ; above it is of a
deep brown colour, with a rosy tint at the point, all the rest, to the root,
being silvery-grey. The neck, chest, and coccyx, are reddish; the flanks
are brown; and the abdomen red. The membranes are very diaphanous,
and much veined; the row of pimples is whitish, and not supporting any
hair. Total length, nearly four inches, breadth, twelve. This animal
has been procured both from Java and Sumatra, but appears scarce, M.
Temminck informing us that, whilst MM. Kuhl and Van Hasselt sent
home hundreds of others, they have only transmitted two specimens of
this.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 55, figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4.)

49. V. ADVERSUS.—THE CROSS-TOOTHED BAT

This species is describedby Dr Horsfield, in his Zoological Researches,
(No. viii. 2,) but must be rare, as M. Temminck has never received a
specimen of it. The teeth come within the usual formula, but the upper
incisors, though they have plenty of room, have such diverging points, that
the lobes of the teeth, on both sides, cross each other. The head is
conical; the chanfrin oblong; elevated at the back part; the muzzle is
broad ; the ears straight, obtuse, as long as the head, bent backwards,
and terminating by asmall basal lobe. The interfemoral membrane is ir-
regularly veined, and marked with obscure points. Its length is three
inches, three lines; its breadth ten inches.

50. V. HARDWICKII.—HARDWICK’S BAT.

General Hardwick's Bat was also first introduced to notice by Dr
Horsfield. It is not very common in Java; norin Sumatra, where it
has also been found, does it appear to abound. In size it is somewhat
less than our Pipistrelle ; the ear is broader than high, scooped out in the
middle, furnished with a lobe, and abutting near the commissure of the
lips. This Bat, like the pimpled one, has a longitudinal fold, whereby
the organ is closed, the external border folding over the internal; the
tragus is very long, and filiform. The muzzle is short and pointed; the
membranes diaphanous ; the fur soft, cottony, and somewhat frizzled ;
above, it is of a light brownish-grey colour, and beneath, of a brownish-
grey, with the points of arosy hue. ‘The entire length is three inches,
breadth, eight.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. figs. 7, 8, and 9.)

51, V. PICTUS.—_THE STRIPED BAT.

The Piclus of Linneus, Pallas, Horsfield, and others, the Striped Bat
of Pennant, seems to be widely spread over the Continent of India; it
also abounds in Java, Borneo, and Sumatra, although its existence in
Ceylon is more doubtful. During the day it finds a retreat at the foot,
and hides under the great leaves of the Musa sapientium. 'The ears are
large, oval, and slightly cut out at the external margin; the operculum
is long and oval-shaped; a border of short hairs runs along the edge of
the interfemoral membrane ; the feet are well covered with fur; the fore-
head is elevated, and the cranium rounded. The fur is cottony, and much

ORDER CHIROPTERA—GENUS VESPERTILIO.

frizzled ; above, it is of a yery shining golden-red colour, below, reddish,
the sides of the neck and flanks more decidedly so. The alar membranes,
as far as the fingers, and the whole of the interfemoral, are more or less
reddish, and are especially red near the flanks, and at the coccyx ; be-
tween the fingers they are of a dull black; a tinting which, though con-
spicuous on the living animal, cannot be perceived on the preserved
one. The length is three inches, the width, nine.—(Fig. in Temm,
Mon. II. pl. 56, figs. 1, 2, and 3.)

52. V. SUILLUS.—THE SWINE BAT.

This singular little Bat is most readily distinguished from its congeners
by many peculiar characters. Its small head terminates in a prominent
snout, in which there are two prominent tubes. Its ears, at their outer
margin, have a projection, which is furnished with a longitudinal fold;
the tragus is long, filiform, and pointed; the alar membranes are very
ample, and take their attachment from the feet, not at the first articula-
tion of the metatarsus of the external toe, but at its unguinal phalanx.
The tail is short, and the membrane cut transversely, so that its point
extends somewhat beyond it. The fur is bushy, long, woolly, and bi-
coloured; the whole of the interfemoral membrane, having edges cury-
ed, as are the toes, with transparent hair. The upper parts of the body
are bright-red, the under, a pale isabelle-colour, the flanks ash-coloured,
the skin reddish. The total length is two and a half inches, the breadth,
seven anda half. This new species has been sent from Java, by the
Netherland Naturalists : it flies very rapidly, and, during the day, con-
ceals itself under the AZusa sapientium. It is also found in Sumatra.—(Fig.
in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 56, figs. 4, 5, and 6.)

53. V. HASSELTII.—HASSELT’S BAT.

This remarkable species is distinguished by a dark fur, whichis cottony,
and a very diaphanous cutaneous system; the alar membrane takes
its attachment from the apophysis of the tibia, leaving the metatarsus

free ; the muzzle is somewhat long; the ears larger than wide, round

at the points; the tragus is lance-shaped, and obtuse at the extremity.

The very short furis cottony throughout ; above, the colour is light
mouse-coloured, grey at the point, the roots being black, beneath, white ;
the interfemoral membrane has a fringe of transparent hairs, the nails
are white. The entire length is a trifle above 3”, the width 9”.

This species was captured by M. Van Hasselt in Java, and sent to

Leyden.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. pl. 56, figs. 7 and 8.)
54, V. HORSFIELDII.—HORSFIELD’S BAT.

Horsfield’s Bat is a new species, which has recently been sent from
the neighbourhood of Buitenzorg, in Java, to Leyden, and which the —

distinguished Professor has designated after the able Naturalist whose

labours have added so much to our knowledge of the Natural History of
Its muzzle is
The ears of mean length,

Java. Its size ‘corresponds to that of the Barbastelle.
pointed, and its nostrils somewhat tubercular.
are narrow, and somewhat inclined backwards, round at the end, and
scooped in the margin; the tragus is straight, lance-shaped ; the toes are
long and strong; the alar membrane takes its attachnient from the base

of the metatarsus, and some very minute white bristles are studding over
The

the lower part of the interfemoral; the point of the tail is free.
odoriferous glands are large; they commence beneath the nasal tubes,
and completely go round the orbits.
smooth, extending over the base of the interfemoral. In the male, all
the superior parts are black, the sides of the neck and the chest brown; the

flanks dark grizzly ; there is a whitish streak along the medial line of the aba

domen ; the female is somewhat more grey above. The length is somewhat

above 3”, the width, 10”.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. pl. 56, figs. 9, 10,

and 11.)
55. V. TRALATITIUS.—THE TRALATITE BAT.

The Tralatite Bat of Dr Horsfield, the Lowo-manir of the Malays, is
very common in Java, and is also found in Sumatra. The females have
one, and sometimes two, at a birth; its habits are not unlike those of
the Pipistrelle. Its muzzle is very short, somewhat pointed; the ears
oblong, and much scooped at their external margin; the tragus is shaped
like the willow-leaf, with a round point; the toes are very short, and
the membrane rises from the outer one. The interfemoral membrane is
chagrined beneath, and very fine, small, grey bristles rise in transversal
lines from the projecting points. The odoriferous glandsare placed on each
side of the muzzle, near the nostrils, and extend above the eyes, with-
out surrounding the organ, their colour being light yellow. The fur is
cottony, very abundant, though short and smooth; above, it is quite black,
with a drab-brown tip; beneath, it is alsoblack, with the tips white. The
length is three inches, the width about eleven.—(Fig. in Temm, Mon. II.
pl. 57, figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The fur is of mean Jength, and —

THE PROPER BATS. 53

56. V. TENUIS.—THE SLENDER BAT.

The Slender Bat, though nearly resembling, and very difficult to dis-
tinguish from, the -preceding, ( Tralatite,) nevertheless, presents a few
constant characters, on which the specific differences are based. These
are—a shorter and more obtuse muzzle; form generally more slender ; ears
decidedly shorter, less wide, and more pointed. The cranium also pre-
sents this difference, that the maxiliaries are shorter, the cranial cavity
is also smaller, and less projecting, and the chanfrin shorter and wider.
The similar characters, on the other hand, are, the length and dimen-
sions; a similar tragus; very short toes; the attachment of the mem-
branes; and the same appearance of the under face of the interfemoral.
But besides, this animal has only one false molar in each side, which is
strong, whilst the Tralatite has two of very unequal sizes. The Slen-
der Bat thus has five molars, both above and below; the other has six
above and six below. The nature of the fur and the markings are the
same in both. They likewise inhabit the same localities in Java and Su-
matra; but this species has also been discovered in Borneo.—(Fig. in
Temm. Mon. II. pl. 57, figs. 5, 6, and 7.)

