16. A Bat Collecting Expedition
Adams’ proposal thus went from a seemingly loony idea, to an official US government research project. A number of factors made the idea theoretically viable, and rendered it attractive to authorities. Bats fly at night, then seek dark and secluded places to roost in before dawn. Places such as attics, cubbyholes, and other nooks and crannies. Bats can also fly with loads exceeding their own bodyweight – loads such as tiny bombs.
Also, during wartime, when resources were scarce and had to be carefully husbanded, bats were abundantly plentiful. Finally, bats can be induced to hibernate, and while hibernating, they do not need food, care, or much maintenance. So Dr. Adams gathered together a coterie of supportive scientists, then took a team of naturalists from the University of California on a bat collecting expedition.
