196 



BATS AND VAMP IB ES 



It would be difficult to find any collection of Ghost 

 stories which did not contain one or two tales of Vam- 

 pires — horrid creatures that steal out of their graves at 

 night to suck the blood of human beings. They make 

 one's flesh creep to read about, but of course they are 

 not alive, and never were. 



Now, among the great bat tribe there are most likely 

 several kinds who really do what the stories tell of the 

 Vampires. Indeed, there is one species of big bat, with 

 wings two feet wide, and a horny, prickly tongue, which 

 is known to people who study natural history as the 

 Spectre Vampire. Poor bat, it suffers, as is not uncom- 

 mon, for the faults of others, for in reality it cares nothing 

 for human blood and has never sucked anybody. 



Still, even if we cannot believe all the blood-curdling 

 stories told by travellers in South America and some of 

 the Pacific Islands, as to the proceedings of the Vampire 

 bat, they are very interesting to read, and are true to a 

 great extent about others of the tribe. It is not every- 

 body, fortunately for themselves, that could be sucked by 

 a bat, and no doubt the creatures soon find this out, and 

 fly off to a more promising victim. A curious account 

 is given of their ways by a certain Captain Stedman, who 

 spent five years on the north coast of South America, 

 a long while ago, and he declares that he himself had 

 fallen a prey to their bloodthirsty appetite. According 

 to Captain Stedman, when a bat intends to suck you, he 

 flutters slowly to the ground, and stands by your feet, 

 fanning his wings slowly all the while, to keep you cool 

 and comfortable, and to prevent your waking. Then he 