57. V. MACELLUS.—THE TINY BAT.

This is another new species, which has been discovered in Borneo by
the Dutch travellers, who have sent four specimens to the Leyden
Museum. Like the preceding, it may most readily be confounded with
the Tralatite, but is distinguished from it uot only by slight modifications
in the forms, but by one striking character. The feet of the Tralatite,
as of the Slender Bat, are extremely small, with very short toes, and
with the metatarsal bones comprised within the attachment of the mem-
branes; whilst in our present species the feet are strong, the toes are
long, and the claws crooked, with the metatarsal bones quite free ; the
muzzle, too, is stouter; the wings not so long; the interfemoral mem-
brane less ample, and the tail shorter. In the two preceding, the tail
is quite enveloped, whilst in this one the point is free, and the ears are
atrifle longer. There is also a difference in the dental formula; the
Tralatite has six molars above and beneath, the Jenuzs has five above
and below, and the Mace/lus has four above, without any trace of a
false molar, and five below. The only difference in the robe is, that in
this animal the fur is short and shining: the colours and size are nearly

the same.
58. V. ORELAS.—_THE OREIDE (OR MOUNTAIN) BAT.

This beautiful species, strongly characterized, and easily distinguished
from its numerous congeners, has been received by M. Temminck from
India. The size and forms are like the Pipistrelle of Europe, but the
membranes are larger and more developed, rising from the toes: the
thumb is armed with a strong crooked claw ; the ears are distant, broad,
and long, with around point, of a clear or yellowish colour at their
base, and quite naked; the narrow tragus is long, straight, and filiform.
The muzzle is short and compressed, terminating in a point; the upper
lip has a double row of moustachios on it, the lower one short, the other
ong, with the hairs turned upwards; there are also a few transparent
ones on the lower lip. The fur is every where abundant and long; the
Membranes are naked, with the exception of a few hairs at the base of
the upper surface of the interfemoral. It is bi-coloured throughout ;
above, blackish at the root, the rest umber-brown, and shining; the
Moustachios are black; beneath the roots are dull black, the lips grey ;
the membranes and ears are blackish-brown. Length about 8” ; width 9”.

59. V. MACRODACTYLUS.—THE LARGE-TOED BAT.

This is one of the Japanese species of Bats, which the natives con-
found under the appellation of Komuli, and which has been distinguish-
ed in Europe. It is about the size of Daubenton’s Bat; the muzzle is
somewhat long and pointed; the ears are long and straight, not wide,
and lobeless, scooped on the outer margin, and pointed at the ex-
tremity ; the tragus is long, narrow, awl-shaped, and pointed. The feet
and toes are very long, and the latter are studded with a few hairs;
the claws are strong and whitish; the tail very short, and free at the
tip. The fur is short, cottony, and abundant; the base of the upper
side of the interfemoral is clad. The colour, above aud below, is that
of smoke-black, the points of the hair beneath being grizzly, so
that the abdomen appears whitish. The cutaneous system is a deep
brown. The length is 3’, the breadth between 9” and 10”.—(Fig. in
Tem. Mon. II. pl. 58, figs. 3, 4, and 5.)

60. V. ABRAMUS.—THE ABRAME BAT.

The Abrame Bat of the Japanese, whose name is here retained, has
been sent to Leyden by M. de’ Siebold. Itis somewhat Jess than the
Pipistrelle ; the ears are oval, and round at the point, the outer margin

VOL. IL.

being prolonged by a great lobe, to the commissure of the lips; the
tragus is leaf-shaped, somewhat curved. The muzzle is very short, and
slightly pointed; the feet too are short; the side membranes, and. the
base of the interfemoral, being clad. The fur of the superior parts of the
body is black, with fawn-coloured tips, the stripe along the flanks, and
at the base of the interfemoral, being fawn. Underneath, the colour is
black, tipped with whitish-grey. The length reaches to 3”, the expanse
to 8”.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 58, figs. 1 and 2.)

61. V. AAOKOMULI.—THE AKOKOMULI BAT.

This new species, like the preceding, has been discovered in Japan
by MM. de Siebold and Biirger. It is a trifle larger than the preceding,
and has a longer and broader muzzle, and larger ears; the feet and toes
are very short; strong and long moustachios adorn the lips; the tragus
is leaf-shaped, round at the point. The base of the interfemoral mem-
brane is clad above. The fur of the male is mouse-coloured above, the
tips having a reddish fawn tint; beneath black, with light grey points,
the flanks and abdomen white. The female is of a russet-brown above ;
beneath, black tipped with light red. The length is 3”, the width 9”.
—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 57, figs. 8 and 9.)

Section [V. American SPECIES.
62. V. PHEOPS.—THE BLACK-FACED BAT.

This is probably the Phaiops of Rafinesque, which is alluded to in a
note in Desmarest’s Mammalogie, (p. 135, nt. 5;) but M. Temminck has
taken his description from individuals he has himself received from Ten-
nessee. It is about the size of the Murinus, but the tail is not at all free,
and all the membranes are smooth; the ears are of medium length, much
scooped out at their exterior margin, so that a lobe is formed at their
base, and the rounded point is bent backwards; the tragus is shaped like
the willow-leaf. The fur is short, uniform in colour throughout, and
smooth; above, it is bay-coloured or brown, strongly tinted with red;
beneath, a lighter bay; the face and membranes are black. The length
is 44”, the breadth 13”.

63. V. PULVERULENTUS.—THE POWDERED BAT.

The Powdered Bat, which derives its name from the appearance of its
coat, was discovered by Prince Maximilian de Wied, during his journey
in the Rocky Mountains of North America, on the banks of the Missouri.
It closely resembles our Parti-coloured Bat, in its general form, and in
the markings of the upper parts of the body ; but is specifically different
from the European species, by its being smaller in size, by its interfemo-
ral membrane being clad all over on both sides, and by the under part of
its body being differently coloured. Its muzzle is broad and obtuse; the
ears are broader than high, roundish, and clad half way up; the tragus
is hatchet-shaped ; the tail short; the interfemoral membrane abundant-
ly clad above, though less at the edge than the origin ; clad also beneath,
but with white transparent hair, and in concentric lines ; the toes are also
clad on their upper surface. The fur is long, silky, and bi-coloured
throughout, and yet tke animal is all of one uniform colour. The hair is
of a very deep marone colour, tipt with white, so that the whole surface
appears as if besprinkled with white powder. The length is 33”, the
breadth 10”.

64. V. URSINUS.—THE URSINE BAT.

This is another new species which was discovered by the Prince de
Neuwied, on the banks of the Missouri, and the description of which has
been supplied by that eminent individual to M. Temminck; it is based on
the examination of seven individuals. The head is large ; the muzzle long,
broad, and somewhat depressed; the nostrils are large, opening cross-
shaped at the side, and separated by a groove; the ears are oval, and
much higher than the summit of the head, vertical on their posterior
margin, and somewhat scooped near the point; the tragus is long, and
lance-shaped, blunt at the point; the concha is clad at the base exter-
nally, the thumb of the strong wings is armed with a very crooked claw.
The tail is long, with its tip free, and the membrane is marked beneath,
with parallel rays, which give origin to a few fine bristles. The toe nails
are very long, strong, andcurved. The four incisors above are close set ;
the six below are tri-lobed. The fur is long, silky, and shining; above,
of a lustrous umber-brown, beneath lighter ; each hair is grey near its
root. The membranes and ears are black. The total length about 4”,
the expanse about 11”.

65. V. CAROLINENSIS.—THE CAROLINA BAT.

The Carolina Bat of Geoffroy, Godman, and others, has its ears as
long as its head, oblong, and half clad externally; the muzzle is some-
what pointed, and the nostrils approximate ; the tragus shaped like a

£0)

54 ORDER CHIROPTERA.—GENUS VESPERTILIO. oH

willow leaf, and half the length of the concha; the point of the tail is
free. The fur is bi-coloured throughout, the upper parts being of a ma-
rone-brown, the roots being dark ash-colour; the inferior parts are ash-
yellow, having the roots brown. The total length about 23”, the ex-
panse 10”. This species is frequently captured at Charlestown.—(Fig.
in Temm. Mon. II. fig. 1.)

66. V. CAROLII.—PRINCE CHARLES’ BAT.

The Prince of Musignano has presented many specimens of this Bat
to the Leyden Museum, which, not havirg been previously described,
M. Temminck has affixed his name to: it has been captured in the
neighbourhood of Philadelphia and New York. It is of the size and
forms of the Pipistrelle, but with longer ears. The face is obtuse; the
nostrils wide apart; the ears of medium size, oval, somewhat scooped
out at the external margin, without lobe or anterior prolongation. The
fur is everywhere bi-coloured. The cheeks, sides of the neck, and all
the upper parts of the body, are of a russet-brown, the roots of the hair
being black; beneath, the colour is yellowish-white at the point, and
deep brown at the root, so that, on the whole, the tint is yellowish-ash.
When a year old, the wing is more sombre. The total length is nearly
34”, the expanse 9”.

