While walking to the kitchen yesterday evening, I was surprised to see this brown bat on our window screen. He was asleep or, at least, reluctant to be bothered by gentle blowings on his belly. The cats never noticed him.
An hour later, I checked on him again. This time, when I got close, he fluttered away.
The window faces backyard and a creek, prime territory for bats. In fact, some neighbors have had a bat house for several years, although that house sold recently and I don’t know if the new owners (or the tornado) spared the bat house. Anyway, the mosquitos were out in force last night. I hope he grew fat on them.
the spanish word for them, murcielago, means blind mouse
by Jeremy—May 25, 06:18 AM
Colloquially, that’s been transliterated to myth (transmytherated?), much to biologists’ and tour guides’ FAQ consternations. I’ve been on dozens of tours where one of the primary points made is, “A bat is not a (blind, flying, rabid blind flying) mouse!”
by greg—May 25, 06:32 AM
the name, which comes from the latin mus and in the middle ages changed to mur gave rise to a sepcious etymology: wall mice. because of the word for wall in spanish is muro from the latiin murus. mus is not really used for mice in spanish…except for the musaraña or shrew (and btw, to think that english gets mouse from the latin mus is slightly off. we get it from the german Maus... that neither french, souris, nor spanish use a variation of mus is rather strange… Old Norse, Middle Dutch, Old Persian, Lituanian, Old English, Medieval Spanish, Latin, Greek and Sanskrit all use a variation of mus, mush, mys, mur)
man, now this is gonna bother me!
by Jeremy—May 25, 09:49 AM
I thought a Murcielago was a Lamborghini.
by GKB—May 25, 10:46 AM
Makes driving a Lamborghini “Blind Mouse” less interesting, doesn’t it…
by GKB—May 25, 10:47 AM
yes, indeed, it is.
not at all, it’s a bat-mobile… bubba!!
by Jeremy—May 25, 10:58 AM