THE NATIVE BAT

Hokitika Guardian, 9 July 1932, Page 6

THE NATIVE BAT

SELDOM SEEN IN NEW ZEALAND

CHRISTCHURCH, July 4

Mi 1 J. Drummond F.L.S. wiites— New Zealand’s bats have been rare ever since Europeans came into this country. They probably never were •plentiful, although they. had few natural enemies. Mr R. Brown, who has lived in New Zealand for fifty-six yeans, mostly in Canterbury and on the West Coast, but has not seen a native bat. In any case, there are only two species of native bats. Both are retiring ifn disposition. One, the short-tailed bat, has not been lieai d of for many years, and may be extinct. The other, the long-tailed bat, is known to 'the Maori as pekapeka. Early settlers knew it. Members of /he species sometimes made their home 6 under bridges, even in towns, and villages, but mostly liyed in hollow trees in the forests, where there may still be some colonies. It is hoped that this is so, as bats are New Zealand’s only land-mammals, the native dog and the native rat ranking as introductions ! brought by the Maoris during the migration from Hawaiki. ... Mr Brown’s object in writing is practical, not sentimental. He states: “Jf bats were as numerous here as they are in my native Scotland, they might be effective in, destroying large numbers of the bronze beetle. The beetle being nocturnal, the bat would probably prove a nocturnal enemy, and thus help in lessening the enormous damage done to the pastures by the grass-grub, which is the larvae of the bronze beetle. Some years ago, 1 read in the ‘Journal of Agriulture’, published by our Government, that bats were encouraged to multiply in the Sacramento district, California, in order to combat the mosquito pest. The encouragement consisted of specially conducted houses as day rookeries. From that, one would surmise that bats are considered , harmless.” There are fruit-eating bats and in-sect-eating bate. The fruit-eaters include the flying-foxes, which are bats with fox-like heads. The common fox-bats belong to Oriental countries, Madagascar, New Guinea, and Australia They swarm in largo numbers. It is stated that .in the evening, dotted over the sky, all heading in one direction, but all flying independently, they are very impressive, especially as their flight is per formed by long sweeps of the wings. The insect-eating bats Mr Brown knew in Scotland probably are the mouse-eared bats. There are several species of them. The beet known is Daubenton’e bat, found in England. Scotland and Ireland, and in the temperate part of Asia. Most of these live in woods, but some in caves or* under Thef roofs’ of houses, favouring places near water. They skim over the surface with slow and quivering flight, performed by powerful beats of the wings. Daubenton’s bats are plentiful in the middle parts of England and in /parts of Scotland. On the Avon, near Stratford, they are so plentiful that at places it is estimated there hae been one to every square yard. This abundance extended over a large area. In the winter, when insects are scarce, these bats do not migrate* but simply hibernate. No fewer than 450 species of bats aie known. Daubenton’s bat belongs to the same family as New Zealand’s short-tailed bat, a, family with a pleasant, tripping title, the Vespertilionida&—.