South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-05-12


reflex currents Of air. Three species only Of
bats are known to be common all over North
America, the silver-hsired, the hoary and the
red bat Each species is migratory Merriam
Classics American bats excepting those the
habits of which have been modified by proX-
unity to humans, as cave dwelling or tree
dwelling, according to the places In which
they spend the day. Hoary bats migrate at
least as far south as the Bermudss, crossing
600 miles of ocean. or as Miller thinks, fly
from Cape Cod by the 700-mile route.
Dr. w D. Matthew points out that bats
ars easily able TO cross ocean barriers, be-
cause of the plain fact that they have done
so frequently. have found red bats in ever
green trees In Winter and never in caves. but
Seton asserts that while they roost in trees
in Manitoba, they gather in vast numbers in
caves of the South for Information. Mearns
records all day migratory flights of red bats
each flock of one sex It is not gen
orally realized that bats possess powers Of
fight superior TO those of many birds. This
may be inferred from the fact that a red
bat has been known to catch flies in the air.
while burdened with young that together
weighed more than she did.
Most California bats catch and devour
prey on the wing. They bite off and reject the
hard parts of insects, and hence II is difficult
to identify the species of insects in the
stomach. One species brings the larger insects
TO It's roost and devours them while hanging
head down At least two species of British
bats, according to Barrett Hamilton hold the
tail curved beneath them in fight thrusting
struggling insects In the sac formed until
they get a firm grip upon them The
tell curving must be due to an unusually far
back center Of gravity In the Autumn bats
have become very fat, ready for migration or
Information. Even the bats on the wing all Of
the year rely on this stored fat to balance
scarcity of insects. Buildings are readily
cleared of colonies of bats by boarding VI
their entrance places at night when they are
on the wing.
Bats are as valuable TO humans as insec
tivOrous birds
They are especially important in keepins
in check nocturnal insects, especially disease
carriers
Campbell at Nitchen's Lake. Texas found
that 90 per cent Of the food of bats there con
sisted of malarial carrier mosquitoes He ad
vocated erecting roosts in all parts of the
country where mosquitoes are pestferous
Gan Antonio responded by erecting a roost
and protecting bats by law The Hudson Bav
Company. however protected bats as far back
as 1899 TO enable them TO exterminate the in
sect Dermestes, which abounded in fur estab
lishments
If bat has his cheek provided with sharp
eusp teeth for piercing beetles etc, II Is an
insect eater. If it has modified front teeth
for piercing skins of animals. it is a blood
sucker or vampire. If the crowns Of the cheek
teeth arr smooth and grooved, it is fruit
eater. Some species of bats exist at high alti-
tudes. Grinnell found the TETON bat at $500
feet above the sea in the San Bernardino
Mountains and the High Sierra Bat at 1880
feet Bats are powerful swimmers. They have
to be. Muscallonge, pickerel, salmon, etc, cap
ture many Of them as they come down 20 the
surface for insects. They are difficult to shoot
because of swift errstic fight; perhaps also
having some ability TO dodge shot when
warned by an approaching air wave. Most
female bats have two msmmae. The females
Of the genus Nycteris have four mammas
breasts. Bats with two mammae NAV pro-
duce one or two young; with four mammae.
up to four yOunG-