164 TYPES OF ANIMAL LIFE 



while the head is turned about in all directions as if 

 thus to discover the cause of the disturbance. 



The third family of bats 1 have distinguished as Old 

 World blood-suckers, but do not by this mean to imply 

 that the dozen species it contains all have the habit of 

 sucking blood, but only that one typical form called 

 Megaderma (Fig. 40) has it. 



That well-known Indian observer, the late Mr. Blyth, 

 actually captured a specimen in the act of sucking the 

 blood, while flying, from a smaller bat which it afterward 

 devoured. His statement is as follows (" Journal of the 

 Asiatic Society of Bengal," vol. xi.) : 



" Chancing one evening to observe a rather large bat 

 enter an outhouse, from which there was no other egress 

 than by the doorway, I was fortunate in being able to 

 procure a light, and thus proceed to the capture of the 

 animal. Upon finding itself pursued it took three or 

 four turns round the apartment, when down dropped 

 what at the moment I supposed to be its young, which 

 I deposited in my handkerchief. After a somewhat 

 tedious chase, I then secured the object of my pursuit, 

 which proved to be a fine female Megaderma. I then 

 looked to the other bat which I had picked up, and to 

 my considerable surprise found it to be a small kind of 

 pipistrelle, which is exceedingly abundant throughout 

 India. The individual now referred to was feeble from 

 loss of blood, which it was evident the Megaderma had 

 been sucking from a large and still bleeding wound 

 under and behind the ear; and the very obviously 

 suctional form of the mouth of the Megaderma was itself 

 sufficient to hint the strong probability of such being the 

 case. During the very short time that elapsed before I 

 entered the outhouse it did not appear that the depre- 

 dator had once alighted ; and I am satisfied that it 

 sucked the vital fluid from its victim as it flew, having 

 probably seized it on the wing, and that it was seeking a 

 quiet nook, where it might devour the body at leisure. 

 I kept both animals separate till next morning, when, 