67. V. ERYTHRODACTYLUS.—THE RED-TOED BAT.

It is to the same distinguished Naturalist we are indebted for the dis-
covery and first description of this Bat, which has been procured in the
neighbourhood of Philadelphia. It is less than the Pipistrelle. All
the fore-arm, the base of the fingers. and the interdigital membrane of
the first finger, are red, the other parts of the membranes are black.
The ears are clad from their base to more than a half of their extent ;
they are small and oval; the tragus is willow-shaped; the tail is very
long, and has the tip exclusively free; the interfemoral membrane is
about half clad above, and radiated beneath, in lozenge-shaped veins,
whence very short bristles arise, somewhat distant from each other. The
fur is long, fine, and silky above; tri-coloured, and bi-coloured below.
All the superior parts have a reddish-brown tint, somewhat yellowish
about the head and neck, the hairs being black at the base, then yellowish,
and lastly, reddish-brown; the upper part of the interfemoral membrane
is abundantly clad; beneath, it is deep brown at the base, and reddish-
brown towards the margin. The length reaches to 3”, the breadth to 8”.

68. V. FERRUGINEUS.—THE FERRUGINOUS BAT.

This species has been sent to Leyden from Dutch Guiana. It is
about the size, and has the general appearance of Daubenton’s Bat; the
muzzle is short and obtuse ; the ears narrow, scooped out at the poste-
rior margin, and towards the point; the tragus short, and shaped like the
willow leaf; the tail very long, with a free point, with a part of the root co-
vered with hair; the toe nails ofa yellow-white colour. Of the four upper
incisors, the two internal are long, broad, and sharp edged, the external
short and bifid. The fur is short and smooth, and bi-coloured through-
out. Above, the colour is of a dead leaf, or reddish, more or less pure,
the base being blackish-brown; beneath, all the hairs at the root have
a reddish-black hue, and are pure white towards the tip. These two tints
in a short fur form a medley of black and white. The membranes and
ears, in the specimens kept in spirits-of-wine, are reddish-brown. The
total length is somewhat above 4”, the expanse about 12’.—(Fig. in
Temm. Mon. II. pl. 58, fig. 2.)

69. V. VELATUS.—THE VEILED BAT.

This is the Plecotus Velatus of M. Isidore Geoffroy, (Ann. des Scien.
Nat. III. p. 446,) but as the ears are not united in the front, it could,
with no propriety whatever, be so placed. It is somewhat less than the
Long-eared Bat of Europe, (No. 5,) and the ears are not so long, but
broader, and more developed; the twoears, without being united, touch
each other, on the menial line of the cranium, through means of a lateral
prolongation ; they have two longitudinal folds, one internal, running
from the base to the point, and the other forms the sloping prolongation.
The tragus is half the length of the ear, and is shaped like a long leaf;
the muzzle is long, the nostrils approximate, and are tubular; a part of
the face is naked; the interfemoral membrane is broad, and supported to
half its extent by the metatarsal spurs. The fur is short, but fine and
soft. The superior parts are of a shining blackish-brown hue; the in-
ferior are of an ash-brown colour, shaded with grey near the pubis, and
becoming whitish-grey on the fur of the posterior extremities. The inte-
rior incisors are long, strong, and converging; the external so small as
to be scarcely visible. The entire length is about 4”, the expanse 12”.
This species is common in Brazil.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 58,
fig. 3.)

70. V. HILARII.—ST. HILAIRE’S BAT.

The size of this Bat does not quite equal that of the Serotine of |
Europe. The ears are small, triangular, nearly as broad as high, but lite |
tle scooped out at the external margin, and clad at their base; the tragus |
is of a prolonged forin. The body is nearly as long as the arm and fore-
arm put together; the tail as long as the fore-arm, and supporting anin- |
terfemoral membrane, which is quite naked. The fur is variable, passing
above, from a black-brown to a marone-brown, and below, from grey to |
reddish-brown. The total length, according to M. Geoffroy, (Ann. des
Scien. II. 441,) is 43”, and the expanse 113”, (French.) This species,
which was captured in the Brazil missions, requires further elucidation.

71. V. NIGRICANS.—THE DARK-COLOURED BAT.

Prince de Wied Neuwied, who was the first to take notice of this
species, (Natur. Brasil, p. 267,) states, that captured near the river Iri-
tiba, it has resemblance to the Obscure Brown, the 12th Bat of D’Azara, —
and indicated by M. Geoffroy (Ann. du Mus.) as the V. Albescens. It |
is a very small species, with a very small head and short snout; the |
ears are of medium length, roundish at their internal edge, straight at |
their external, and with a round point turned outwards; the tragus is
nearly half the size of the concha, very narrow, linear, and pointed; |
the tail is half the length of the body, and wholly engaged in the mem- |
brane. The alar membranes are straight and long. The fur, over the |
whole body, is a very deep greyish-brown, approaching to black, ab |
though the abdomen is a trifle lighter than the back. The total lengthis |
nearly 3”, the expanse 9”.

72. V. LEUCOGASTER.—THE WHITE-BELLIED BAT.

It is to the Prince de Wied Neuwied that we are also indebted for our |
knowledge of this Bat, which was discovered on the banks of the Mucuri,
in the forests which bordered the streams, where it hooked itself during |
the day to old trees, after almost touching the water. The head is |
short, the muzzle very short, and obtuse, with the nostrils apart; the ©
ears are long, straight, with the terminating edge round, and not sloped; ©
the tragus of medium size, straight, slender, and pointed; the delicate |
point of the tail is free. Qne-third of the interfemoral membrane is |
covered with hair; the claws of the toes are strong, and covered with —
hair. The fur is bushy and silky, especially over the muzzle, and the |
former is covered with hair. ‘The superior parts are of a blackish-
brown colour, the tips of the hair being yellowish-grey ; the throat and
sides of the chest are blackish-brown; the middle of the chest is pale |
brownish-grey, and the abdomen greyish-white. The hairs of the sides
which cover the alar membrane are whitish. The total length is
3”, the width 10”.—(Fig. in Atlas Beitriig. Natur. Brazil, 13 livraison.)

73. V. ALBESCENS.—THE HOARY BAT.

This is the Bat, No. 12, of D’Azara, (Quad. du Parag. II. 294,)
which cannot with any propriety be identified with the Nigricans dwe |
upon above. M. Natterer likewise found it in the Brazils, and has
supplied specimens to many of the European Museums. It is nearly of ©
the same dimensions of the most common Bat of this country, the Pipis-
trelle ; the expanse, however, and the ears, are somewhat larger ; the |
ear is rather long, pointed, and curved backwards; the tragus is straight, |
awl-shaped, pointed; the muzzle, too, somewhat prolonged and pointed, |
the nostrils tubular and divided. The fine points of the hair of the |
back are brown, those of the coccygeal region brownish-grey, often |
whitish. The furis long and abundant. The entire length is little more |

than 3”, the width than 8”.

74. V. LACTEUS.—THE MILKY BAT.

This is a new species introduced to notice, like many others, by M. |
Temminck. It possesses the size and general appearance of the Pipistrelles
but the flying apparatus is scrimp and feeble in relation to the size of |
the animal’s body; the base of the interfemoral is clad ; the ears are short; —
the tragus very short, and lance-shaped. The fur is long, very bushy, {
and smooth, and pure white all over. All the hairs on the upper parts —
of the body are of two colours, blackish-brown at the base, and pure —
white near the point; on the inferior parts they are reddish-brown at the
base, and pure white at the points; the membranes are yellow. The |
robe, therefore, is completely white when the hairs are lying down, but
parti-coloured when the hair is disturbed. The total length is nearly
3”, the expanse 7”. It is clear that this species should not be re-
garded as an Albino, two individuals in every respect similar having |
been observed. Another and stronger reason also opposes this idea,
namely, that if these individuals were Albinos, the whiteness of the hairs |

THE PROPER BATS. ;

would be general, whereas the hair generally is black, and it is only the
points that are white, Their habitat is far from being ascertained, though
it is probably South America, as the individuals in the Leyden Museum
were discovered in a collection which was made in that part of the world.
The examination of those which have come to hand proves that they
were young, and probably the adult will be of much larger dimensions.

