Kay Miller, age 10, of Galveston,, Texas, for her question:

Which is the biggest bat?

Altogether there are some 4,000 members of the bat family. Here in North America we see only the mousy little fellows who fly through the dusky evening trawling for insects. But these mousy little bats cannot compare in size with the giant, fruit‑eating bats of the tropics.

The giant of the bat family is called the flying fox. Fully grown, the body of this big bat may be only a foot long. But he has a wing spread of five feet. Seeing him in flight may give you quite a shock the first time. However, he is a harmless animal' at least as far as you are concerned. The farmers of Australia, Madagascar, certain Pacific islands, however, find him a pest. Chances are, the five foot glider is on his way to raid a fruit orchard.