196 MAMMALIA. 



first directed their flight towards the river, undoubtedly to damp 

 their mouse-like snouts, but not their spirits, for it was likewise 

 observed that they returned to play hide-and-seek and indulge in 

 all other imaginable gambols ; when, after gratifying their love 

 of sport and satisfying their voracious appetites (as the absence of 

 mosquitoes and gnats testified) they would re-enter their habita- 

 tion, again to emerge at the first signal of their feathered trumpet- 

 er. I thus ascertained one very important fact, namely, that the 

 bat, or the species which annoyed us, ate and drank twice in twenty- 

 four hours." After resorting to many ineffectual expedients in the 

 vain attempt to rid his home of these multitudinous pests, he 

 caused " all the holes, fissures in the wood-work, and apertures in 

 the slating to be hermetically sealed with cement. This put a stop 

 to their egress, but to avoid their dying by starvation and depriva- 

 tion of water, which would much increase the annoyance by 

 adding their dead to their living stench, I ordered apertures of 

 about two feet square to be opened in the lathed and plastered 

 partition on each side of the garret windows and also in the ceiling 

 of every garret room ; lastly, when the bat's reveille was sounded 

 by the bugle of the whippoorwill, all the hands of our establish- 

 ment, men and boys, each armed with a wooden implement (shaped 

 like a cricket-bat), marched to the third floor ' on murderous deeds 

 with thoughts intent' ; a lighted lantern was placed in the middle 

 of one of the rooms, divested of all furniture, to allure the hidden 

 foe from their strongholds. After closing the window to prevent 

 all escape into the open air, the assailants distributed themselves 

 at regular distances to avoid clubbing each other, awaited the 

 appearance of the bats, enticed into the room by the artificial light 

 and impelled by their own natural craving. The slaughter com- 

 menced and progressed with sanguinary vigor for several hours, or 

 until brought to a close by the weariness of dealing the blows that 

 made the enemy bite the dust, and overpowered by the heat and 

 closeness of the apartment. This plan succeeded perfectly. After 



