320 MR. o. THOMAS ON BATS [Mar. 15
rarities. The only British-killed specimen previously known to exist
was in the collection of Mr. J. "Whitaker, of Rainworth Lodge, Notts.,
and had been obtained at Filey, Yorkshire, in 1862. So-called
specimens had generally proved to be females or young of the Long-
tailed Duck or of the American "Wood Duck.
The following papers were read : —
1. On the Bats collected by Mr. C. M. Woodford in the
Solomon Islands. By Oldfield Thomas.
[Received Eebruarj-11, 1887.]
(Plates XXV. & XXVL)
The Mammalian collection made by Mr. C. M. Woodford in the
Solomon Islands, and recently acquired by the Natural History
Museum, consists almost wholly of Bats ; and as nothing has been
hitherto recorded about the Chiropterous fauna of these islands, his
collection is naturally of great interest and importance.
The localities at which Mr. Woodford collected were Alu, in the
comparatively large Shortland Island, and Fauro Island, close to
Shortland, all the specimens therefore coming from the extreme
western part of the archipelago.
The collection consists of 23 specimens belonging to 10 species,
of which two are new, one of these representing also a new genus.
As might have been expected, the greater proportion of the species,
and all of those presenting any special interest, belong to the fruit-
eating section of the order. One Solomon-Island Bat only was not
obtained by Mr. Woodford, namely Pteropus rayneri. Gray, which
comes from the other extremity of the archipelago. This I have
included in the following list in order to make it a complete catalogue
of the known species of the group.
1. Pteropus GRANDis, sp. n." (Plate XXV.)
a, b. Ad. sli,. S and a separate skull. Alu, Shortland Island,
4/86.
Size large, about equal to Pt. gouldi. Ears decidedly longer than
the muzzle, acutely pointed. Origins of wings about an inch apart
m the back. Interfemoral membrane very narrow in the centre,
concealed by the fur. Fur rather coarse, hispid over the shoulder-
glands, rather woolly on the legs. Fore limbs and membranes
nearly naked above, a few scattered black hairs on the proximal
half of the forearm. Fur on back adpressed, rather more than an
inch in breadth at its narrowest part. Rump and hind limbs nearly
to the ankles thickly clothed with woolly hairs. Below, the
humerus, proximal half of forearm, and the membranes between the
humerus and femora are covered with hair, and a thin band of fur
1 Preliminary diagnosis published, Ann. & Mag. N. H. (5) sis. p. 147, Feb.
1887.
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