Bats do not descend to the ground if it can possibly be helped, for they are very awkward and slow in attempting to walk along the ground; and besides this, when on the ground they find themselves in a very inconvenient position to resume their flight. Their case is then almost the same as that of high-soaring Birds, which, full of grace and assurance aloft, are compelled to resort to the most painful efforts to ascend again from low levels. The Bats are classed as nocturnal animals, as they hunt their prey at night, and spend the day in caverns, lofts, church spires and old ruins, or the trunks of trees. Their eyes, although small, are organized for seeing, not in complete darkness but in the twilight, or in the feeble light of the moon and stars. THE LONG-EARED BATS. [Illustration: LONG EARED BATS.] The Long-eared Bat is one of the most interesting of the whole race. Its ears are twice as long as its head, and very nearly as long as the body, being an inch and a half from the base to the point. Within these large ears are what are known as the lesser ears, which are fine and transparent, and can be expanded and contracted by their owner to produce a beautiful feathery appearance, or festoon-like foldings. This Bat measures about eighteen inches from tip to tip of its expanded wings. THE LONG-NOSED BATS. [Illustration: LONG NOSED BATS.] There are several varieties of these Bats having a long nose and Fox-like face. The best known is commonly called Roussette by the French, because of its being generally of a red or brown color; and Kalony, or Flying Fox, by the English. It is the largest of the Bat family. There are some which attain the size of a Squirrel, and sometimes measure four feet across the wings. The animals belonging to this family inhabit Africa, Asia and the Oceanic Islands. THE VAMPIRES. The Vampires are the most dreaded of the Bat family. They are characterized by two nasal leaves situated above the upper lip. Wonderful tales have been told of their appetite for blood, and although their power of sucking the blood of the larger animals has been exaggerated, the tales concerning them are by no means devoid of foundation, neither are we surprised that such spectral visitants should have received the once terrible name of “vampire,” by which they are designated. Mr. Gardner, during his travels in the interior of Brazil, stopped at Riachao. He says: