Art. XV.—Notice of the Existence of a large Bat in New Zealand.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 8, 1875, Page 180

Art. XV.—Notice of the Existence of a large Bat in New Zealand. By the Ven. Archdeacon Stock. (Communicated to the Wellington Philosophical Society by Dr. Buller, C.M.G., F.L.S.) [Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 7th August, 1875.] At Dr. Buller's request I send the following observations:—“In 1854 (time of year uncertain), at half-an-hour after sunset, and moon at full, I saw, at Paikakariki, a large bat. It flew across about twenty feet, and was about that distance from me. I saw it perfectly. The body was far larger than that of a mouse, and somewhat smaller than that of an ordinary sized rat. The spread of the wings was certainly not less than eighteen inches. The late Rev. R. Taylor informed me that he had seen a similarly sized bat at Wanganui. Mr. Kirk informs me that he has seen very large bats—he believes of the same size as mine—at the Clarence River. My bat may possibly have been an Australian bat, brought in some vessel, as that, also, of Rev. R. Taylor. I should have thought so, but for Mr. Kirk's observation.