75. V. PARVULUS.—THE LITTLE BAT.

M, Natterer, of Vienna, captured this Bat in the Brazils, and deposit-
ed specimens in Austria and Holland. M. Temminck considers it as new.
It is less than the Pipistrelle of Europe. The ears are small, straight,
pointed, with a very distinct lobe at the lower part; the tragus too is
straight, shaped like the willow-leaf, with an external leaf at its base ; the
muzzle is very short and obtuse, and there is a very large wart on the
lower lip: the interfemoral membrane is clad both above and below. The
fur is bushy, but not very long; the superior parts are of a dull black,
the sides of the neck, and lateral parts of the chest, are more dingy than
the back; the front of the neck, and the mesial line of the abdomen,
and the sides, have the points of the hair brown; an isabelle hue to-
wards the limbs. The total length is 23”, the expanse 7”.

76. V. ZNOBARBUS.—THE RED-BEARDED BAT.

The size of this animal is much less than the Pipistrelle of Europe,
and the expanse, especially, is very limited. The muzzle is short; the
ears as broad as long, round at the point; the tragus is curved towards
the head. The tail is very short, and its delicate point is free; the base
only of the upper surface of the interfemoral membrane is clad. The fur
is long, and bi-coloured throughout. Above, it is reddish-brown, the
base of the hair being black; the forehead, cheeks, and chin, are red;

‘the sides of the neck reddish ; the pubic region pure white ; the abdomen

whitish, the flanks light reddish, but in all these places the roots of the
hair are black. The total length is 2” 3’”, the breadth 64”, (French.)
The habitat of this species is not ascertained, being grounded on a single
female specimen which was sent from South America.—(Fig. in Temm.
Mon. II. pl. 58, fig. 4.)

77. V. ARSINOE.—ARSINOE’S BAT.

M. Temminck regards this as a new species, an old female having
reached Leyden from Surinam. It has the same dimensions and forms
as the Whiskered Bat of Europe. (See No. 8.) Its head is short and
depressed ; its muzzle obtuse; its ears conical, with a round point, and
no scooping out; the tragus straight, and lance-shaped. There are six
molar teeth above and below, two of which, in each jaw, are false. The

fur is very short, smooth, and spare, and the membranes are totally naked,

The upper parts of the body are perfectly black and shining; the lower
‘of a blackish-brown, the tips being fawn-coloured. The robe on the
flanks, and round the coccyx, are larger than on the chest, of a blackish
brown, tipt with white; this marking forms, round the body, a kind of
whitish grey. ‘The total length is upwards of 24”, the expanse more
than 8”.

’ 78. V. POLYTHRIX.—THE POLYTHRIX BAT.

‘

This, and the preceding species, were transmitted by M. Auguste St
Hilaire from the Brazils, and were described by his brother, M. Isidore,
in the Ann. des Scien. Nat. t. 3. They are unaccompanied, however,
with figures, which is a great deficiency, so much so, as to leave some
doubt as to their being distinct from those described by the Prince de
Wied. However, they probably are. The size of this one is somewhat
greater than that of the Pipistrelle. Its ears are small, larger than they
are broad, and scooped out at their external margin; the body is nearly
as long as the arm and fore-arm ; the tail as long as the fore-arm only.
The interfemoral membrane is sparingly covered on its upper face with
hair; the face is much clad, being covered with very long hair; and only
the end of the snout is left naked. The superabundance of fur gives it
aremarkable and hideous appearance. The fur is soft, abundant, and
substantial; above, it is of a very deep marone colour, and below, a
marone, slightly verging to grey. The total length is 33”, and width 9”,
(French.) ‘There is a specimen in the Paris Museum.

79. V. LEVIS.—THE SWIFT BAT.

This second species, described by M. Isidore Geoffroy, from the Brazils,
is smaller than the Pipistrelle of Europe, but is not less remarkable for
the large development of all its membranes. Its ears are nearly twice the
size of those of the preceding species, and its tragus is prolonged in near-
ly the same proportions, at the same time resembling them in shape.
The tail is as long as the body, and the interfemoral membrane is greatly
developed, almost equalling the length of the fore-arm. The face is sen-

55

sibly less covered with hair than the Polythrix, and the interfemoral mem-
brane is scarcely at all clad. The colours are nearly the same as the
preceding. The total length is 2” 9”, the expanse 9”.

80. V. CHILOENSIS.—THE CHILOE BAT.

This species was discovered by Mr Darwin, in the recent expedition
of the Beagle, and has been described by Mr Waterhouse, in the ‘‘Zoo-
Locy of that voyage.” The colours and size of this species likewise
resemble the Pipistrelle; whilst, at the same time, the wings are broader,
the fore-arm, leg, and tail, are longer, and the tragus is also longer and
straighter. The snout is obtuse, and supplied with numerous small
bristles. The forehead is concave; the ears narrow and pointed, mar-
ginated externally, and supplied with four transversal folds ; the tragus
is long, filiform, pointed, and notched externally. A small protuberance
is placed on the chin, from which proceed a few radiating hairs; the tail
is free at its point. The fur is of medium length, and of a beautiful
uniform brown colour; it extends to the base of the interfemoral, both
above and below; the rest of this membrane is naked and biack, as are
also the wings. The total length is2” 1)’, the expanse is 8” 3’”. This
species was captured in the island Chiloé.—(Fig. in Zool. Voy. of the
Beagle, pl. 3.)

These eighty species, which we have now discussed as amply as our
limits admit, include the whole number of those which M. Temminck, in
his late Monograph, considers as established on sufficient and satisfactory
grounds. To these he adds a short notice of many other species, of which
the original notices have been more superficial, and somewhat incomplete;
and as this information may be useful, under certain circumstances, to
many inquirers, we shall here give an abridgment of his valuable remarks.
To these, still following his guidance, we shall subjoin an account of ten
species, of which there are specimens in the Paris Museum, and which
were recently described by the late M. F. Cuvier, in the first vol. of the
Nouvelles Annales du Mus. d’Hist. Nat. Aud this accomplished, we
believe we have omitted nothing whereby we may bring our account of
this genus, as of those which have gone before, up to the level of the
most recent intelligence which has been accumulated upon this very ex-
tensive order.

DOUBTFUL SPECIES.
( European.)

We adduce first the five European species which M. Brehm of Reuthen-
dorf pretends (we use M. Temminck’s expression) to have discovered in
his immediate neighbourhood. He describes them in his Ornis, 3d No.,
in these terms. The measurements are upon the scale of the Rheinland
foot :—

1. Vesrertitio Susmurinus.—The ears are much shorter than the
head; the upper canine has no conspicuous edge behind, so that the first
false molar is isolated, the second false is most conspicuous ; the two false
molars are tolerably long and pointed. The expanse is from seventeen to
eighteen inches. The upper parts of the body are brownish, the lower
light grey, passing into white; the muzzle dark grey. It delights in the
hollows of fruit trees. This animal, M. Temminck says, may be a va-
riety of the Murinus.

2. V. Wiepu.—Ears very small; the free part of the tail 23’” long;
breadth of the wings medium size ; the fur long and silky ; expanse from
153” to 16”. The upper parts of the body of a deep brownish-grey ;
the lower, light grey; the muzzle greyish-black ; the membranes above
blackish-grey ; beneath, greyish-black. M. Brehm says, tliat this species
is very rare in his locality. It is not much smaller than the Myotis, but
is distinguished from it by its small ears, its narrower wings—by its long
fur, and peculiar marking.

3. V. Oxentt.—Ears small; teeth large; wings of medium size; tip of
the tail 3” free ; fur of medium length, and soft; above, brownish-black,
beneath, schisté colour. Expanse from 143” to 15”. This is stated to
be somewhat less than the preceding; the free tip of the tail is longer,
and the marking different. M. Brehm says it is rare.

4, V. Ferrucineus.—The ears short, and roundly oval; fur short, rust
coloured; the wings very narrow; expanse from 15” to 154”. This ap-
pears to be only the Noctula, with a slight variation in the colouring.

5. V. Scuinzu.—The ears are 6’” long, and 2’” shorter than the
head; the tragus is long, and lance-shaped; tip of the tail free, only a
3”; wings broad; so long and soft, that the very short muzzle is en-
tirely hid; the expanse from 9” to 10%; above, it is brownish-black,

56 ORDER CHIROPTERA—GENUS VESPERTILIO.

beneath, whitish, or blackish-ash. This is, unquestionably, according
to M. Temminck, a new European species. Its distinguishing character-
istics are its very long and bushy fur; the hair 3’” or 4” long, which
so completely covers the muzzle, that its point only is visible; the black
ears are of medium length, inclined outwards, and scooped out external-
ly; the tragus is long, awl-shaped, and pointed: the membrane brownish-
black, lighter beneath, The marking above is blackish-brown, each hair
being black at the root, and brown at the point; beneath, it is greyish-
black, the tips of the hair being greyish-white. It appears to be very
rare.

