TAME BATS. 



THE Bat is a harmless little ani- 

 mal, but I doubt if many of us 

 would care to have a number of 

 them flying around. The hotter the 

 climate the more Bats you will find. 

 As evening draws nigh, even in Italy, 

 Greece, and Spain, out of their nooks 

 and corners thousands of them fly, 

 fluttering over the fields, through the 

 gardens and streets of the town, 

 through houses and rooms. 



People get used to them there, and 

 when awakened by the noise of their 

 wings will get up, chase them from the 

 room with a stick, and though aware 

 they will return again when all is quiet, 

 lie down again and go to sleep. 



You would scarcely think to look at 

 these lively little animals that they 

 could be tamed and become strongly 

 attached to their masters, would you? 

 But indeed they are very intelligent 

 and many naturalists have made pets 

 of them, training them to take food 

 from their hands or search for it in a 

 glass. They will follow the one they 

 love all over the house, and show 

 themselves very amiable and sensible, 

 too. 



One cold spring morning a lady with 

 a sympathetic heart — a true Christian 

 lady I should judge, since she loved all 

 things "both great and small" — saw a 

 boy tossing in the air a little animal 

 which she took to be a Mouse. Even 

 so insignificant a creature should not 

 be needlessly tortured, so she went at 

 once to its rescue. Instead of a Mouse 



she found it to be a Bat, half-dead 

 from cold and fright. With tender 

 hands she placed it upon some cotton 

 in the bottom of a basket and set it 

 near the fire. Many times she peeped 

 into the basket and was at length de- 

 lighted to see the little creature hang- 

 ing bat-fashion on the side of the bas- 

 ket, its keen, bright eyes watching 

 every movement. One of its feet she 

 found was crushed. With trembling 

 hands she severed the bit of skin by 

 which it hung, and applied some heal- 

 ing salve to the wound. The poor lit- 

 tle creature suffered too much to taste 

 food, but after a few days accepted a 

 Fly from her hands, then a bit of meat, 

 after which it folded its wings to sig- 

 nify it had enough. 



The Bat at length became as tame as 

 a Mouse and would hang itself to any 

 convenient portion of its mistress' 

 dress; would eat whatever of animal 

 food she gave it, and lick milk off her 

 fingers. At night it would settle upon 

 her ha:ir, but never went near other 

 members of the family; would fly about 

 the room, and go out of the window in 

 search of insects, returning in a couple 

 of hours, and if the window was closed 

 hang to the window-sill, or to the sash, 

 until admitted. Thus it lived for two 

 years, a happy, contented Bat, till one 

 night it flew out and never returned — 

 a prey probably to some White Owls 

 who for years had made their home 

 in an old belfry near by. 



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