WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 297 



small in proportion, but the back part of the leg 

 bears no resemblance to that of the larger tina- 

 mon; hence one might conclude that it sleeps 

 upon the ground. 



Independent of the hollow trees, the Vampires 

 have another hiding-place. They clear out the 

 inside of the large ants' nests, and then take pos- 

 session of the shell. I had gone about half a day 

 down the river, to a part of the forest where the 

 wallaba-trees were in great plenty. The seeds 

 had ripened, and I was in hopes to have got the 

 large scarlet ara, which feeds on them. But, un- 

 fortunately, the time had passed away, and the 

 seeds had fallen. 



While ranging here in the forest, we stopped 

 under an ants' nest; and, by the dirt below, con- 

 jectured that it had got new tenants. Thinking 

 it no harm to dislodge them, ^'vi et armis," an 

 Indian boy ascended the tree; but, before he 

 reached the nest, out flew above a dozen Vampires. 



I have formerly remarked, that I wished to have 

 it in mj power to say, that I had been sucked by 

 the vampire. I gave them many an opportunity, 

 but they always fought shy ; and though they now 

 sucked a young man of the Indian breed very 

 severely, as he was sleeping in his hammock in 

 the shed next to mine, they would have nothing 

 to do with me. His great toe seemed to have all 

 the attractions. I examined it minutely as he 

 was bathing it in the river at daybreak. The 

 midnight surgeon had made a hole in it, almost 

 of a triangular shape, and the blood was then 

 running from it apace. His hammock was so 

 defiled and stained with clotted blood, that he 