(Asiatic.)

6. V. Timoriensis.—This species is described by M. Geoffroy, (Ann.
du Mus. t. 8,) and was discovered by MM. Peron and Lesueur. Its
ears are broad, the length of the head, and united by a small membrane ;
the tragus shaped like a half heart; its fur is blackish-brown above,
ash-brown on the abdomen; the fur is very bushy, and long, and soft to
the touch. The dimensions are, body, 2” 7”; tail, 1” 5’”; expanse,
10%. It was procured at Timer.—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 56, fig.
10.)

7. V. pr Peron.—The Oreillard de Timor of M. Isid. Geoffroy, (Etudes
Zoolog.) It approaches the Long-eared Bat of Europe, resembling it
generally in size, form, and marking. Itis, however, distinguished by the
size of the tragus: in the European species, this part, far from reaching
the half of the concha, scarcely surpasses the third; whilst in Peron’s it
exceeds the half. There is also a difference in the marking, the fur being
lighter, especially beneath, where it is nearly quite white; the hairs being
black at the root, and white for half their length towards the point;
the hairs beneath, and on the sides of the head, are indeed wholly white.
In two individuals, a male and female, which M. Geoffroy examined,
their markings were precisely the same. The habitat is not ascertained.
—(Fig. in Temm. Mon. II. pl. 56.)

8. V. Matayanus.—It was M. Alfred Duvaucel who transmitted this
species to the Paris Museum. M. F. Cuvier describes it as not unlike
the Murinoides ; the ear is funnel-shaped; the tragus petal-like. The
body throughout is of a light fawn colour, the superior parts somewhat
darker than the inferior ; the membranes are light brown, and moustachios
are conspicuous. The length is 3”, the expanse near 9”.

9. V. Noctua of Sumatra.—Under tnis title M. A. Duvaucel has
sent home another Bat, very like its European namesake, but somewhat
smaller ;—very likely to be, in M. Temminck’s apprehension, the V,
Noctulina previously described.

10. V. Javanm.—M. Busseuil, Surgeon of the Thétis Corvette, cap-
tured this animal in Java. It is very like the Noctulina, the ears scooped,
and the tragus knife-shaped. The colour above is uniform brown, below,
whitish, all the hairs being black at the root. Its length is 2” 8’”, its
width 7”. M. Temmiack thinks it extremely probable this is the young
of the V. Imbricatus.

11. V. Coromanpreti1.—This species has been transmitted by Lesch-
nault from Pondichery, and is unknown to M. Temminck. Its head is
like the Noctulina; its ears notched; its tragus knife-shaped. The up-
per parts of the body are of a yellowish-grey brown, the lower, whitish ;
the hairs are black three-quarters of their length, and of a yellowish-white
at their extremity. The total length is 2” 5’”, the expanse 6” 6”.

(American.)

12. V. Maxmmus.—This Great Bat of Geoffroy, (Ann. Mus. t. 8,) and
of Desmarest, (No. 218,) isthe Great Serotine of Buffon, (Suppl. t. 7,)
and the Nasutus of Dr Shaw. Its ears are described as oval, shorter than
the head; the tragus awl-shaped; the muzzle long and pointed; the hair
on the back four lines long; of the belly, very short; marking, marone-
brown above, light yellow on the flanks, white on the abdomen; the nails
white, and hooked; membranes blackish, The total length, 5” Sie
the expanse, 17” 9”. It inhabits Guiana.—(Fig. in Buff. Supp. pl. 32,
fig. 1.)

13. V. Ruzer of Geoffroy, (loc. cit.) is the Canelle of Azara, (II.
292.) The ear is very acute, 5” high; the tragus awl-shaped; the
muzzle pointed; the upper jaw surpassing the under; the membranes
arising from the metatarsal articulation. The fur is short, cinnamon
coloured, a bright red above, pale yellow, witha rosy tinge beneath. The
length is 8” 1””, the expanse 9” 2’”, (Fr.) It intiabits Paraguay.

14. V. Mavcrr.—This species, as we are informed by Desmarest,
(No. 225,) was discovered in Porto-Rico by M. Maugé, and is described
as somewhat larger than the Barbastelle of Europe. ‘The ears are very
large, united, and scooped externally towards the point, which is round;

tragus pointed half the length of the ear; the muzzle is short, slender,

pointed, forming aright angle with the ears; muzzle broad; nose sepa-
rated by a cartilage, lyre-shaped ; the eyes small, situate at the base of
the tragus. ‘The inner incisors are the largest, somewhat distant and bi- |
fid. The fur is long, silky, blackish-brown above, lighter beneath,
chiefly near the interfemoral membrane, where it is almost white ; mem-
branes dull grey ; the tail almost as long as the body.

15. V. Arcuatus.—The Arcuated Bat of Say (Long’s Exp. Rocky |
Mount. I. 168,) and Godman, (Ann. Nat. Hist. 1. 70,) is described as
having a large head, and ears somewhat shorter, round at the point, and
hairy at the base; the posterior margin is doubly notched, and the anterior |
base is distant from the eyes; the tragus is arched, and obtuse at the
pomt; the interfemoral membrane is naked; the point of the tail free.
Length 5”, expanse 13”.

16. V. Susutarus.—This North American Bat, mentioned by Godman,
(Ann. Nat. Hist. I. 71,) has its ears Jarger than they are wide, and near-
ly as long as the head ; they are half-clad, bulging at their anterior margin,
and extending below the eyes; the tragus is long and awl-shaped. The
hairs above are black at the root, and ash-coloured at the point ; the in-
terfemoral is clad at its base; some scattered hairs are found in the other
part, and along its margins. _ The fur below is yellowish, the base black-
ish; the feet are long; the point of the tail free. The length nearly 3”.

17. V. Grypuus.—This is one of the Bats which has been recently
noticed, as already hinted, by M. F. Cuvier, and which was received from
the neighbourhood of New York. It has the head of the MJurznoides,
and has two false molars on each side of each jaw; the ear is scooped
out, and the tragus knife-shaped. All the upper parts of the body are
yellowish-white, the under grey ; all the hairs, however, being black at the
root. The naked parts of the body are violet-coloured; there are
mystachial bristles on the upper lip and chin. The total length is 2”
11”, the expanse 7” 11”.

q

18. V. Sazarm.—M. Milbert sent this species also from the neighbour-
hood of New York to Paris. According to M. F. Cuvier, its head re- |
sembles that of the Murinoides, and it has two false molars on each side
of each jaw; the ear is scooped out, and the operculum knife-shaped.
All the upper parts of the body are of a greyish marone-brown, and the
lower parts whitish-grey. Where the furis brown, the hairs are darkish
near their root, and they are black where grey. The unclad parts are |

brown, and there are moustachios and a slender beard. The total length
is 2” 1”, the expanse 7” 7”. |

19. V. Grore1anus.—It was Major Leconte who sent this Bat from the —
State of Georgia to the Paris Museum. The head is like that of the —
Murinoides, the ear scooped out, and the tragus awl-shaped. The upper
parts of the body are coloured with a mixture of black and yellowish- |
white, the black prevailing, on account of the shortness of the white
points; the lower parts are, from the same cause, grey ; there are mys-
tachial bristles on tue upper lip and chin. The total length is 2” 8”, the
expanse 7”, (French.)

20. V. Susrravus.—The habitat of this Bat, according to Major i
Leconte, is the same as the last, and the head and ears much resemble it. |
The tragus is shaped hke half a heart; the superior parts of the body are
a light greyish-white, variegated with brown, the inferior are yellowish-_
white; the hairs above being, at their root, .black, then white, and brown
at the tip, and below, being first black, and then yellowish-white; mys-
tachial bristles occur as in the last species. Total length 2” 9’”, ex-
panse 7”.

21. V. Crerxs.—This Bat is also from Georgia. Its head is like that |
of the Serotinordes ; it has no false molar above, and only one below; the ©
ear is scooped; the tragus knife-shaped. The upper parts of the body
are yellowish-brown, the under dull grey; the hairs throughout being
black at the roots. Mystachial bristles are present, as in the preceding.
Total length 3” 6’”, expanse 9”.

