Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 3.djvu/447

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BAT—BAT
431

recanting, however, lie wrote Apologelicus ad Pncsules Anglicanos, and another book called The Litany, in which he exclaimed vehemently against the proceedings of that arbitrary court, ani charged the bishops with an inclina tion to popery. Trynne and Burton coming under the lash of the Star-chamber court at the same time, they were all censured as turbulent and seditious persons, and condemned to pay a fine of 5000 each, to be set in the pillory, to lose their ears, and to undergo imprisonment for life in remote parts of the kingdom. The parliament in 1 640 reversed these proceedings, and ordered Bastwick a reparation of .5000 out of the estates of the commissioners and lords who had persecuted him. The civil commotions which ensued prevented his receiving this solatium for his sufferings ; but, in 1 6 44, his wife had an allowance ordered for her own and her husband s maintenance. The place and time of his death are unknown. He seems in his later years to have shown bitter opposition to the

Independents.

BAT, the common name of a well marked group of Mammals forming the order Cheiroptera (i.e., wing- handed), distinguished from all other members of their class by the possession of true organs of flight. These consist of a delicate membrane stretching from limb to limb on both sides of the body, enclosing the greatly elongated digits of the hand, and in many cases extending beyond the pos terior limbs so as to include the tail. Their whole struc ture bears evidence of special adaptation to the purpose of sustained flight, while their mode of progression on the ground is as awkward as their aerial movements are graceful. The eyes of the bat are usually small, but the organs of the other senses in most cases attain extraordinary develop ment. The external ear is generally large, as in the Long- eared Bat of Britain (Plecotus auritus), in which it is equal to the entire length of the body. In the group to which the Horse-shoe Bats (Rhinolophus ferrum equimcm) belong, the nose is surrounded with leaf-like appendages, the purpose of which is by no means well determined, but which, probably, are as useful to the organ of smelling as is the greatly elongated auricle to that of hearing. In all bats the wing-membrane alTords a vast expansion of the sense of touch, which is of such exquisite delicacy that bats which have been deprived of their sight, and as far as possible of hearing and smelling, are yet able by it alone to fly about in perfect security, avoiding, with apparent ease, all the obstacles that may be placed in their way. By Pliny and other early naturalists the bat, although known to suckle its young, was placed among Birds, and was generally regarded as a creature of ill omen, a superstitious feeling by no means extinct at the present day. Virgil, in speaking of the Harpies, generally understood to have been bats, describes them as " dirae obscenagque vomcres/ Our English ancestors formed a more correct estimate of the zoological position of these creatures as indicated by the name " flitter-mouse," still given to the bat in many parts of Britain. Bats are nocturnal or crepuscular in their habits, remaining suspended by day in the darkest recesses of woods and caverns, or in the most inaccessible parts of unfrequented buildings, and coming forth at twilight in search of food, This in the species found in Europe and America consists mainly of insects ; while one species at least, the Vampire of America, sucks the blood of other mammals, although its powers in this respect have probably been much^exaggerated. The Fruit-eating Bats (Pteropus) are confined to the warmer regions of Asia and Africa, and among these are to be found the largest members of the order, thus the Kalong of Java (Pteropus javanicus) measures 5 feet between the tips of its wings. In countries where the winter cold is sufficiently severe to cut off their usual sources of food, bats hibernate. Collecting in enormous numbers in their usual retreats and suspending themselves by their hind limbs, they become torpid, and remain so till the return of spring, bringing with it a revival of insect life, restores them to their wonted activity. About 130 species of bats are known, and these are widely distributed over every quarter of the globe, extending as far northward as latitude GO ; all the larger forms, however, occur in the warmer regions of the earth. Bats are found in most of the islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, forming in many of them the only indigenous mammals, a fact readily explained when viewed in connec tion with their remarkable power of flight. Fossil remains of insectivorous Cheiroptera have been found in the Eocene and later Tertiary deposits. See Mammalia.

BATAVIA, a large city and seaport on the north coast of the island of Java, and the capital of all the Dutch settlements in the East. It is situated on both sides of the river Jacatra or Tjiliwong, in a swampy plain at the head of a capacious bay. The streets are for the most part straight and regular, and many of them have a breadth of from 100 to 200 feet. In several cases there is a canal in the centre lined with stone, and defended by low parapets or banks, while almost every street and square is fringed with trees. The old town has greatly changed from what it was in the 18th century. It was then surrounded by strong fortifications, and contained a number of important buildings, such as the town-house (built in 1652 and restored in 1706), the exchange, the infirmary and orphan asylum, and the European churches. But the ramparts were long ago demolished, and most of the public edifices have either fallen into decay or been converted into magazines and warehouses. The great church which was finished in 1760, at an expense of 80,000, had to be taken down in consequence of its foundation having given way. Canals have been filled up, streets have been altered, and the general character of the place considerably modified. All the European inhabitants, except those immediately connected with the shipping, have removed to the New Town, which has been gradually formed by the integration of Weltevreden (Well-content}, Molenvliet (Mill-stream), Rijswijk (llice-town), Noordwijk (North-town), Koningsplein (King s square], and other suburban villages or stations. The situation of this modern part is higher and healthier ; and the grandeur and variety of its buildings far surpass anything to be found in the older section of the city. The misplaced imitation of Dutch arrangements has been happily- avoided, and the natural advantages of the situation and climate have been turned to account. The houses are frequently separated from each other by rows of trees.

As the chief city of the Dutch colonies in the East,

Batavia contains numerous buildings connected with the civil and military organization of the Government. The chambers of the Council of the East Indies occupy a spacious edifice in Bijswijk, and the governor-general s hotel, or town-residence, is situated in the same quarter. In the district of Weltevreden are the new palace, the barracks, and the artillery school, as well as the military and civil hospital, which can accommodate 600 patients, and not far off is the Frederik-Hendrik citadel, which was built in 1837. Further inland, at Meester Cornells (known for its lake), is a school for under-officers. The Koningsplein is a large open square for military manoeuvres, about 390 feet long and 250 feet broad, surrounded by mansions of the wealthier classes. Noordwijk is princi pally inhabited by lesser merchants and subordinate ofScials. There is an orphan-asylum in the district of Parapatta, and a poor-house (Diaconie armenhaus] in Molenvliet. Besides those already mentioned, Batavia has various educational and scientific institutions of note. In

1851 the Government founded a medical school for