The Zoologist/4th series, vol 1 (1897)/Issue 678/On the Position of the Lesser Horse-Shoe Bat, Rhinolphus Hipposideros, during Hibernation
Rhinolphus hipposideros, bechst.
THE ZOOLOGIST
No. 678.—December, 1897.
ON THE POSITION of the LESSER HORSE-SHOE
BAT, RHINOLPHUS HIPPOSIDEROS, Bechstein,
DURING HIBERNATION.
By R. Newstead, F.E.S.,
Curator of the Grosvenor Museum, Chester.
(Plate II.)
As I do not remember to have seen any figures illustrating the position of this strange little mammal when asleep or hibernating, the thought occurred to me that the readers of 'The Zoologist' would be interested in the accompanying photographs, taken from life, which admirably represent Rhinolphus hipposideros in its most characteristic form.
In the celebrated Cefn and Tremeirchion caves this bat is fairly common—more so in the former than the latter. But the little cave-dweller may very probably occur in any suitable habitat throughout the district. My first acquaintance with the species was through Mr. Brockton Tomlin, who brought a specimen to our Museum for identification.
On March 4th, 1896, Messrs. Coward and Oldham joined me in an expedition to the caves; and on April 12th of the present year I paid a second visit to Cefn. The examples met with were easily accessible, and one of them was photographed in situ; but the strong light from the magnesium ribbon put the little creature in a nervous state of apprehension, and the resulting picture was not good, so I was obliged to resort to more favourable conditions in order to obtain the result here portrayed. On both occasions the bats were hibernating, but awoke on the slightest provocation; and when removed from the cave became very active and readily took to wing. On April 12th, at 1.30 p.m., the temperature of the Cefn cave, about twenty yards from the entrance, was 9° C, just 1·25° C. colder than the shade temperature outside.
I placed my captives in a well-ventilated cage in a suitable atmosphere, but the frail little creatures died in a few days. When sleeping they cling most tenaciously to the rock, and the feet are placed somewhat closely together, rarely are they widely separated; but I noticed one example hanging for a long time with its legs completely crossed. With the exception of the upper portion of the head with the tips of the ears and a narrow dorsal space, the animal is completely enshrouded in its wings. Sometimes the head is also covered, but the space between the fore arms is always exposed. The fingers bend suddenly inwards at the joints, and all meet on the ventral parts of the body, where they, together with the membrane, form an irregular pentagon. The anomalous position of the tail is noteworthy; it is reflexed over the back with its accompanying membrane closely overlapping the wrinkled membrane of the legs, thus forming a deep narrow trough: an excellent apparatus to carry off any drops of water that might fall upon it from the roof of its habitat. Viewed in profile, the animal bears a remarkable resemblance to the pupa of a butterfly, and is altogether a most interesting little creature to study.
An examination of their rejectamenta showed that they had been feeding, almost exclusively, upon the smaller species of Lepidoptera; there were fragments of other insects, but I failed to ascertain the order to which they belonged. A great deal remains to be done with the structural details of this species, but other pressing matters prevent my adding further to this communication.
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