Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 1 (1897).djvu/220

192 In Arnhem Land I found it frequenting the locality where the "Wogoit" was first discovered, in the peculiar granitic formation on the western heads of the Mary river.

Crawling through the immense stone heaps characteristic of the region, one could observe these little bats suspended by the hind legs from the rocky roofs of the different chambers. Hanging in this position, their delicate bodies were constantly shaking with a light quivering motion. At a short distance from the observer they would hang perfectly quiet, but the moment I approached them with my hand they would utter a squeak like that of a mouse and flutter away to the next chamber. They seemed to feel the least disturbance of the air surrounding them. None of the specimens killed in the month of May had any young ones attached to the breasts.

At sunset they will commence hunting for insects in the forest around the hills, and are then, as a rule, seen nearly level with the tree-tops. They were numerous, and although the above-mentioned granitic formation was the only locality where I secured specimens, I feel confident of their occurrence in the caves of the central table-land.

This insectivorous bat, with its great clumsy head, is considerably larger than the H. muscinus, and, contrary to the custom of the latter, it is always hanging by the fore-limbs when at rest. The granitic formation on the western heads of the river Mary was the only place where it was observed during my travels in Arnhem Land, and here it inhabited the same rocky crevices and caves as H. muscinus.

As a rule, it chooses slanting rocks for resting, and besides clinging to the rock by the fore limbs, as above mentioned, it also supports the body by the posterior extremities. Upon the sight of man these bats rock forward and backward with an utterly comical motion, then for a moment they sit perfectly quiet, with glistening teeth, and finally with a squeak dart at the intruder. They are only moderately nocturnal in habit. When disturbed they will very often leave the caves, and even in the middle of the day flutter about high in the air, perch in the tall trees, and after some time return to shelter amongst the rocks.