22. V. Crassus.—M. Lesueur transmitted this species from New York |
to Paris. Its head resembles the Murinoides; there are two false molars |
on each side of both jaws; the ear is obtuse; the tragus knife-shaped. |
The upper parts of the body are of agreyish marone-brown, the lower _
flaxen, the hairs being darker near the root than at the points. Thesame ~
mystachial bristles are present. The total length is 3” 8”, the expanse

1

SiaiSae

M. Rarinesque very superficially indicates six other species, which he |
describes in nearly the following terms, They all belong to the United _
States :— |

23. V. Cyanorrenus.—The White-winged Bat of Desmarest, (Mon.

THE PROPER BATS. 57

p. 133, note 1.) The whole length 3”, one half being allowed for the
tail ; the ears are longer than the head, and have a tragus ; the fur, dark
grey above, is blueish-grey beneath; the alar membranes are of a deep
blueish-grey; the toes are black. :

24. V. Meranoris.—Rafin. Total length 44”, tail occupying one half,

the expanse 114”; the tragus roundish; the fur blackish above, whitish
beneath ; the membranes dark grey ; the toes black.
_25. V. Catcararus.—Rafin, Total length 4”, expanse 12”; it has
akind of spur on the inner side of the first phalanx; the fur is blackish-
brown above, and deep fawn-colour beneath. The wings are black; the
toes rose-coloured ; the feet are black.

26. V. Monacuus.—Rafin.. The size of the preceding ; the tail equal
to a third of the lengtli, clad above, and wholly enveloped in the mem-
brane ; the ears are small, and hid under the hair, which is very long ;
the fur above is deep reddish-fawn, and beneath fawn; the feet are
black; the membranes dark grey, and the toes and nose rose-coloured.
This is probably the Red-oed Bat already described, (No. 67.)

27. V. PHators.—Rafin. Total length 44”, expanse 13”, that of the
tail 2” 3””; the external pair of upperincisors are larger than the interior,
and bi-lobed ; the fur is dull bay-brown above, and paler beneath; the
face, ears, and alar membranes, are blackish. This seems the identical
animal already described, (No. 62.)

98. V. Mecatoris.—Rafin. Total length 4”, expanse 12”; tail
somewhat less than 2”. The fur is of a deep grey colour above, and of
apale grey beneath; the ears, very large and double, are provided with
a tragus as long as themselves. This is probably our Long-eared Bat
already described, (No. 5.) also found in North America.

Sours America will probably yet supply many new species of Bats.
M. D’Orbigny has indicated one, which isa Rep Bar, in his beautiful
work, Voyage dans l’Amer. Merid. (pl. Il. fig. 5.) As the descriptive
letter-press has not yet been published, we of course cannot more par-
ticularly describe it.

GENUS XXV. FURIA.—THE FURY BATS.

Furta.—Fr. Cuv. Mem. Mus. X VI.—Fisch. Syn. Mam. 552
Mon. Mam. II. 363.

Syn. -—Temm.

GENERIC CHARACTERS,

4 : 221C1(2F+3)M_ 16_,
Tue Dentat Formuta tes ran
Tue Cranium rises nearly at a right angle from the face.
Tue Uprrr Jaw is exceedingly depressed.
bristled with hairs.
Tue Nat only of the thumb projects from the membranes.

This Genus, established by M. Fr. Cuvier, and subsequently adopted

The face is flat-nosed, and

VOL, II.

by others, is based upon a single individual Bat which the French Na-
turalists received from M. Leschenault, who captured it in his first jour-
neyin America. There is no-difference, as will be perceived, in the num-
ber of teeth, from what is found in many of the Genus Vespertilio ; their
form, however, materially differs. The upper incisors are of the same
size, and are pointed, and are not in contact with the canines. The
lower incisors, again, are placed regularly upon the arc of a circle, but in
pairs, trident-like, at three different parts of it. The upper canines are
much stronger than the lower, tricuspid, ene point anterior, the other
posterior, and the central one by much the largest, and conical. The
lower ones have the same shape; and the false molars appear much more
associated with them than with the true molars, on which we have no re-
mark to make. M. Cuvier conferred the name Fury upon this genus, on
account of its singular appearance. It is very small, flat-nosed, and
bearded ; the frontal and parietal bones rise almost at a right angle from
the face, and the other parts of the cranium follow in their train. The
zygomatic arch is not horizontal, but rises high in projecting backwards 5
the height of the upper jaw is nothing almost when compared with the
Proper Bats, and the ascending branch of the lower jaw is very great.
The organs of motion present nothing particular, with the exception re-
garding the thumb already specified.

FURIA HORREUS.—THE RUGGED FURY.

Syn. et Icon. Furnta Horreus.—Fr. Cuv. Mem. Mus. XVI. p. 150, pl.

9.—Temm. Mon. Mam. II. 264.—Fisch. (loc. cit.)
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS.

Tue Muzzce very flat, and studded with hairs. Tuer Ears large, and
as broad aslong. Te Fur of a uniform black colour.
Inuasits South America.

The eyes of this Bat are very prominent, and remarkable for a size
which is not often witnessed in this order. The nostrils are terminal,
and are separated from each other only by a margin which surrounds
them, and which forms a furrow at their upper part. The lipsare entire,
but, along the upper, there are four or five warts, and, upon the lower,
eight similar ones, which are the more conspicuous, as they are white,
and situated amidst the black hair.. The ears are large, nearly as broad
as long, simple in structure, and provided with a tragus of a particular
structure, having three points, which are arranged in the form of a cross.
The fur is soft and tnick, except at the muzzle, where it is longer, stiffer,
and more shaggy than in the other parts of the body.
beautiful uniform black. The total length is only an inch and a half;
the expanse six inches. The individual possessed by M. Cuvier was a
male, which was discovered at Mona, by M. Leschenault, during his first
journey in America.

The colour is a

THE END OF THE ORDER CHIROPTERA, AND OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

LIST OF THE PLATES

OF THE

DIVISION I. VERTEBRATA.—CLASS I MAMMALIA.

f
|
|
|
| ANIMALS REPRESENTED IN VOLUME II. OF THIS WORK.
|
|
|

Plate. Genus. Figures. Plate. Genus. Figures.
I. B. Hy opates, Gibbons, 5 GyMNura, Oriental Hedge-Hogs, |
1 10); CERCOPITHECUS, Guenons, 6 VIIL. B. ; CLADOBATES, Tupaias, 3
I. E. do. do. 6 MacrOscELIDEs, Long-Snouted Shrews, 2
VII. PTEROPUS, Roussette Bats, 12 XXIII ; Puoca, Seals, 4
do. do. 8) xy Orania, Eared Seals, 4
| Pachysoma, Stout-Bodied Roussettes, 3 XXVIII. PuaLaNcIsTa, Couscoos, 6
VII. B. <¢ Macroctossus, Great-Tongued do. 2 XXX. B. Scrurus, Squirrels, 5
Hanrpyia, Tube-Nosed do, 5 XXXI. Dieus, Jerboas, Ui.
CEPHALOTES, Cephalotes, 1 XLVI. Eauus, Horses, 2
VII. C. Dysopes, Bull-Dog Bats, 14 XLVI. B. do. do. 2
Diciipurvs, Box-Tailed Bats, 3 LIL B. ; ANTILOPE, Antelopes, 3
VIL. D Nocrit10, Hare-Lipped do. 4 ; CaTOBLEPAS, Gnoos, 1
. ‘VAMPYRUS, Vampyre Bats, 3 LXxX. Whales, &c. 5
! PHYLLOsTOMA, Javelin Bats, 5 =——
ERinaceus, Hedge-Hogs, 3 17 Plates. Total, 125
VIII. ERIcuLvs, Tendracs, 2
CENTETES, Tenrecs, 3
DIVISION I. VERTEBRATA.—CLASS U. AVES.
| Plate. Genus. Figures. Plate. Genus. a Figures.
i ; IV. D. Caracara, Caracara Eagles, 4 CVII. RampHasTos, Toucans, 5
Ve Morpunus, Eagle-Hawks, 4 CIX. TROGON, Trogons, 5
XxX ; Coracina, Fruit-Crows, 2 CXI. PaL#ZORNIS, Ring- Parakeets, 6
i a CasMARHYNCHUS, Summer- Birds, 5 CXXVI. PERDIX, Partridges, 4
" LXVI. IcTERus, Troopials, 6 CL. Tzis, Ibises, 5
| LXXIIE Corvus, Crows, 5 CLXXVI. DIOMEDEA, Albatrosses, 5
i LXXX. ParabDisga, Birds of Paradise, 4 CLXXXVI. Cyenus, Swans, a)
i" XCVI. ALCEDO, King-Fishers, 6 =
Ma XCIX. Buceros, Hornbills, 6 15 Plates. Total, 77
i
| Figures. ‘Plates,
|
| MotalvofiViam maliairepresen teu secs eemneeseresnersceoreccccs cnenereceseeevareeeseerecreetcencrecneeerieasererreveseren cocvecrersere OOO) 52
Of Ids eee recrerreteeerereaeneeee ores eer mrarencu corte tan a eeneevanesecosewnst eed wate trannreaserteenosrrartalemtenmeres il 63
(Ofst ep MGI WS cal eeeverrs renee teceunsee anorinceeoeneceerrecarardrereses tn erevenententeeneratcocartoes semen neteectemmatesetcerr ete O) 2
; lO LAT CIN SEC alee terseneed ermecenceeteens cence enceodedssoneeserae feces econ tpcertensrartcetteearrecsercrinnesrrersnteerereecneaenOr) 2.
adits
In all, 801 119

PioRaTES. CiBBKONs.
LHL. ver Varied G,
fem dvyoung)

Ash-grey

om
x re

sce ‘ : A ae

CEERCORMMCLE CUS, (ntl SONS,
AGE ee . G.
Collared Mangabey
mosis Collarless Mangabey —
: s es B= oe ; 2 _Sabirus Green — —
: 5. Faunus Malbrouck
i Mine se. __ Landse. Turvey det. & se. : ‘ 6 plarvianous EXvenberg’s

Aah i i.

