TEETH OF THE DWARFLONG-TONGUED FRUIT BAT.
TEETH OF THE DWARFLONG-TONGUED FRUIT BAT.
The remaining forms of the Frugivorous Bats to which we have to refer constitute a peculiar group, characterised by having the tongue very long, thin, capable of being pushed far out of the mouth, and covered with peculiar recurved, brush-like papillæ, and the molar teeth very small and scarcely raised above the surface of the gum (seefigure below). From the great length of the tongue, the name ofMacroglossuswas applied by F. Cuvier to the first species of this group that was discovered; and, as it is the smallest species of the family, it received from its original describer the specific name ofminimus. TheMacroglossus minimusis, in fact, a mere dwarf in comparison with the large Bats which constitute the majority of the Pteropidæ, measuring only from two and a half to three inches in length, with an expanse of wing of from eight to ten inches. The muzzle is long and narrow, with the nostrils not projecting; the index finger has a claw at its tip; the wing-membranes spring from the sides of the body, and run down to the base of the fourth toe; and the tail is very short, free from the interfemoral membrane, but usually concealed beneath the fur. The colour of the fur is reddish-brown. The tongue is said to be two inches long. This little Fruit Bat occurs upon the Himalayas, at Darjéling, and extends thence through Burmah and Siam to the islands of the Eastern Archipelago, and as far south as the northern and western parts of Australia. According to Dr. Horsfield, this species, although far less abundant in Java than the great Kalong, exists there in sufficient numbers to inflict serious injury upon the plantations of fruit-trees. It particularly affects the most succulent fruits, such as those of various species ofEugenia, known in Java as Jamboo. Probably the peculiar structure of the tongue has some connection with this soft, juicy diet.
Among the Bats from Duke of York Island, north-east of New Guinea, lately described by Mr. Dobson, there is a most characteristic species of the long-tongued group, which may be called the Black-cheeked Fruit Bat. It has the long thin tongue, armed with brush-like papillæ, ofMacroglossus, the nostrils bounded at the sides by naked raised edges, the metacarpal bone of the middle finger as long as the whole index finger, the wing-membranes starting from the sides of the body and from the back of the middle toe. In the number of the teeth it agrees withMacroglossus, but differs somewhat in the position of the pre-molars, the first of which are very small and placed close to the canines, while the second and third are separated from this and from each other by considerable interspaces. We have no information as to the habits of this Bat, which isfigured on the next page.
BLACK-CHEEKED FRUIT BAT.From theProceedings of the Zoological Society, 1877.
BLACK-CHEEKED FRUIT BAT.From theProceedings of the Zoological Society, 1877.
The only other species of this group was described by the late Dr. Gray, under the name ofNotopteris Macdonaldii, and it is interesting as reproducing the peculiar character presented byCephalotesof having the wing-membranes springing from the middle of the back. In the structure of the tongue it agrees withMacroglossus; but it has no claw on the first finger; its tail is elongated; and it has only two incisors in each jaw, and four molars on each side in the upper, and five in the lower jaw. This curious Bat is an inhabitant of the Fiji Islands.