Batty Business

Many a citizen thinks his state legislator has bats in his belfry. In Maine, the complaint happens to be true. Since the early 1970s, some 100 bats have taken up residence beneath the old green dome in Augusta. Because they are nocturnal, which state employees rarely are, nobody much minded as the bats sailed up and down the corridors of power.

One bat, however, made the mistake of napping on a settee in Governor James Longley's office. State employees immediately called in their resident bat expert, a custodian at the department of transportation, who wrapped the creature in cloth and set it free outdoors. There was some talk of a search-and-destroy mission against the whole colony of bats, but cooler heads prevailed. House Speaker John Martin declared there would be no costly "eradication" program. With that decided, the legislature was free to get on with more important matters--like whether to designate the first day of winter Chester Greenwood Day in honor of the man who, it is claimed, invented earmuffs. The legislature approved the proposal. So, batty as it sounds, next Dec. 21 will be Chester Greenwood Day in Maine.

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