‘

to { Its)

CERCORITHECOS, GUENONS,
LC Livihropvgus NVevvet GC.
2 —griscoviridis Grivet
3 _Cephis Monstache —
- _diadematus Diadem
+ Talaporn Talapon —
6 _Miana Spotted.

iff!

ty
i ce
‘eet
a

IN i of
i Mie.

ri
i My |

PTEROPUS, KOUSSETTES.
LP edults Edible R. 6.P Urstnus: Ursme R.
2_funereus Fnnereal. 7. Tongans Tonga —
3_ Phieops Blackfaced. 8&9 __ skull & teeth
4_ chrvsoproctus Golden-backed — /0._ GTISEUs: Grey =
5. Macklott Macklots 1?._ labiatus Lougtipped.

{Skeleton}
(Mead ‘Tooth &Ceaninm)

Long-tailed Ro
TUBENOSED ROUSSETIES

Bordered.
Whites

ATOUT-B ODIED RODSSEITES
Wart-lipped s
Blaclcheaded
Short-tailed.

Pallas’ T.

Tiodote

a
SI
5
a
x
a
zi
=)
8
fa

3_ Whatua

PACHTS OMA.

PTEROPUS.
L Ramplesicaudalus
_ melanocephalum.

2 marginatus
4 P. Titthoecheitum

3

@_brevicaudatum

MALROGLOSSOS CREAT-TONGUED ROUSSETTES

AM minimis

cs
WARPETA.
9H, Pallasii

LO. IL 12.13.

a

te hte
Wee aie
silty

i
+2

DYSOPES;

1.2. D.rutus

3. velor

ah obscurus
5.6.7, Moxensis
8.9. tenurs
10. Egypliacas
IL12. Cestonit
13. lorqualis

BULL DOG BATS.

Rufous
Long Winged.
Sooty
Notcheared
Slender
Geoffroy's
Cestonis
Collared

foot

VIL(C))

~

AoA

vam TYROS, VAMPYRE BATS.
LIDTRUS, BOX-TAILED BATS, } P

8. % Speetrum Common V.

12. D.albus white 910. (skull & teeth)

i ae aay HN PUVELOS TOMA, INVELIN BATS.
PTHLIO, HARE-LIPPED BATS. ml 1. P hastatum ...Common J.

| & Mleporinus Rufous II 12. —perspicilaium.. Spectacled

| % - ratipes Red footed 13, -crénulatum |. Notched.

Os... one (skull) EBMouid, Saute

JES_elongatum...... Shorttailed ,

‘ :

PME CRUS TED CERES

UPODMUS Common it

2.— aurié Long eared _

= = — frontatts White fronted
d
BRAMALL S ETS Dik AS

Sawearthy T

LE nigrese, 5s
: Prickly (uontaily

opie

SSS x Zz

: VNURA (OREN TA ERD GE TO GS,

1_G. Rattles Raffles O.H.
ChADOBATEES TOPNIGS

2C. Tana Tana. T.

3 Javanicus Bangsring

2 _lerrugineus Press

ALACROSCLIDES LONGSNOUTED SER EWS
5M. Lypr _ Southern L.S.S.

XMM,

LUDA, SAILS.

LUGS vituling Cormmon Seal

CO a nee = Se =F = SS
OT ARIA, BAIRD SAS. eatin —— =
‘Lion i “ ; Z = = Ss #
: : 7 2 : Milne sc. Turvey ete.

DOMalossina Smaller S:
ae
0 cinerea Great

cinercous Ve ae

j
a

»)
ge

All Miles se RI
Wi Ml” PHATANGISTA COUSCOOS. =
AANA) i ‘ ae meee Vulpine C. 5P. cavifrons . Rapouna C.
MALY ORT Great Tailed C. ° |? Me : é

y ook's
made ‘ \4. maculata, Spotted . Bie C20 C
wrsing | Ursine mi A Bias

Pes VARNES TAT ea

x Pee ii ” 7 N i Ht uae ld
; di Bee Aes et ie

~~

a

Ls

2

4
Ay
4

3.

SCLORT S >

S. dipinis

VULFHITS

—CapEstV ads

—Pvr ropes
ervVihropus

SQUIRRELS

Alpine $
Common —
Masked _
Fire-footed
Hottentot

XAAL

.
P
Sf ——
SS -- nS as, OS i
> = - x x =
: : : = " ; iy rs t y is ry

DIPUS, JERBOAS.
LD Lgyplius Egypian J
2. hirtipes Hairy footed
3 Elater Ass eared

4. Sprenlum Broad tailed SBatoutd Se
5.__ platyuras ' Flat tailed
6. Sagitta (fem) Common —

cere Gl LIP ede _. Cente a aun

aM ieee

2

LEOUUS, HORSES,

Mi Burchell. Dauw. (lea
2. Menmmonus. Dazigetar.

Landsc. Lurvey det. & se.

XLVI. (B)

FD SS OT, =
WHS S
OG ia. go

Fig’ Mine se LOUUS, HORSES. SiMe hE
LE. Quagga Qnagga

2 fcbra Zebra — —

*
ohn
‘
4

2%

NM
Hate
iin
Ha
UN NY

(LOPE, ANSTELOP. Atel s
1 A Gazella, Dawa Smythe
2° Cephalophus) Grimmia — Grn .
3 Tradeluptors) seripta Harnessed

7 WoW
Madd 0

Jere ee c
CETACEA. YVURLALE=-TRMBIE.
1_Phocana Common Porpoise
2_GHlobiccphainsDeductar Caing Whale
White Whale

3_Beluga Are Med
4 Narwhalas microcephalus Naxwhal or Sea Unicorn
6 Balana Mysticetus The truce Whale

COMM MUTLS

SN)

CARACARA, 771 CARATARAS.
1 aterimus The Black Caracara
20 of Middle Age
3 C Nove Lelandiay New healand C

‘ae The Young

Jd) Se
Vel?

K

LIA

MORRIPELN OS, AMCALIE TAWIRS,
IM Tvrannias Tyrant Ik. .
2_ cristatedins Singalese _(nearly adult
D. OTNALILS Superb — _
f. WEveians Siuowy

4

CORAL INA
LE seutata
*cephaloplera

8 Crudicollis

rs leyatus
;

ABMARTINN TATU.

FRUIT-CR OWS

Red-ireasted F.

Royal

SUMMER BIRDS

Araponga 5.
Fem.

Averano

ONY /
= aS

ee EG

——<c~ =

q

Ni}

AT Aikman. se.

%

a)

oy

a

OPriA
Band-beaked Cassican °

TRO

Ylassieus) bitesciatus

S
N

veridis

a

thor ria) Smnops

ileen

RUQETT INS

=

&

ae

2
i
3

5
brs
28
Ba
AA

GoldenHeaded Hang nest

Diadem

diadematus

nau lines) chrysevephalits

od

reve

Sy N
RSs x
SUS K

5
ee ;
= Pls

Zt > ITT
ies ees

oD

; 4 CORVUS, CROWS.

LG Coraz...- .Kaven :

| —— 2 SSF a Oe ee ee ee | ee Pee en) ee eee

TL XOX,

i

(

\
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UN

RSS

SSS
SS

=

=

SS
=

-¥ Ty
PARADIS EA, BORD S oF PARADIS
LP major. Greater B. of P.

Ze fem.

5. rubra Red
4

fem.

Figs Milne se. _handse. Turvey dee. & sc

———————— —— _.

F

: ee

AMCEIDO, KIN WELDS #1 BRS,
1d. Mentnding. Pidian IX.
2 fuoubrrs. Diniey
Oo melanoriyvnches. Von Dlack-billed

z + omndtcolar. Varied
i Diops. Dovible-cyved
' 6 bir tara

i Milner sc Vurvey elec

(iby : ees | CIN,

BUC EROS, WORN BULLS .

LB. anthractcus Mourning I.

2 CONVEHUS White-breasted y (

3. gracilts Yellow-billed “Le Www f Uf. yo i e
4 sulcatus Red-billed LESLIE S993 ee APO WA 6 Min tes
Salers Largnp 7

6 rultcollts Red-necked z Weliie Nt

Se YS Se eR. FO See ih

i
i
ae

CVI,

S

Se SS
ISSSSS

THE TOU CANS:

RAYPTAST OS.

Toco Toucan.

1 LR Soce

Blue billed ,.

VOM OTUS:
Tor

eas

card
TIAMAT NIAMS

Dow

Red billed

\ Y,
Wind Lf? | es
My \ ae

Vs

TKOGON, UROGONS
LT Wwvaucelit Davancel’s ‘Tf.
2. Retnwardtii. — Reiwwardt’s —
o. Navin. Navina
4 Temnurus. Cuba
3. arden, Rosy-breasted fem;

Landsc. Lurvey del. & $e.

Leh ne
ie Nae

Miiaten why

TE OR OLS, RIX G-PARRAR ET
LE Mexandrt Alexandrime KR.
?_ Bengalensis Rose-headed _

B fem. eS

tnearnatus Red-throated _
anocephalus Ye\ow-collared _

La

y)

ett (Al Bice
:

po hie

BAe MUN 22 RN Cieasrol
Wag, NO ae GNIS

LO LAIRRES YS

(re

=),

Ea

nl GSM
SoG

x

IF 068 Magi EO
oe

a ae ) PERDRIX, PARTRID GES.
f 1E meqgapoda \arge footed? Female
2 =. = ===> = Malin
S Cinerens. The Commoii-
q rufus, Red legged —

, ' Ce

Skat jae r , :
‘ ] ( sib) sh alte
GHG mene

eee?
Hay

aire

Fig" Miine Sc.

LanNaSC. LU7Vey SC.

Lt religtosa (var leuca’ Sacred 1.
2_ papillosa Payillated.
3 plumbed Tiead-colour
Lalba White
Shalcople ra Metallic

CLAY I

a=
qaae Z

BDIOM L DEA LBATROS SiS.

COLLIN. Conouon A

brachviria Short taited
7,

melan, ur Biseck eyed

Yellow vibsand —

=i ibe G — Suliginosa Sooty
g i

CIXAONYT,

any
Medio!

MOF

Whistling ¥.
Bewicks c
—— Mute t = =
magricollis —_ Black-necked
atratus _ _ Blade

wre & bo

MTS TH Tal ,

1. M.(Putorius) Furo Ferret

(Albino)
Common W.
Ermanea Eroime = (Swnmer'
(Winter )
es Java Ferret
Hardwickti, Hardwick's

Beleta

RRA
$i)
EN,

SDE 4)

Pp.

Sree
XW Bs;

UES, DOGS,

TAikman. S occidentalis __ Grey Jimertcan Wale
2 aureus —_ _. Jackal
3 Mesomelas — spe Tacha
ala tis eee a Hipena Dog
ee Ceriale se — Brice’: Fernee

Lalandii _______ Latands Fennec

LVI. |

|
p
i
H
|
1 B. Taurus var. Indicus medius — Gmmon Zebu @ Z f ‘ ee ae ; |
2 fem ~ ah Sa “
~ '

3 nner Stall Lelna *

) Americams Bison

— 0 ———E—eeEEEeEeEEeEeEeeeee ese
a o> a ee eee
a, ) = © - er ee eee

ILI.

(GUE
i ene ao
PELE

Wy) yy

ANTILOPE, ANTELOPE S,
. AL | Cazella | Dorcas Barbary Gazelle
an 2. : Airy . 2.3. - Fem.& Young
i) i ‘ Capo oe “ws Kevella Kerel (Doubeful Sp.
> AS POryse| xe Adda Addax

6. (i gocerus, “niger Sable
>

Youd
Ar ota
hoa hee

ee

Sy

eh
SWS: ety
eae Ze,
SSS FF Ae
eo APIS.
& : Ws eZ Gea Oe ile
4 Mudsonius Chickaree Sw — SI 70 is
4, insignis Javanese ;
&__ bicolor Two Coloured
Leucolts White Earved

ME
SCIURGS. SQOUMRRELS=

LS. cimeret Grey S-.
weer Black American

Je aH
TOOT

‘. . a ft). te

Ns
lat
ATR

Ruts

KFELHS, CATS,
LE igrts fem. Tiger
2 Mgr Mar gay
8 manividats (Lem) Riuppel’s
4 _rutit Bay Lynx,
aminuta Var davanica) Servaline

XLVI,

PRI
SRL
BNI nt

——

SAN
\

NSN
ANY
NSS

ge
ae

WY Aiea
Lge

Vi
ete

1 Bactrian Camel 0. Aacirianus

pj

AMUE

RAT) IT

4 it

os))

2. Dromedary. Dromedartiis-

CA OK

i _ oe
Wi.

. YVAIVERRA CIVETS
E Civetta Common. Civet
= Zihetha Zibet
~ Rasse Rasse
6 cla Numidica. Barbary Genet
4 Capensis Cape
Senegalensis Senegal
-..... .. Pantherme

NOLIN.

}

Ui) )y)))
Uf No frteCaeteeed

4

“jd

HUET

Drawn by Cap! Brown. ‘ ; s Engraved: by W.Warwick
BHINOCE ROS.
iIndian Rhinoceros. Zi. Indicus,
21.esser Twohorned D° _ Africanus,

“ee sy

i, Mint .
* BY)
Ki
Dp b

Li

yyy" H HA
hi ‘i (i AK

Hy

li

Ce oe
sh os
ae

. Wy BHA ..\ WOW g
\ Zs OS ZX SS

low C Dama y

nian DY

VOrgintanus
sted Deer

WZ
\) 4
— Macrourus

res

Oo Malayveu Tusa

hymns
6 Guaznpuco Deer _Macroeurus
7.Nepaul Stag

~ Wallichiv

dryraved y

W? Warwick

MEROPS, BEE-EATERS.

7, Javanese Bee-eater.

2. Superb

3% Red-hi
4, Indian

MTavanicus
we SIG TLE

phalus.

ry throce,

ees

eaded

— —Vipides
aC Ey thropterus.

Cariudcocephasus

de
ac

5 Red-win,

> 6, Bine-headed

Engraved by S. Milne

S
5
ee
5
S
S
=
&
N
8
is
rs)

Renee nu \ RES ‘ Q

SSN

oa

Se
: SS 5 ; Oy

2 Y . RB vot yy : ! Skee i Sy His
MLAS « : ata > =

Mongo: Woolly M
rulus Red
albifoons. White trouted

y ‘ =: ane x ——
Var ; ay Loe Sie SS hv

wry!

Macaco Kutted

aviseus Gray
Calta tingtailed

Tl

Be Tr = lg

th y ) 3 —

CEIRVOGS.. UDG

/ Vatlow Deer C Dama

— Virginianus
3 Longtatted Deer — Macrourus
» AXIS —~dares

5 Matayan Rusa Eg uinis

© Ganaznpuco Deer, — Macrourus

7 Nepavl Stag Wilitch it

Bd eal

C Saba us

y~
|

WT TOSUS!

7 — “Elhiops

CO PATTIES

(Gs

Green

Diana G.
Varied d®
Atyvs
Mangabey
Collared d&

By)

DS

DD yyy

p
iy

Dy
ws

AS
RY

Sanne

SS
i

SS
SS

ESS
ss

WW

eae he Oe

por

SSAA

SER SQ EY

Saker ct Rem ced

ats

LOWED

SSS SS

_ St SSS Woe

’
I mn

aN \
Na

Male PTA» JEP PLANTS. 5
findian § £ Indicns
am —~Aricanus, Fem

J Enoraved. by 8 Uilne
rawn by Capt" Brown.

a mn aut - —— ITE PT TT NS

ee! di rt
‘1 Sa ie ri
- ny il

Lh aa 4
Me iy

Bae Py RR oe
Deri iltn y
ee

Pty

Vhe | '
ya

nt
Des

Sheree
oF I f ot